| Not like pretty much every team above us aren't promotion contenders but the last three games have been against those with a real chance of playing their football in the Conference South (or North) next year. So the form book has been upset somewhat with two wins plus what could've been a third if we'd had the slighest bit of luck against Chippenham. |
| Halesowen is never an easy place to go and this is only the second time that I've been to the Grove in fifteen years that I can remember coming away with all three points. So it was with a surprising confidence that we headed off up the M5 for this almost high noon kick off (due to the England v's Northern Ireland game on TV later in the afternoon). |
| Like the game at Histon two weeks earlier the bookies didn't fancy us by giving fans the chance to quadruple their money if they backed us. I did, but got greedy and formed an accumulator with several other results that had they come in would've made me rich enough to take over the reins at Meadow Park. Serves me right I guess! |
| Having started with a winning team against Chippenham Chris Burns decided to make changes following the defeat. Lyndon Tompkins came in at the back with Adie Harris dropping to the bench and Marvin Thompson moving across from the position where he'd looked more comfortable. |
| Despite having the talents of striker Nathan Lamey at their disposal the Yeltz hadn't found the net for the previous four games and three defeats and a draw that they'd endured in that time had put a serious dent in their play-off aspirations. Today's result might've terminally killed off their challenge. |
Other names that stood out were goalkeeper Chris Taylor who'd been around several clubs at the top of the pyramid and even had a short spell at the dark end of the Golden Valley. Jimmy Haarhoff was a livewire attacker who has impressed many during the past few months and Alex Cowley is a name that we remember from our meetings with Redditch last season.
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| But none of them could do anything to spark this game into life until the tenth minute when full back Ian Cooper got in a tangle with Chris Burns and foolishly stamped on him in full view of the referee. There was no doubt as to the punishment for the Halesowen man as no sooner had he taken the whistle out of his mouth that the red card was held aloft by the man in black. |
| To say we were stunned is an understatment not only because the home team had been reduced to ten men but also because it's the first time this season that an opponent has been sent off against us. The only other red card in a City match was for Burns himself inside twenty-one seconds, also for another early kick off when we played away at Grantham in October. |
| This was an unexpected bonus for City and one which would seriously affect the outcome of the game during the latter stages if between now and then we could stop the home team from scoring. |
| It's no secret that our game plan has had to change following the loss of Jimmy Cox to injury and as hard as he works on his own Daryl Addis is struggling to find the room to weave his magic so the number of shots from outside the box that City have attempted have increased rapidly. Dave Wilkinson, not exactly the Matt Le Tissier of the Southern League inadvertantly had a dip from thirty-five yards when his tackle turned into a shot and whizzed a couple of feet over the bar. |
| Now with a gap at the back the size of their namesake Vanessa, the Yeltz had to pick and choose their moments to go forward. A good passage of play which saw Lamey hold the ball on the halfway line and give a square ball for Cowley to motor on to and skip past Burns was cleared when Chris Thompson read the low ball into the box and killed the assault stone dead. |
| But the game was spoiled for the Yeltz fans as striker Haarhoff was replaced by midfielder Lewis Baker (the scorer of the injury time equaliser at home) as they looked to plug the gap left by Cooper's departure. |
City seemed happy enough to try to soak up any pressure from the Black Country side though and as if the disappointingly low home following weren't upset enough with the referee following the sending off he blew up for a foul out on the wing just as former Shepshed striker Simon Forsdick rifled a cross cum shot into the far corner of the net.
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| City weren't just here to make up the numbers though and following a cleared corner Wilko got a goalbound header in from Neil Mustoe's cross only for Taylor to get between the ball and instant glory. Chris Thompson wanted some too and tried a long range low drive that pinballed it's way through a sea of legs before eventually rolling into the keepers hands. |
| Having already been deprived of one man Halesowen could've lost another but for Taylor's superb timing as he dashed out of his area to beat Addis to a Wilkinson through ball. |
| At the other end a Forsdick cross was met by the impressive Lamey with his back to goal and Matt Bath had to thrust out a hand to turn over his spectacular overhead kick. City hearts skipped a beat at the corner that followed as the ball seemed to sit unguarded on the six yard line for a moment as a congregation of goalkeeper, defenders and attackers all rose to get a touch to the set piece. Thankfully it was wellied away. |
| Cowley pressed again and almost bamboozled the City defence when he seemed to pass the ball to himself, not a bad option when you have his kind of pace to run on to it but Neil Griffiths had read the situation and strode across to clear the danger. |
| What was actually quite a lacklustre first half finished with a free kick after Lamey had been bundled to the floor. Centre back Steve Pope stepped up and struck a dead ball from way out inches wide of Bath's far post. |
Yeltz boss Paul Holleran might've been relieved to reach the interval to regroup and for any neutrals in the ground the disappointment of the first half was quashed by the opening ten minutes of the second as the home team came out with all guns blazing.
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| Tom Webb was handily placed at the far post as he stuck out his leg and cleared a goalbound header with his knee as Halesowen almost scored from their first corner of the half. That was followed by a poor pass from Burns which set up Forsdick for a shot which narrowly went over and crashed into the blue roof of the covered terrace above the top goal. |
| It might've been third time lucky when Lamey raced onto a through ball but was denied by Bath's legs as he dashed off his line to block the shot from the former Moor Green and Hinckley striker. But it wasn't all one way traffic though and City might've got a goal as with the keeper in no mans land first Daryl Addis was denied by a brave challenge by the defender and then the spin on the ball saw it bounce unkindly for Tom Webb as he looked to drive the ball into the unguarded net. |
| If that was close then we thought we'd scored when Addis seized on a loose pass, raced forward and found his partner Lee Smith who curled the ball to the keepers left. From my position it was a matter of watching it's motion as it reached the back of the net and then dropped to the ground, but it continued meaning that he'd shot wide. Oh the agony of watching football! |
| On our next attack City were denied a penalty when as Addis sidestepped around a challenge inside the box he was tripped, as shows, but seeing as the last time we were awarded a spot kick was more than five months ago it's no surprise that this one wasn't given. |
| But with every City challenge being greeted with calls for cards from the home fans, especially from one particularly annoying woman in the Harry Fudge Stand it was no surprise that Tom Webb was booked as he brought down Lewis Baker, even though clearly shows that he got the ball. |
| Despite only having ten men Halesowen looked more likely to score so Keith Knight sent on Adie Harris for Marvin Thompson in an attempt to help City keep the ball away from their own goal. But the move almost meant nothing as Lamey missed with a chance that he'd score with nine times out of ten when a corner was returned to the near post and from an unmarked position on the six yard line he could only lift the ball over the bar. |
Harris had only been on the pitch for five minutes when he was victim of a dreadful lunge by Cowley who could count himself lucky that he only received a yellow card. Fortunately Adie continued but City made another change as Webb made way for Knight's first appearance in a City shirt for a month.
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| With the game still finely balanced and the Yeltz having had the better of the chances Matt Bath pulled off a great save from Forsdick as what looked like a tame shot headed for the far post and the City keeper dived to paw it away as it bobbled when it reached him. With Lamey poised to tap in the rebound Lyndon Tompkins bravely dived in to head the loose ball behind for a corner. |
| But like the game at Histon where City had played above themselves and deserved more than a point Smith repeated his goalscoring heroics to rifle City ahead. The reluctant striker put Yeltz man Dave Haywood under enough pressure to force an error and the ball sat up nicely for a repeat of the strike that put City two-up against Hednesford six weeks earlier. |
| With the winning post in sight City could sense victory but it was a concern that Neil Griffiths limped off to be replaced by young striker Andy Varnham. This meant a reshuffle for Burns as he dropped back into the heart of defence having started the game there and moved up into midfield midway through the second half. |
| With the clock ticking down and even though it's not pretty, City took the ball into the corner and Varnham did well to link with Mustoe and move the ball in from the touchline to find Addis who nonchalantly rolled the ball home from an acute angle as the keeper raced off his line to close the City man down. |
| Cue pandemonium among the fifty or so City fans who'd made the short trip up the M5 as the home fans started to head for the exits. |
| The goal put the seal on another fine City away win, just our third of the season but as anyone who travels to support their team will tell you, there's nothing like beating a good team on their own pitch. |
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| Tiger Roar Man of the Match - Chris Burns |
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Chris Burns
Star Man |
Despite being labelled a "Camel" by the home fans Burns' years of experience showed through as he first marshalled the defence to keep out the dangerous Yeltz strikeforce before moving upfield to support the attack and finally dropping into the heart of defence again after Griff went off injured.
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