MATCH REPORT: HALESOWEN 3 CIRENCESTER 2

Saturday 25 August 2007 Southern Premier

The Grove was lovely in the sunshine ..... but on a day like this, the team that got control of the ball and made the opposition work would inevitably gain the upper hand. It was HOT.

So hot that it fried me brain and the camera missed all the goals. Sorry, Hally. I should have got that purler.

Halesowen Town 3 Cirencester Town 2

The Yeltz had moved quickly to fill 2 injury gaps in their squad. Lucky Mr O'Connor. But the fact that he could do that also suggests he is under huge pressure to deliver for an increasingly impatient Yeltz Board.

He went for Nick Eadon to fill his right back spot. Recently released after a 576 League games career, 319 of them at Barnsley, then 82 on the Birmingham City bench, then 124 at Premiership Wigan before moving to Forest and being loaned to Lincoln City at the end of last season, this was a massive coup for Halesowen.

With Ed Booth from Stafford Rangers and Jay Denny from Shrewsbury, both relative youngsters, also now at The Grove, the Yeltz had obviously been bidding big to do something this year. A midweek defeat at home to Bedford suggested they would be under huge pressure to deliver in this game.

Up front, Premiership Birmingham City had generously loaned Nick Wright to replace Paul Devlin, recently with The Blades in the Premiership and injured early in the Bedford game on Tuesday.

Wright was to team up with veteran goalscorer Duane Darby, a regular England non-league international when he was with Rushden and Diamonds as well as Shane Paul, released by Cheltenham Town in the summer, who was also making his debut up front.

It was very much the hardest test faced by our lads, in their third game in 7 days in an adrenalin packed opening week against two other well fancied teams.

For much of the match Ciren did have to work unceasingly to contain the free flowing football of their hosts. But, when they could find a moment of time, they also showed that they can control and pass well.

On 2 minutes Michael Jackson, who was to have another outstanding game today, nipped onto a loose ball that squirted away when Nathan Haisley won a shuddering tackle against the imposing Jay Denny. He sent Snaky, anticipating the pass and already moving, up the right and into the channel inside Davion Hamilton.

He surged into the box. Looked up. And needed Phil Hall to be scorching for the gap between the two back-pedaling central defenders. Not offering for the pass, Snaky had to check back. And was blocked by Booth as he shot.

Very soon, The Yeltz had settled to a rhythm. Whenever they got the ball, Denny or Wright offered for the pass in midfield. And their touch was good enough for the next pass also to be accurate and they moved it on. Nathan and Harry E were doing their best to close it down but it was hard work.

A Ciren throw-in up the line was lost in the air on 10 minutes. Denny was first to the second ball and chipped forward. Yeltz skipper Nick Amos was up for it. His jump looked to obstruct Alex Rigley but the ref was having none of it, deeming Amos to have been standing strong and getting his body in the way.

Liam McDonald was onto the loose ball. Stroked it left and surged forward to shoot unerringly from the edge of the box. It looked to be going into the top corner but Matt Bulman tipped the piledriver onto the bar. Only for it to spin down and behind him into the net. Bummer but, to be honest, good goal.

Alex Stanley equalised on 14 minutes. Collecting and shielding after Harry Etheridge made a good break wide right off a practiced free kick to put the cross into the right place, he cleverly netted into the top corner with an acrobatic overhead kick that caught James Dormand flat-footed.

Michael Jackson, eager and feisty all match, won a key header off a subtly placed and weighted pass from Alex Rigley up the left channel on 17 minutes to set up Snaky Stanley on the edge of the box. With more time than he thought, nobody gave him the shout and his early shot was mistimed just wide when he could have settled and placed it.

Shane Paul was constantly on the move at the apex of the Yeltz attack, collecting beautifully placed and timed passes from the silky Wright and twice bringing good saves from Matt Bulman. With McDonald also buoyed by his early success and surging onto passes into the box, and Duane Darby moving into the channels and collecting passes to set up the support runners, the Yeltz attacks were constant.

The Centurions have already shown they are defensively disciplined and coped very well. But the pressure meant that the clearances of necessity were under challenge and Halesowen were admirably quick to snaffle up anything going loose as the Ciren midfield strove to get control of the ball.

In any contest, the team that has its concentration broken first will fade. On 21 minutes Duane Darby, at his age no longer able to use pace to make his openings but still very tricky to mark in the box, made a perfect in-and-out move to lose his marker and was in exactly the right place to head home a deliberately placed cross from Davion Hamilton.

It was an easy notch in the end for Darby but he did work for it. It had been created by the mesmerising passing between McDonald, Denny and Wright that created the space for Hamilton to pick his spot. And his delivery was admirable, aimed for exactly the place he expected Darby to fill when the ball arrived.

Darby, chasing an underhit backpass by Alex Stanley after Paul and Wright had closed down the left flank of the Ciren defence on 38 minutes to force the error, was denied by the quickly reacting Bulman. And then went off with a pulled hamstring to be replaced by Farrell.

Ciren worked hard, but rarely with enough time truly to boss the midfield, but threatened when Hall and the indomitable Nick Stanley managed to get on the end of passes played out under extreme pressure.

On 40 minutes James Dormand, signed from Tamworth last season and staying at Halesowen in spite of a number of offers, lost a far post cross from Harry Etheridge on another cleverly worked Ciren free kick. Moly was in the place he was supposed to be and volleyed for goal.

Dormand was lucky to have Ed Booth to react so quickly to block Moly's full blooded volley - see the side bar pictures for the rest of the sequence (click on them) and for Nick Eadon to think way ahead of the move and to be coming off the goal line to head clear (below) before Nathan Haisley, who had forced the error, could take advantage.

No apologies for the series of photies. I was just so pleased to remember to get the camera up and to use it. But it does show that in spite of being under the cosh, there was still a Ciren threat and that The Yeltz could also be put under pressure.

Second half, while still being tormented by the silky skills and changes of pace of Wright who was always in space and constantly making things happen, Cirencester were calm enough themselves to make good passes when they had made themselves time. They kept the Yeltz backline honest.

Nathan Haisley, while never quite able to keep track on all the clever, bewildering passing around him, was winning the tackles he was actually in place to contest. When he did so, Michael Jackson and Harry Etheridge were quick and eager to support.

Typical of the way the lads work at it this season, the balance swung away from Halesowen as Ciren bit in and kept the ball for several early phases in the second half.

On 53 minutes Jackson was worked clear after some crisp passing on the deck out of defence and found Nick Stanley in space on the right. His collect, check and turn away from Knight gave him space and he spotted his partner's early run into the left side channel.

Collecting on the far side of the area, Phil Hall controlled the pass with his first touch and coolly stepped inside Eaden who had been inadvertently blocked by the desperately covering Amos. Taking advantage, Hally steadied and then calmly beat Dormand from 18 yards for a spectacular equaliser.

I'd seen it happening right in front of me, indeed 'telling' Snaky the pass was on (though I very much doubt he heard me) and stood open mouthed and then celebrating when that shot hit the net. Sorry, Hally. Camera dangling uselessly.

Moments later, it all went wrong. Darting into the box as a stung Halesowen rampaged forward, Wright was stopped cleanly by Alex Stanley as he surged past Alex Rigley to get into the box but made an outrageous dive that was waved away.

Distracted, the Ciren defence failed to note that the clearance had gone out to Eaden. From 35 yards he first timed a perfect far post cross with the defence not even realising he had spotted the opening. And, crucially, he not only had the vision to spot it, he had the skill to make the play.

Nick Amos had stayed focussed and had kept moving forward when Wright had made his bid for a Klinnsman Award. He was in position unmarked to nod back for Shane Paul, also unmarked, to net from close range on 54 minutes.

My churlish reaction was to wish the ref had blown earlier and had booked the dive. My footballing reaction was to admire the quality of the reaction, with Amos equally worthy of recognition as was Eaden for the exquisite touch on his cross. The Yeltz players ran to congratulate Shane Paul but Amos raised one arm in acknowledgement to Eaden. They both knew what they had done. As did Mr O'Connor, on the touchline.

My fan reaction was that there was no way back for Ciren. It was a bum goal to concede and we could have stopped it. But had lost the plot in that moment. Easy to say – much harder to do when you've had to resist wave after wave of attacks.

With Jay Denny and Nick Wright now making the ball do the work in the hot sunshine, we were given the run around. Inevitably, the Ciren clearances of necessity had to be long. They gave Hall and Stanley little chance to keep possession upfield long enough for Dan Hilder and Dan Wallington, on for the weary Davies and Rigley, to support.

While Matt Bulman made good saves from Jay Denny, Shane Paul and Nick Wright as they all ran clear onto well paced and timed passes into the gaps, the Centurions were let off when the clearest chances all fell to the less steady Aaron Farrell. He put them all wide or too close to the ultra safe handing of the very impressive and confident young 'keeper.

One tip round by Bully from the hugely influential Wright was top class.

When Denny went through on the hour onto a Wright pass he was out so quickly he forced the lad to lose composure and hit the post when he really should have scored. Great goal keeping, much more impressive than that of the nervy Dormand at the other end.

Snaky kept going, chasing not even half chances but quarter chances, all the way to the end.

There is masses of pride in this team and we can still be proud of them even when they have come up against a team playing sublime football on a day when everything was going right for them.

Snaky's brother Alex, who with Captain Chris and Moly had been admirably calm at the back as the blue wasps had buzzed around them, was alert enough to set Nathan up for a shot at the death when Hally forced Booth into a duff clearance on a late Ciren corner.

I'd have taken a Get Out of Gaol equaliser but in truth The Yeltz were comfortable and were only still under pressure because the Ciren defence refused to concede another goal.

Moly's full stretch defence off a corner was typical of that:

Manager Adi Viveash was disappointed.

“Sure, they are a very good team and have quality all the way through. But, when you score 2 good goals away from home you should expect to win it. We were naïve in some of our defending and let them get in among us too much to be able to control our ball”

“That was probably one of the best teams we will play this season. Our boys have had 3 games in a week and some of them are weary.”

"And while you may have thought the ref did well today - and he played the advantage every time before calling it back - he did wind the players up unnecessarily to my mind, and Martin felt the same. He had difficulty in deciding when a player was backing in and when a defender was wrapping his arms around an attacker. It doesn't help when refs get that wrong"

This might be what Adi was referring to.

Amos had made sure Moly could not reach a deep corner placed exactly where it should have been sent.

In truth, Halesowen were indeed cute in the way they played right at the edge. We need to be as streetwise as the opposition but if the ref puts doubt in a players mind, it makes the game harder to play.

Adi was correct. It did wind the players up.

“We know the standard and now we have to go on and win a game. Banbury are another test and it is coming up on Monday”

The Yeltz: James Dormand, Nick Eaden, Davion Hamilton, Ed Booth, Gary Knight [Lee Williams 71], Nick Amos (c), Jay Denny, Nick Wright [Andre Francis 82], Shane Paul, Duane Darby [Aaron Farrell 38], Liam McDonald
other subs: Azariah O'Garro, Sean Platt

Centurions: Matt Bulman, Kevin Davies [Dan Wallington 59], Alex Rigley [Dan Hilder 70], Alex Stanley, Lee Molyneux, Chris Collins (c), Nathan Haisley, Michael Jackson, Phil Hall, Nick Stanley, Harry Etheridge [Lance Lewis 83]
other subs: Ollie Holder, Jon Else

Ref: Mr J Thornhill, Ilkeston

Att: 312 - about 25 of ours there and while disappointed they will have accepted that the better team on the day won it

My Ciren MoM: Michael Jackson though, for me, Nick Wright the Yeltz front end midfielder was way and above all others the best on the pitch today.