Cinderford Town 6 v 3 Coleshill Town

[Alan Beckett]

Saturday 23rd October 1976
Midland Combination Division One
Cinderford Town 6 v 3 Coleshill Town
Scorers:
Ford: Summers 3, Brake 2, Unknown.
Town: Ray Nabbs, Roy Phelps pen, John Allcock.


Team: David Lawrence GK, Bert Brayley, ? Brayson, John Newey, Ray Nabbs, Roy Phelps, John Allcock, Jim Hall. Sub Barrie Canning.


COLESHILL CHRONICLE WROTE
Coleshill Lose Thriller
Coleshill Town lost a thrilling Midland Combination First Division game at Cinderford on Saturday. Cinderford kicked off down the slope and only 45 seconds, bad play by the Coleshill defence gave Brake the first shot of the game. Three minutes later Cinderford forced a corner on the left which was easily cleared. This resulted in a good Town attack with Brayley and Brayson combining to set up a chance for Newey, but Cinderford keeper Hook came out quickly to pick up. After ten minutes another Cinderford attack resulted in Town keeper, Lawrence saving with his feet a shot from Brake. After this at the other end a Nabbs shot from the outside right position went just wide. With the game swinging from end to end, Cinderford won a corner on the left. This was scrambled away and Delazarri shot high and wide from 30 yards. With 15 minutes gone a Town free kick by Phelps was just pushed past the right hand post by Allcock. With the rain at their backs Cinderford attacked down the right and a perfect cross by Brake was headed in by Summers to put the home side ahead. Two minutes later, some sloppy play in the mud by the Town defence let Summers in for his and Cinderford's second goal. Town hit back almost immediately with shots from Nabbs and Hall but still no goals came. Coleshill also forced corners on the left and right, the later been given away when Nabbs was too slow in a goal-scoring position. After 32 minutes Cinderford had the ball in the net again, only to be disallowed by the referee. Thirty seconds later, Summers popped up to claim his hat-trick after a cross from the left was not picked up by the Town's defence. After 37 minutes a probing run and cross by Allcock on the left, allowed Nabbs to score a good goal with a glancing header to give the travelling Town supporters something to cheer about. With the mud and rain, tempers started to fray and Frith of Cinderford and Hanlon of Coleshill were spoken to by the referee. The second half started with a quick Town attack which the home defence cleared and set up an attack of their own, getting a free kick 30 yards out from goal, this was easily cleared by Lawrence. The next Cinderford charge up the left brought goal number four when Summers was left with acres of room to knock in a cross which was touched in from four yards by Brake. After 49 minutes a poor clearance by Gardner across the box, held up in the mud and let in Cinderford for goal number five. At this time Town could not get their game together at all and Hanlon gave away a corner under no pressure at all. On the hour Coleshill strarted to play their best football of the game and constant pressure gave way to a penalty to Town when Nabbs was brought down on the right hand side of the box. Town skipper Phelps took the spot kick but keeper Hook made a fine save only to find Phelps cool enough to knock in the rebound. Cinderford attacked again to find Smallcombe miss a great chance from 12 yards. Town were now the only team in the game and in the 66th minute Town scored the best goal of the game when Allcock's overhead kicked, in a crowded goalmouth to notch number three. Coleshill kept on pressing forward and were nearly caught out at the back when Frith shot high over the bar on a breakaway. With Town still pressing forward a good cross from Allcock was scrambled away before Newey could ragain balance while handily placed in the six yard box. Town were now playing well, but kept getting caught at the back due to their eagerness to attack. This was pointed out when Lawrence had to make a brave save at the feet of Smallcombe. With the heavy pitch taking it's toll on all the players, the Coleshill substitute Canning was really making his mark on the game with some good midfield grafting. The next Cinderford breakaway on the right was well headed clear by Phelps who was well placed under the cross-bar. Four minutes from time after Town's keeper had fumbled a long range shot, the resulting clearance was forced straight back into the net when a low shot from the right gave Brake the final goal of the game. But just to show the great spirit in the Town's side, the last shot of the game fell to Nabbs whose shot from the right hand side of the box was well held under the bar by Hook. This result should not dishearten the Town after the good results of the last month or so, because this pitch looked more like a ploughed field on a hillside at the end of the game than a football pitch, and to really sum it up a local chap was heard to say "I didn't know it was Christmas in Cinderford today but that's the way it goes."


P8 W2 D1 L5 F11 A16 Pts5 Pos?/18