Copsewood Under The Lights Despite the freezing temperatures I ventured out to tick off one of my most local grounds and see Coventry Copsewood take on Chemsley Town in the Midland Football League Division One. Both clubs have had differing starts to their seasons so three points would be well received by either side in a tightly contested midtable so far.
The Copsewood Sports and Social Club is located on the outskirts of Coventry city centre and is quite a sizeable site, but the main pitch is tucked away at the back and hidden from view on the approach - not the most helpful situation when trying to find it on a dark October night! The pitch was railed off on all sides with a small seated stand and located next to some other pitches making it feel very open, so combined with a very small attendance of just 35 it did feel very quiet in terms of atmosphere.
In what seems to be a trend in games I have attended recently, it was the home side that took the lead after just two minutes when a ball whipped across the face of goal was turned in by what looked like an unfortunate Chelmsley defender, despite being credited in the official report to Copsewood striker Daniel Fraser. No team sheet was available to identify which away player it was, but it was not the best of starts for the visitors.
However, Chelmsley didn’t falter after the early setback, and their first real chance came after fifteen minutes, as after winning a corner the ball was floated in and fumbled by home keeper James Wardle, but the home team eventually cleared it away to safety.
This game can be loosely summed up as scrappy and the opposite of the open, flowing football I’ve seen elsewhere this season - attacks broke down easily and the ball seemed to be confined largely to the midfield, leading to long spells where there wasn’t much action. Chelmsley did nearly score towards the end of the first half though, as the home keeper tried to shield the ball out for a goal kick but was dispossessed on the byline, though as the Chelmsley attacker broke away and made his move towards goal the linesman’s flag went up, much to the bemusement and frustration of the away management. Copsewood did have the chance to double their lead as the half wore down, but a shot from a tight angle drifted harmlessly wide and out for a goal kick.
HT Coventry Copsewood 1-0 Chelmsley Town
The Copsewood Sports and Social Club is located on the outskirts of Coventry city centre and is quite a sizeable site, but the main pitch is tucked away at the back and hidden from view on the approach - not the most helpful situation when trying to find it on a dark October night! The pitch was railed off on all sides with a small seated stand and located next to some other pitches making it feel very open, so combined with a very small attendance of just 35 it did feel very quiet in terms of atmosphere.
In what seems to be a trend in games I have attended recently, it was the home side that took the lead after just two minutes when a ball whipped across the face of goal was turned in by what looked like an unfortunate Chelmsley defender, despite being credited in the official report to Copsewood striker Daniel Fraser. No team sheet was available to identify which away player it was, but it was not the best of starts for the visitors.
However, Chelmsley didn’t falter after the early setback, and their first real chance came after fifteen minutes, as after winning a corner the ball was floated in and fumbled by home keeper James Wardle, but the home team eventually cleared it away to safety.
This game can be loosely summed up as scrappy and the opposite of the open, flowing football I’ve seen elsewhere this season - attacks broke down easily and the ball seemed to be confined largely to the midfield, leading to long spells where there wasn’t much action. Chelmsley did nearly score towards the end of the first half though, as the home keeper tried to shield the ball out for a goal kick but was dispossessed on the byline, though as the Chelmsley attacker broke away and made his move towards goal the linesman’s flag went up, much to the bemusement and frustration of the away management. Copsewood did have the chance to double their lead as the half wore down, but a shot from a tight angle drifted harmlessly wide and out for a goal kick.
HT Coventry Copsewood 1-0 Chelmsley Town
The second half did start brighter than the first half had ended, and within the first five minutes of the second half the home side had a chance to double their lead with a shot from right back Ephriam Pepe that nearly crept in at the near post, but from my viewpoint by the goal it looked to hit the post rather than the keeper getting anything on it, and indeed a goal kick was awarded.
The game sprang into life just a few minutes later, as Copsewood earned a penalty on fifty four minutes for a foul inside the area, which was duly fired home by Fraser. However, this seemed to fire up the away side rather than put the game to bed, as Kieran Fitzgerald pulled a goal back for Chelmsley in the sixty first minute seemingly out of nowhere, a ball came across and it was rifled home from the edge of the box.
Chelmsley had the chance to equalise with around a quarter of an hour to play with a free kick just outside the penalty area, and as it deflected off the wall the home keeper had to dive smartly back across to parry it away, maintaining Copsewood’s lead.
Into the final ten minutes Copsewood had another opportunity to get their third with a great one on one breakaway, but the Chelmsley keeper was able to collect as the home attacker overran and slipped before being able to get his shot away. It proved to be costly as just a minute later Chelmsley moved forward with an attack of their own, and as the home defence scrambled to get the ball away Kieran Fitzgerald was able to bundle it into the net to bring the score level and double his tally with just seven minutes to go.
It wasn’t the end of the action though, as with just a few minutes left Coventry Copsewood won a corner, and centre back Brett Davies rose highest to head the ball into the bottom corner and secure all three points for the home side.
Overall it wasn’t the best game of football I’ve ever seen, and towards the end tempers got a bit frayed on the bitch - Copsewood have already had one game abandoned this season due to a brawl with opposition players and it looked as though similar may happen here. Cooler heads prevailed however, and the win sees Copsewood occupy seventh in the Division One table, with Chelmsley six points behind in fifteenth.
Coventry Copsewood 3-2 Chelmsley Town
Attendance: 35
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: £1.50
Coventry Copsewood: Wardle, Pepe, Taylor, Atkins, Davies, Johnston, Civzelis, Upton, Fraser, Rawlings, Yerou
Chelmsley Town: Kelly (gk), Egege, R Ellis, T Ellis, Fitzgerald, Keeley, Parke, Sadler, Sawyer, Sweeney, Weller
The game sprang into life just a few minutes later, as Copsewood earned a penalty on fifty four minutes for a foul inside the area, which was duly fired home by Fraser. However, this seemed to fire up the away side rather than put the game to bed, as Kieran Fitzgerald pulled a goal back for Chelmsley in the sixty first minute seemingly out of nowhere, a ball came across and it was rifled home from the edge of the box.
Chelmsley had the chance to equalise with around a quarter of an hour to play with a free kick just outside the penalty area, and as it deflected off the wall the home keeper had to dive smartly back across to parry it away, maintaining Copsewood’s lead.
Into the final ten minutes Copsewood had another opportunity to get their third with a great one on one breakaway, but the Chelmsley keeper was able to collect as the home attacker overran and slipped before being able to get his shot away. It proved to be costly as just a minute later Chelmsley moved forward with an attack of their own, and as the home defence scrambled to get the ball away Kieran Fitzgerald was able to bundle it into the net to bring the score level and double his tally with just seven minutes to go.
It wasn’t the end of the action though, as with just a few minutes left Coventry Copsewood won a corner, and centre back Brett Davies rose highest to head the ball into the bottom corner and secure all three points for the home side.
Overall it wasn’t the best game of football I’ve ever seen, and towards the end tempers got a bit frayed on the bitch - Copsewood have already had one game abandoned this season due to a brawl with opposition players and it looked as though similar may happen here. Cooler heads prevailed however, and the win sees Copsewood occupy seventh in the Division One table, with Chelmsley six points behind in fifteenth.
Coventry Copsewood 3-2 Chelmsley Town
Attendance: 35
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: £1.50
Coventry Copsewood: Wardle, Pepe, Taylor, Atkins, Davies, Johnston, Civzelis, Upton, Fraser, Rawlings, Yerou
Chelmsley Town: Kelly (gk), Egege, R Ellis, T Ellis, Fitzgerald, Keeley, Parke, Sadler, Sawyer, Sweeney, Weller
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