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Won 5 - 3
H\T 2 - 2
Following on from the very impressive 5-0 victory at Eaton Socon on Wednesday night, Moulton entertained Winslow United on a cold but now thankfully dry winter’s afternoon. Overnight rain had seen a majority of the games in the area postponed, but of course the astroturf was immaculate as always and it was game on. The game also attracted quite a few groundhoppers to come to the village, as well as a few neutral locals and some Cogenhoe United players too. Gary Petts made a couple of chances from midweek with Cole Mason coming in for the unavailable Francis Boateng and Adam Jordan getting the nod over Tom O’Neill who dropped down to the bench. Winslow included the vastly experienced Aaron King in their line-up, bringing their average age up in much the way that Moulton skipper Andy Hall does for the home team.

Joey Evans went for goal from the kick-off, putting his shot a few yards wide of the target, but Winslow, with the wind at their backs, were starting to look the more dangerous and they took the lead with just 5 minutes gone. Charlie Rowe whipped in a great cross from the right that Louie Howarth rose to meet to the left of the 6-yard box where he planted his header across Filipe Mederios and inside the far post. King fired wide from a central position 20-yards out after Moulton had failed to clear their lines, but Moulton were now getting into their stride Evans strong run through the centre allowed him space to fire in a low shot from just outside the box that George Zammit couldn’t hold on to at full stretch, but Jordan didn’t middle his follow up and the ball came through a cloud of rubber crumb and straight at the keeper who gratefully held on this time. Hall found Luca Iaciofano with a good pass, but the youngster’s first touch forced him a little wider than he would have liked and when he cut back inside to lay the ball across, the defence had got back behind the ball and were able to get it away from their penalty area. Harry Dalton forced a save out of Mederios from 10-yards out, then shortly afterwards King couldn’t find the balance he needed and sliced wide from an angle on the right of the box. The lively Rocco Tamplin delivered a dangerous cross from the right, but the two Yellow shirted players lacked any communication, getting in each other’s way and the chance went begging. The game was very open and flowing from end-to-end as the crowd of 141 remained entertained and as Moulton pushed for an equaliser, Derrick Okoye played a neat exchange with Manny Asante, but a timely toe-in from Howarth robbed him of the ball just as he looked to have made it into the box. Another good move saw Iaciofano get the ball back from Hall before sending in a dangerous cross from the right, Okoye tried to bring it down and turn, but instead laid it back to Evans on the edge of the box and he hit a low shot that the keeper dived to his right to keep out, with the ball spinning off his glove and going just wide of his post for a corner. Iaciofano played it in low to the near post where Evans flicked it on and Derrick Okoye jumped to head home from very close range. I am assuming this was a training ground move and it worked a treat today. 1-1 with 21 minutes gone. King had a chance down the other end but fired wide on the angle just a few yards from goal, then referee Gary Ogden pulled out the yellow card for Winslow skipper Ryan Freshwater who was called up for dissent and continued despite the warning. Surely this was the classic example of a sin-bin offence, but the visitors kept their eleven men on the field for the next ten minutes. Evans forced another save from the edge of the box that Zammit couldn’t hold but recovered quickly to claim, then a good ball from Hall put Evans into the box and he cut inside before fizzing a shot just the wrong side of the post as he aimed for the top corner.
Moulton took the lead on 31 minutes and it was that man Evans once more. Hall sent through a perfectly weighted through-ball that Evans ran on to and took the ball round the keeper. He then cut back across the goal to wrong-foot the covering defender before poking the ball home for close range with another defender also trying to stop him. Another quick break saw Evans steer a pass into the path of Jordan on the right and he dinked the ball over the defender’s head to pick out Evans in the box, but he couldn’t kill the ball with his first touch and ended up being forced to the right and was closed down. Dylan Weston was caught in possession inside his own half and Tamplin nipped in to feed Harry Dalton who saw his well-struck shot tipped over by Mederios. Iaciofano sent over a great cross that picked out an unmarked Hall in the centre and it looked like his header would find the far corner, but it went agonisingly the wrong side of the post. Hall then broke through the middle and had the luck of the bounce off a defender to put him clear through, but he lashed his volley over the top. Winslow goalscorer Howarth was forced off with an injury three minutes before the break with Ollie Powell taking his place, then as the clock hovered around the 45-minute, King did well on the right and sent a low ball across the 6-yard box where Dalton simply had to sweep the ball home from close-range to level the scores up again. There would still be a few minutes of added time to play and Iaciofano’s pace saw him break into the box on the right and pull a low ball across to Okoye, but his touch sent the ball inches wide of the far post. There was still time for United to break and Dalton sent King through on the right side of the box and his shot clattered the base of the post, leaving things all-square at 2-2 as we headed in for the break.

Half-time; Moulton 2 Winslow 2

Moulton now had the advantage of the breeze at their backs, but it was Mederios who was the first keeper called into action as he rose above the crowd to catch a cross from the right wing. Tom Lawler saw his 20-yard free-kick curl wide, then Dalton’s perfectly struck shot from the edge of the box seemed certain to hit the top corner, but for a full-length dive by Mederios that saw him touch the ball away from his goal. One of the saves of the season and at a vital time with the visitors starting to get on top. A good challenge by Matt Ginger stopped Okoye as he turned inside the box, but on 55 minutes Moulton grabbed that important fifth goal of the game. Hall slipped the ball to Okoye inside the box on the left and it appeared to be going out of play, but the striker, still buzzing from his midweek hat-trick, kept going and hit a shot from an impossible angle that Zammit got a hand too, but the ball carried on into the back of his net.
Weston was booked for a poor challenge on Jack Menday after 60 minutes, then Zammit made easy work of Hall’s cross from the left. Iaciofano fed Okoye but his pull-back was cut out, then Okoye picked up a booking after tripping Menday from behind as he tried to break away with 68 minutes played. Okoye was then himself brought down, this time inside the United box and Evans calmly sent his penalty low and just inside the keeper’s left-hand post for his second of the afternoon and open up a two-goal gap for the first time in the game with 73 minutes played.
Evans broke into the box on the right and struck a powerful shot that the keeper could only parry and a couple of subs soon followed. Okoye was denied the chance of back-to-back hat-tricks, although his yellow card would be the more obvious reason, as he was replaced by JJ McCarthy up front, while Dan Ball came on for the visitors with Dalton the man to make way. It was game on again though on 78 minutes when the unlucky Mederios was beaten at the third attempt. He touched a fierce drive onto the bar before recovering to save the follow up, but he could do nothing to keep out Powell’s thunderous shot from the centre of the box. Winslow were only within touching reach of Moulton for two minutes though as Evans tried to make space for a shot inside the box and when the ball ran to McCarthy 19-yards out, he hit the perfect low first-time shot that gave the keeper no chance at all as it flew just inside the post. 5-3 with nine minutes left to play and for the first time in the game Winslow seemed to have had the wind taken out of their sails. Subs followed with Jack Mullally coming on for Iaciofano who had recently received treatment from Tanoya Mayoh, who had kindly stepped in for the day, then both sides made their final changes with Tom O’Neill coming on for Jordan for the final few minutes and Brad Walker replacing Rowe for the visitors. It was nearly six at the death when Manny Asante made a great run down the right before sending in a cross that Evans brought down nicely, but he placed his shot the wrong side of the post and he too would have to settle for a double-strike today.

Moulton are certainly entertaining and even though this is the seventh time I have seen them this season, they have all been good games to watch and this was no exception. Winslow looked like a decent side and with both teams trying to get forward and play their football, it was an enjoyable afternoon. I’m sure Gary, Daz and Chris would rather they hadn’t let in three, but they have now scored five or more in their last three games, with a cup-final to play for when they entertain Eaton Socon in the Division One Cup semi-final on Tuesday, just seven days after beating them 5-0. There is still plenty to look forward to for the excellent fanbase they have developed this season. To top that they have already scored 81 goals in all competitions with Joey Evans on 31 and Derek Okoye having netted 22, not many teams will be able to boast that sort of record at this time of the season.

Moulton; 1. Filipe Medrios 2. Cole Mason 3. Luca Iaciofano (sub 14. Jack Mullally 83) 4. Albert Mensah 5. Stefano Koffi 6. Adam Jordan (sub 16. Tom O’Neill 85) 7. Andy Hall © 8. Manny Asante 9. Derrick Okoye (sub 15. JJ McCarthy 76) 10. Dylan Weston 11. Joey Evans. Subs not used; 12. Jamal Said 17. Ben Jackson.
Yellow cards; Weston (60) Foul. Okoye (68) Foul.
Winslow; 1. George Zammit 2. Charlie Rowe (sub 14. Brad Walker 85) 3. Jack Menday 4. Tom Lawler 5. Ryan Freshwater © 6. Matt Ginger 7. Rocco Tamplin 8. George Kerr 9. Harry Dalton (12. Dan Ball 76) 10. Aaron King 11. Louie Howarth (sub 15. Ollie Power 43). Subs not used; 13. Charlie Barnett (gk) 17. Justin Gordon.
Yellow card; Freshwater (36) Dissent.
Referee; Gary Ogden
Assts; Liam Jackson & Ian Brown

Thanks to our Guest Reporter Paul Jackson for his comprehensive report.