| This is getting beyond a joke now, the words "draw" and "Gloucester City" have appeared in the same sentence this season that often that people could be forgiven for thinking that we're a wild west society and not a football club. Today was particularly galling however, as with a few minutes to go until half time we were three goals up. |
| Halesowen, or the Yeltz have been regular sparring partners for City through the years and whether the statistics back it up or not, always seem to get the rub of the green against us. Last season they got a last minute equaliser and the same thing happened again today. |
| City started with the same team that took the field at Hitchin before Christmas, the only changes coming on the bench where both Adie Harris and Lyndon Tompkins were absent. With just seven appearances to his name this season and with a seemingly incurable shoulder injury have we seen the last of the legendary winger? |
| For the Brummies, ex-Worcester City and Hinckley United striker Nathan Lamey partnered former Forest Green man Mark Danks up front, with Alex Cowley and ever present threat down the right wing. Simon Forsdick, who scored twice for Shepshed Dynamo in the fog shrouded match at Meadow Park last season also featured. |
| With many games in the league falling victim to frozen pitches there seemed to be no cause for concern about the surface at City and the game went ahead as planned. It was a good thing really as the crowd of well over seven hundred was our best of the season and a postponement would've been a financial smack in the face. |
| It didn't take long for majority the bumper crowd to have something to shout about and the minority (a good helping of Grove regulars) to have a moan. Jimmy Cox, still finding his feet after an indifferent, when picked, start to the campaign fed Lee Davis inside the box and a quick change of feet made space and the youngster slotted the ball past Cris Taylor in the Yeltz goal. |
| Hang on, Cris? Did I spell that right or were his parents unable to spell C-h-r-i-s? The last wrongly spelled goalkeeper called Taylor that we played against was Maik (surely Mike) Taylor at Farnborough and he did well enough for himself to play at the Blues just up the A38 from Halesowen. Judging by this guys' show however he might get a game for the Blues supporters. |
| Coxy was up for this one and almost got an early goal to set him on his way. Lee Smith was sent wide and his cross to the far post was met with a cheeky flick from the popular City striker that was part Gianfranco Zola and part Jimmy Cox against Southport. Unfortunately this one missed. |
| It wasn't all City though and Halesowen showed why they're among the front runners when they carved open City with ease, however Lamey's run was matched by Neil Griffiths and the City man came out on top. The battle continued between the two players and within a minute Griff scratched an itch on the Yeltz striker's nose with his elbow, you'd think he'd be grateful but all Lamey did was whine to the ref. |
| And before anyone gets gobby about that incident, look at . |
| Wilko's face might've been a little tender from his knock but that didn't stop him using his head to double City's lead. A corner came in to the far post where the unlikely figure of Jimmy Cox rose to head the ball back towards goal and Dave Wilkinson reacted quickest to score from inches out. His range. |
| City were on fire now and Daryl Addis, although not threatening the Halesowen goal weighed in with a showboat back heel to feed Tom Webb, but the move broke down thanks to Webb's awful pass behind Cox. |
| Wilko then became a defensive hero when he made up ground to get his bonce to a Cowley cross as Danks waited at the far post for a free header. |
| With City so far ahead of their Midlands rivals maybe it crossed the referee's mind that to keep the crowd happy he ought to give the away side a chance. That can surely be the only plausible reason why he neglected to give a penalty when Cox was chopped down as he made his way into the box. One fan shouted something about seeing the official next tuesday although I wouldn't want to see him again anytime soon. |
| However, it wasn't long before City had added to their goal haul, in fitting circumstances given the time of the year. With the Yeltz in control, City committed a foul but the referee waved play on as the advantage was with our visitors. In true yuletide spirit though they gave the ball to Wilko who fed a nice ball for Cox to run onto and lift a shot over the advancing keeper and into the back of the net. |
| Captain Niki Preston argued the toss over their advantage and the ref gave him a yellow card, although it wasn't wrapped and it didn't have "to Niki, from the ref, happy christmas" written on it. |
| It could've been four when Jimmy found himself well positioned again but his shot from an angle did more to threaten the corner flag than the welcoming white mesh of the goal. |
If there was anyone in the ground that thought that the points were in the bag, Nathan Lamey wasn't one of them and his shot at the far post tested Bath and set his intentions. For a minute later he'd finished a good move with a chest and a flick into the corner with the City keeper stood watching.
|
|
|
| The Yeltz came close to bagging another in injury time, a goal, which had it gone in would've virtually unwrapped all of City's first half hard work. |
| It's always hard to imagine what a manager would say to his team when they had such a good lead at the break although I have it on good authority that Halesowen boss Paul Holleran used his time asking his players "How the f**k have we conceeded three goals to this lot" in fifteen different languages. |
| The second half started with City continuing to probe and one move ended with Neil Mustoe deep into the box where his late run came to an abrupt halt as he ran into the goalkeeper. Ooh! |
| City had seemingly gone to sleep or allowed Halesowen to dictatae for far too long. However, a long throw in found it's way to Lamey at the near post too easily and the experienced striker clawed another goal back. Incredibly the goal was scored midway through the second half although I thought it was about ten minutes in, that says alot about the game doesn't it! |
| City could feel the Brummie breath on the back of their necks now and Lee Smith tried to pull the Tigers further in front by bringing the ball out of defence and setting up an attack. Stuart Skidmore had different ideas though, crude, nasty, villianous ideas and in a less than festive spirit, chopped the City man's legs. He was booked. |
| Roundly booed by the home fans, you will be interested to hear that Skidmore is currently starring as the baddie in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Birmingham Hippodrome alongside Joe Pasquale and Letitia Dean. |
| Early goalscorer Davis had been quiet since he'd scored but was in the right place at the right time to clear off the line when a Halesowen corner was headed his way. That didn't stop him making way for Marvin Thompson minutes later though as both sides made a change. |
| Coxy had a great chance to put the game beyond the Yeltz when he dashed up the left wing, cut inside and tried a repeat of his goal against Cinderford in April by lifting the ball inside the near post. It didn't work though as the keeper used his body well to block the goalbound effort. |
From his poor attempt it's obvious that Jimmy doesn't play Pro Evolution Soccer 4 because I score from that spot every time when I fire up the X-Box.
|
|
|
| Halesowen were risking it at the back as they pushed further upfield. Smith got in behind the lot of them and sent in a cross from an acute angle, although he hit it that hard that it may have been a shot. It burned the keepers fingers that badly that he pulled a pair of oven gloves out of his kitbag for extra protection. |
| The game needed to be put to bed and a great chance came from Webb, the hard running City midfielder. He found himself in space out wide and the ball to Cox running off the defender's shoulder through the middle looked the right one, but the Yeltz man erred on the side of caution cutting off the striker and leaving Webb alone. This seemed to throw the City man and by the time more bodies had made their way forward Webb could only send in a meek pass that found a boot connected to a blue shirt. |
| Into injury time now, surely the points were in the bag? Read on... |
| With my new watch, radio controlled from Rugby (of all places) now reading gone ten to five, a corner came in from the left for the Yeltz. They'd thrown everyone forward yet the ball had missed them all and went to the other corner. But a good cross to the back stick found Lewis Baker, their substitute, unmarked and he nodded the ball sickeningly into the far corner. |
| The Halesowen fans, once described as mono-sybillic nasal whingeing Brummies went nuts. We went numb. |
| And that was it. Thanks for nothing Santa. |
| I know we've picked up this 'draw-specialists' tag lately but it needs to be said that if we don't start winning soon we'll be that far behind the comfort zone that they'll have to start selling Andrex in the club shop during the latter stages of the season. |
| More importantly some of the players need to ask themselves how they managed to let a three goal lead slip. Even though they're still young, they aren't inexperienced and if they can't learn from this they won't learn from anything. Today just wasn't good enough. |
| We need to win at Cirencester on Saturday. |
|
| Tiger Roar Man of the Match - Jimmy Cox |
|
Jimmy Cox
Star Man |
After not being at his best for a large part of the season Jimmy came good today by setting up two goals and scoring another. It's just a shame that he couldn't finish his chance in the second half to give City all three points.
|
|
|
