Clevedon Town 0 Halesowen Town 1
Clevedon welcomed Halesowen Town to the Hand Stadium. Although an injury hit Clevedon side gave 100% effort with a battling performance, it was a single goal which separated the sides and Halesowen recorded their first away win of the season.
With Geraint Bater and Scott Hendy serving one match suspensions and a number of key players out through injury… Manager Phil Bater had very few selection options at his disposal, Striker Matt Prosser accompanied Mike Trought in central defence, Mike Green took on the Skippers role in midfield, Mitchell Page and Mike Symons partnered up-front with Steve Cook looking a lonely figure on the subs bench.
It was the home side who went in search of an early goal as they put the visitors under early pressure, Halesowen’s Shane Paul did well to defend a dangerous cross in the 6th minute, after some excellent link up pay between Chris Leek and Mike Symons. The visitor’s should have opened the scoring four minutes later when Danny Greaves made a fantastic reaction save to deny Paul Devlin’s shot on goal.
Throughout the first half Danny Haines looked sharp for the Seasiders with some experienced defending and overlap wing play. With battling performances from both sides, the only other real scoring opportunity fell to Halesowen’s Darren Caskey whose pile-driver free kick just cleared the crossbar in the 32nd minute. The rest of the half saw some good defending from both sides as it ended 0-0.
The touchline inspiration of football consultant Ron Atkinson at the start of the second-half saw Halesowen push forward from the kick-off, as they put Clevedon under pressure with some neat forward play, this early pressure paid off in the 48th minute when Paul Devlin’s fierce shot from Darren Caskey’s corner could only be palmed down by Danny Greaves, the loose ball fell kindly for Dean Brennan who hit home the winner for the visitors.
Clevedon went in search of an equaliser, but an experienced Yeltz
defence stifled out the Seasiders’ attempts on goal. As torrential rain swept across the ground Phil Bater replaced Kyle Bassett with his only substitute Steve Cook in the 70th minute, this tactical change combined with Skipper Mike Green’s rallying calls saw the home side push forward as they desperately looked for an equaliser, but the visitors defence held onto their one-nil lead too take all three points at the final whistle, and surprisingly, record their first away win of the season.
In a week which saw all the home nations fail to qualify for Euro 08, it was encouraging to see Big Ron
getting back to Grass Roots Football
with his visit to the Hand Stadium! Although Clevedon lost on the day, home fans can be encouraged by some battling performances on the pitch, and what could have been
if Phil Bater had a full squad to select from.
Gallery
Jodie Haines being presented with the Setanta draw prize by Gordon Thomas.
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Brigham | ||
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Sylvester | ||
| 5 | Prosser | ||
| 6 | Trought | ||
| 7 | Leek | ||
| 8 | Green (Capt) | ||
| 9 | Symons | ||
| 10 | Page | ||
| 11 | Bassett | ||
| 12 | Cook | 11 | |
| 14 | - | ||
| 15 | - | ||
| 16 | - | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 24/11/07 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | Halesowen Town |
| Venue: | The Hand Stadium Davis Lane Clevedon North Somerset BS21 6TG |
| Half Time: | 0 - 0 |
| Full Time: | 0 - 1 |
| Attendance: | 231 |
| Match Report: | Steve Webb |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
| Match Sponsor: | Colour Centre Decorating Supplies |
| Match Ball Sponsor: | Clevedon Mazda |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |