DERWENT 2 NUNEATON 1

Nuneaton ended their miserable Coaching Solutions East Midlands Premier Division league campaign with a 2 – 1 defeat at the hands of Derwent.

Already relegated Town were playing for pride and this was at least reflected in the effort the players provided. However, we were under strength and were always going to find it difficult to get their rhythm.

Nuns didn’t get going at the beginning of the match and were conceding possession to Derwent too cheaply. This put the away side under pressure from the outset and it wasn’t long before Derwent capitalised to take the lead.

Nuneaton began to get some passing going but it was still not slick enough and Derwent kept the pressure up, forcing Nuneaton to defend hard. Despite good work from Sam Wiggins and others Derwent struck again to take a two goal lead. However, Nuneaton finally got their passing game going and a good move going the whole length of the pitch saw Andy FORRYAN score his first goal at this level.

Nuneaton improved in the second half following some harsh words from coach and captain and created a couple of short corner chances but were unable to convert them. Derwent continued to press and the game remained open and flowing from end to end but neither team could add to their goal tally.

NUNEATON II 4 GEC RUGBY II 1

This was a good result to end the Coaching Solutions East Midlands Division One league season for Nuneaton who claimed fourth position after some strong performances in recent weeks.

The game started well for the home side who took the lead with only ten minutes gone when, after good work from a short corner, Roger STOKES fired in from close range.

The home side were soon two goals to the good as Alan Owens flicked the ball towards the goal forcing the keeper to save, only for Roger STOKES to “sniff” and tap the loose ball through the stunned keeper’s legs - scoring his second goal in as many minutes.

Nuneaton were rampant by now, and Chris Jesson worked his way down the right before crossing for the inrushing Ally JONES to strike an unstoppable shot past the Rugby keeper who then made a series of fine saves to keep the halftime score at 3-0.

The second half was a better half for the visitors who made more of a game of it and scored a well deserved goal within ten minutes of the restart.

Peter Sidwell was kept busy as Rugby pressed forward, and he pulled off some fine saves to keep Nuneaton well ahead and with five minutes to go the home side scored a fourth goal from another short corner fired in from skipper Alan OWENS to provide a good end to a good season.

COALVILLE III 2 NUNEATON III 1

Nuneatons knack of making life difficult for themselves continued against a strong Coalville side who are fourth in the Coaching Solutions East Midlands Division One.

A poor start saw Nuneaton gift the home side a 'soft' goal and once again Nuns were left chasing the game. However this week they showed a new resilience and Coalville were unable to add to their lead until they hit the winner late on in the game.

The visitors had equalised half way through the second half through Ken LAPSLEY and had the chances to sneak a win but were unable to find the corner or the power to trouble the home keeper.

This was the final game of a league season which has had its ups and downs but has seen encouraging development from the younger members of the squad with Oliver Gazeley, Ian Lawton and Matt Cawthorne all showing their worth on Saturday.

They were ably supported by the more seasoned campaigners like the Nixons, Paul Sidwell and James Pennington who, despite getting injured, refused to leave the pitch. Hopefully with further development and a new crop of youngsters moving up, the thirds will begin to threaten the top teams next season.

NUNEATON IV 3 BURTON IV 1

Nuneaton rounded off the season with a comfortable victory over mid-table Burton as the Coaching Solutions East Midlands Premier Division drew to a close.

The visitors arrived with only eight players at the outset, and although Nuneaton delayed the start to allow the remaining car to arrive, the umpires were forced to start to avoid later games being pushed back.

As expected, Nuneaton began strongly and after a few goalmouth skirmishes, took the lead after five minutes when a svelte Dave HARRIS cracked home from the top of the “D”.

Burton’s four missing players arrived at this point but the hosts continued to dominate and Dave HARRIS bagged a second after Andy Mahon’s corner attempt rebounded to him off the keeper’s pads.

The game was over as a contest when slick passing from Harris and Rixon allowed Matt PEGG to convert with a slap shot at the far post, but Burton did pull a goal back before the break when a strong right wing run from the skipper, was slotted home by the centre forward.

An injury to Rixon slowed Nuneaton’s progress in the second half, and a yellow card reduced the side to ten men for the majority of the half. However, Moore and Dobos continued to pose a threat to the visitors whilst Holmes, Tilley and Morris were resolute at the heart of Nuns defence.

As the half wore on and Burton became more frustrated at their inability to break down the ten men, tempers became frayed and several feisty challenges gave the match an unnecessary edge.

This culminated in the visitors also being reduced to ten men for the final few minutes during which Nuns were quite happy to play a possession game and protect their two goal advantage.

ASHBY IV 3 NUNEATON V 2

Once again this season, a last minute cry off meant the fifths played the final Coaching Solutions South East Division Two game with only ten men.

Even so they did not distinguish themselves in the first half of this match. Ashby went ahead early in the game when they used the extra man to create an overlap and inadequate defending left them with an easy tap in.

Their second a few minutes later came from an unnecessarily conceded short corner. In between Nuneaton were making it as easy as they could for Ashby by getting half way down the pitch and giving the ball away. The pattern continued throughout the half and Nuneaton were fortunate that Ashby were able to add only one more to their tally.

With one minute left of the half Nuneaton won a short corner and when Harry MAYOU flicked a shot into the backboards to reduce the arrears, it gave Nuneaton a glimmer of hope for the second half – it was also Mayou’s first goal of the season.

As Sid Orpin said at half time ‘The only way from this performance is up!’ Fortunately he was right and the second half belonged to Nuneaton, despite having only ten men. Matt Trotman got on top of the young winger who had been a thorn in the first half and Jonathon Tatum began using the ball well from midfield.

Unfortunately, Phil Wheatley was having one of those days in the “D” that strikers prefer to forget. He was frequently in the right place at the right time but could not put the ball away. Nuneaton finally got another back; again from a short corner, when Mayou laid the ball off to Jon TATUM who struck the ball home.

With player of the season John Raywood working hard, Nuneaton kept up the pressure but they were unable to find the equaliser they deserved. In the previous fixture it was Ashby who were disappointed to have not got the draw but this time it was Nuneaton who ended up the frustrated side.

NUNEATON VI 0 COALVILLE IV 0

The final game of the season in the Coaching Solutions South East Division Two highlighted how the Nuns have improved during the year as they felt this was two points lost, even though they had lost to Coalville just before Christmas.

Nuneaton started the match with what looked on paper a strong team, but unfortunately Dave Ellingworth sustained an ankle injury early in the half and was not able to take any further significant part.

Early in the half Nuns won a penalty but Josh Wagg had this saved by the visitor’s keeper. This only forced the home side to redouble its efforts and they created and wasted numerous chances.

The second half followed the same pattern and the hosts were unable to score even though they were regular visitors to the Coalville area.

In the dying seconds Ian Mason pulled off a stupendous save to deny the visitors what would have been an undeserved win.