17/04 Rushden 2nd Half

By: Tony Butcher
Date: 18/04/2004

NEITHER team made any change at half time. Rushden emerged several minutes after Town. Perhaps they couldn’t be bothered. Town started at the same pace as they had done in the first half and immediately had the Midlanders pinned back with their ears against the Osmond Stand.

Grimsby Town 1 Rushden and Diamonds 0 17 Apr 2004, Nationwide League Division 2 Barnard, Jevons and Mansaram combined down the left with a cross zipping towards the near post. From behind a strategically placed bush, Rankin appeared and poked the ball just past the near post. A couple of minutes later Town mangled them again down the left. Someone got behind their defence, the ball was crossed and half cleared back to Campbell, about a dozen yards out near the edge of the penalty area, who hit a shot goal wards. The ball kissed the backside of a defender and rolled across the face of goal. Near the penalty spot Rankin surged towards the ball and just as he was about to swipe it in a defender hurled himself across and twiddled the ball clear. It all felt a little flat, less things happening, but hey, weren’t we spoiled by the first half? And, for the Pontoon, it all seems less exciting when play is down the Osmond End. The crowd had been provoked into caring; the last few weeks of silent, sullen sadness was replaced with the odd Grimsby groan, that harbinger of hope returning to the morose Mariner fan. That cruel, cruel hope, the fingertips are just about clinging to the cliff. I can hear a noise. Is it help? Someone with a rope? Or just the wind? Penalty! No. A corner driven beyond the far post, Anderson chased and, near the bye-line, tried to clip the cross back. The ball hit a blond-haired defender somewhere near his arm. Blatant and obvious to all, of course. The further one is away from an incident the better you see it, don’t you think? Distance lends perspective, so those listening in Australia will have had the best view of all. A couple of minutes later Crowe zippadedoodaahed down the wing, taking on several of the amorphous yellow blobs and being obstructed as he made for the bye-line. He stopped, demanded a free kick and looked aghast when play continued. Frustration building, moaning mounting. We just couldn’t finish these pesky kids off. A Jevons glider hovering above the defence like a UFO evaded all but Anderson near the penalty spot, who headed firmly but a yard or so over the bar. Grrr, c’mon Town, their funeral should be over by now, where are those cucumber sandwiches? In the 56th minute Crane won his first defensive header of the day. Huzzah! On the hour Mansaram piddled about after a fine flowing footballing confection down the Town right. Several Town players combined with sweet one-touch passes, the defence using the space given up by the Irthlings to advance. Anderson surged forward, Rankin rolled the ball forward to Crowe inside the area, who flipped it sideways to Mansaram, unmarked near the penalty spot. A defender cleared as Mansaram decided not to shoot. Mansaram the striker who will only shoot from outside the penalty area. And what do you know, within a minute he proved the theory. Town refused to give up possession, passing left, right, all along the watchtower, finally to Anderson on the left, who curled the ball down the touchline for Mansaram to run onto. He held off three defenders, cut infield and levered the ball over the stand far, far away down Neville Street as Rankin stood unmarked inside the area. A couple of seconds later a small yelp was heard as an old dog was felled by Mansaram’s shot descending from the sky with fiery menace. The mutt, like Rushden, continued breathing for a little while longer.

Grimsby Fettis Crowe Edwards Crane Barnard Anderson Campbell Coldicott Jevons Rankin Mansaram   Subs Ford 85 mins Soames 74 mins Warhurst Rowan Hockless   Attendance 3,890   Referee David Pugh (Merseyside)   Division Two League Table Reports/Fixtures Squad Stats Top Scorers Previews Predict-o-Meter   Man of the Match Vote for your Man of the Match Your Name (optional) Your Email Address (optional) Your Man of the Match Pick a player Fettis Crowe Crane Edwards Barnard Ford Anderson Campbell Coldicott Jevons Rankin Mansaram Soames Nominations count towards the Player Of The Month shortlist.

Around this time the strange creatures from an unknown town got inside the Town half. A break-away when a corner was cleared saw little Jack racing down their right. He headed the ball over Coldicott, his momentum taking him on the track next to the pitch. Stacy ignored the ball, always his strong point, and ran parallel with Jack, simply blocking off the quick little tic. Both had a little game of rollerball off the pitch, with the ball trickling slowly goalwards. Eventually a Rushdenite appeared, so Stacy, the human JCB, gobbled him up with a huge sliding excavation. No Roman ruins were unearthed, but we did find a shallow grave in which Antoine-Curier’s contract had been placed, alongside a picture of Des Hamilton.

They also got a corner too, midway through the second half. Burgess prepared to take it and fell over the raised edge. We laughed, he went crimson and curled the ball to Fettis. They won’t be back for ages, so relax a little.

What happened next? Oh yes, Town pouring forward, as they camped inside their own penalty area. Every man Jack of them. Except Jack, so every man except Jack of ‘em, I suppose. Town spent a few minutes doing daft things like lumping high balls in, but eventually they realised that there were vast acres of savannah into which the Town lions could roam to kill off these wildebeest. Edwards, then Campbell strode on and on, with the now visible man drifting through a couple of nebulous tackles to dapple a shot a yard over the bar from maybe 25 yards out. Then the old Town one-two, in-out, flicking, tricking, by Jevons, then Mansaram and a shot by Anderson blocked. If the boot was on the other foot one might be eulogising the Rushdenians for their backs-against-the-wall bravery. Well, playing against the statistically worst defence in the whole wide world of football, they were just plain daft. Even Town might score against them, all it would take would be a bit of (mis)fortune.

With 17 minutes left Soames replaced Mansaram and did what he always does - buzz around the ankles like a carpet mite. Within a minute he’d caused them to scratch at the itch. Crowe zoomed, Soames found room and crossed to the near post, where Rankin jumped at the ball. The ref gave a goal kick, but it looked like a yellow thigh that flipped the ball away. Town were getting closer, closer to the goal. After 78 minutes Campbell, tired of this passing stuff, ran towards the penalty area from just inside their half. Past one statue, past another and, near the left hand corner of their penalty area, little Stu saw an immobile object and ran into it, rebounding like a ball bearing from a rubber band. Third time lucky for Town; a penalty was given. Rushden went bananas, as did some of their supporters, a couple of whom were ejected. Come, come, this is the football league, not the conference. A little more decorum please. After an age Jevons strode forward, then was made to wait further as the ball was not on its spot and the opponents wandered across his view. JEVONS languidly glided across the mud and caressed the ball to the left as Turley flew to his right. The Town fans made some noise and generally appeared pleased, as were the players.

From the kick off Town regained possession, with Campbell curling a superb ball down the left touchline with the outside of his right boot. Rankin powered on to the ball, cut infield and drivelled a shot into the side netting. Rushden must have tried to attack, as gaps started to appear all through their defence and midfield. I can’t be certain mind, as they didn’t actually do any concerted attacking. At some stage between the goal and the end Rankin took a machete to the right hand side of their team, hacking his way past the deadwood and Underwood and bearing down upon Turley, who blocked with his chest. Should have been two.

With six minutes left Barnard halted the tiny Rushden substitute by standing in his way, just inside the Town half. The ref gave a free kick to them, as Barnard lay prostrate having been felled by a forearm. Ford immediately replaced Barnard and played at left back. There was a bit of confusion at the back as Crowe and Ford exchanged empty looks, but Ford stayed on the left. A couple of minutes later Anderson was booked for lunging through the back of a defender, underneath the Stones/Findus/Smiths stand. The free kick was lobbed high and mighty, falling at the far post to Hunter, who miss hit an attempted curler. The ball slowly looped to Fettis. No danger.

Right, so what else happened? Duffy got sent off for jumping at Crane with elbow high. Crane crumpled, Duffy mumbled and off he went in a flounce, exchanging telephone numbers with Law as he truckled off down the tunnel. That was the second time Crane had been face-felled by Duffy. At the start of the three minutes of added time Rushden pumped a long ball down the middle and someone fell to the ground. The ref gave a free kick against Ford about 25 yards out on the centre left. Hanlon waddled forward and kicked the ball into the wall, it bounced behind Hanlon and three Town players ran off. Soames collected the ball 10 yards inside the Town half and just went off in a straight line down the inside right with no opponents anywhere to be seen. He carried on in to their penalty area, cut in past one challenge and had just Turley to beat, but hit the shot against Turley’s left boot. A minute later Rankin raced off and should have scored, but didn’t. And then it ended.

Oh joy of joys: Town win and by playing recognisable association football. This really should have been a right tonking, with Town winning at least five-nil. But Town didn’t shoot very well and Rushden did place umpteen thousand bodies inside the penalty area. They were not subtle at all in their defensive tactics. On this showing Rushden should go down, as they are worse than Town, but probably won’t if they play some lardy-attitude team who are bumbling around in mid-table.

But so what about them. Town eh? Passing, even some movement. The right players in the right places doing just about the right thing. The result is important, but the way they did it matters. At the back of all minds was that thought that it was the last dying kick, the death rattle. We’ll find out next week, won’t we. Men or mice?

Nicko’s Man of the Match

Now, this is a little tricky. Rankin was awesomely awesome for the first half, and the last few minutes, and Anderson was a willing worker and cuddling creator throughout. So who is it? I’ll get a coin out. Isaiah Rankin, by three heads to two.

Official Warning

Mr D Pugh. Town can’t complain about him (but the linesman with the yellow flag was pathetically inept), as he eventually succumbed to the penalty pressure. He was unwilling to book, which isn’t a bad thing, and did deal with a flying elbow. So, from a Town perspective, he was reet good value, and gets a very commendable 7.211

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