Brackley Town 2-1 AFC Telford United - Report
The story of this game was probably the story of the Bucks season; a better start could have avoided some of the regret that followed, but after asking lots of questions of a promotion-chasing team there was further evidence that their evolution into a Paul Carden team is gathering pace. The big question is: can they change sufficiently to guarantee safety from relegation?
After just 18 minutes of the game, the Bucks were two goals adrift and seemed to be staring a hefty defeat in the face; however, for their mood to be one of disappointment at full time stands as testimony to the way Carden’s side rebounded.
The hosts went into this fixture in second place in the Vanarama National League North, three points behind leaders Gateshead with a game in hand. On top of that, Brackley’s defensive record this season is phenomenal; just 17 goals conceded in 29 matches, with 20 clean sheets.
Carden’s response, in the face of what looked to be a particularly difficult nut to crack, was to be positive, and even opposing manager Kevin Wilkin suggested magnanimously that the Bucks’ performance could, and perhaps should, have secured a point.
The Bucks included two new faces in their squad; Devarn Green and Rob Evans have both played for Carden in the past and arrived this week to increase their manager’s options. Green went straight into the team, whilst Evans was an unused substitute.
The Bucks didn’t appear immediately all at sea, and they gave as good as they got in the early exchanges. Brackley’s Danny Lewis held onto a corner kick and then opposite number Luke Pilling had to be alert to hold a Lee Ndlovu cross that deflected off James Melhado towards his near post.
Brackley’s success in this and recent seasons is built on a bedrock of continuity and efficiency; well-drilled and with quality throughout their side, Wilkin’s side rarely rip teams apart. Instead, they slowly choke them, making few errors of their own and clinically exploiting the errors they force from their opponents.
They are especially dangerous at set-pieces, and the Bucks have developed a real Achilles heel as far as defending dead-ball situations is concerned. What happened in the 13th minute therefore shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.
Green committed a foul 35 yards from goal, and from a ball aimed into the 18-yard box, Brackley skipper Gareth Dean connected with a firm header. It was on target, albeit straight at Pilling, but landed in what cricketers call a ‘corridor of uncertainty’, and with Pilling caught in two minds, Jaanai Gordon pounced to stab the ball home from a few yards out.
It was the striker’s first goal for the club, having recently signed from Hereford and also having featured this season for Stratford Town against Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup.
The Bucks sought a response, but five minutes later were punished again for slack play. Mace Goodridge, who lacked some of the energy he’s brought to the Bucks midfield, lost possession in the centre-circle, and the Bucks were back-pedalling. Brackley switched the ball right, allowing Matt Lowe to advance into a vacant inside-right channel, and as Pilling tried to close his angles, fired an unstoppable shot over him, high into the net.
Carden’s team could have crumbled, but they didn’t. Brendon Daniels, playing in a creative midfield role instead of wide on the left, was trying to find passes to use the width offered by Green and Byron Moore. Brackley also aided them somewhat, conceding a succession of free-kicks that gave Daniels the chance to put the ball into the box, albeit without much success.
However, just before the half-hour mark, they made a breakthrough. Moore got around Glenn Walker to cross from the right; the ball, swung away from Lewis in goal, missed the head of Jason Oswell, but Green had made ground to the far post. Although not a noted header of the ball, he rose about the diminutive Ellis Myles to tuck the ball inside the post for a debut goal.
From thereon, the Bucks looked the more cohesive team, not just for the remainder of the half but also the second period too. In the closing moments of the first half, Daniels brought a fine save from Lewis, who reacted well to not be caught out by a powerfully struck shot from outside the penalty area, diving to his left.
In the early part of the second half, Lowe saw a deflected shot balloon over Pilling’s crossbar, whilst Gordon was off target with a shot from a similar position, a smart turn having earned him the space and time.
Whilst Brackley were under no pressure to force the issue by looking for a third goal, their play didn’t have the fluidity you might have expected from title challengers, and the Bucks perhaps began to sense that there was more to be gained from the game.
Oswell’s hold-up play in the box released Moore on the right, and it was only an outstretched Brackley leg that stopped his pass picking out Green for a tap-in. Shep Murombedzi replied with a wildly off-target shot, whilst Green, whose match fitness will need building up, made way for substitute Brayden Shaw.
Set-pieces remained a threat, and a less than clean header from Dean at the far post had to be stopped and cleared off the line by a Bucks defender. Goodridge was replaced by Ward, and more free-kicks conceded by Brackley gave Daniels the opportunity to try and test Dean defensively.
On 65 minutes, Moore brought right-back James Melhado into the game on the overlap, and his cross was directed narrowly wide of Lewis’s left post by the head of Oswell, who enjoyed a real tussle with Louis Lomas.
Clear chances wouldn’t come for either side, and the game’s stop-start quality continued. As the game entered the closing stages, Daniels was given a free-kick opportunity, well within
his range and centrally positioned. Daniels’ effort beat the defensive wall, rising and then falling to skid just wide of Lewis’s left post. The keeper then fingertipped a Melhado cross away from the head of the incoming Shaw as the Bucks sought an equaliser.
Their big chance came one minute into stoppage time. Awarded another free-kick close to goal, Daniels’ whipped delivery from the left bisected the home defence and was met by substitute Andre Wright, but his shot from 8-10 yards, struck powerfully as the ball dropped, smashed off the crossbar. Brackley breathed a sigh of relief, whilst the Bucks puffed out their cheeks in frustration.
Seconds later the game was all over, and despite the Bucks having played the better football of the two teams, it’s not always about style but substance, and Brackley had got the job done despite not being at their very best. Carden’s team should nonetheless feel that when facing the likes of Farsley, Guiseley, Gloucester and Blyth, showing the same attacking instincts and minimising their errors will put their destiny at their own feet.
Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo.
Assistants: Harley McKittrick, Kurt Bartlett.
Attendance: 583 (48 from Telford).
Telford: Pilling, Melhado, Burke, Lilly, Piggott (c), Nolan, Green (Shaw 57), Goodridge (Ward 62), Daniels, Oswell (Wright 84), Moore.
Subs not used: White, Evans.
Scorer: Green (28).
Cautioned: Burke.
Brackley Town: Lewis, Myles, Walker (Franklin 89), Murombedzi, Lomas, Dean (c), Lowe, Richards, Ndlovu, Gordon (Putz 67 (Yusuf 89)), York.
Subs not used: Armson, Prosser.
Scorers: Gordon (13), Lowe (18).
Cautioned: Murombedzi.
