Silhill were looking for a result yesterday afternoon to challenge the teams at the top of the division. It’s been a successful season for the Solihull club since joining division three over the summer and they have adjusted to step eight well over the last five months. Boldmere Falcons were looking for a statement result yesterday under new player-manager Jordan Lengthorn. He joined the club back in late November and has signed a lot of players over the last few weeks in a new look squad for the Falcons. The atmosphere around Sharmans Cross was relaxed and positive prior to kick off with both teams looking forward to the match. It’s a ground full of character and the clubhouse is excellent for step eight and features a history of the club. It’s also accessible to get to for local non-league groundhoppers across the West Midlands. There’s the 4A bus from Carrs Lane near Birmingham Moor Street where supporters can get the bus to Solihull and it’s only a short walk from the Sharmans Cross bus stop to the ground. Starting Line Ups Silhill’s starting line-up included Matt Pickford starting in goal and Jamie O’Neil captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 3-4-3 with Tom Hudson leading the line up front and being supported by Jon Myrie and Lewis Williams further back. There were five changes from the team that started against Castle Vale Town a few weeks back with Owen Fackrell coming back into the team and playing in central defence. The starting line up for Boldmere Falcons featured Jimmy Griffiths starting in goal and Alex Spencer captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 3-4-3 with a front two of Ryan McFadden and Dale Huckfield being supported by Mouhamadou Kandiaye further back. There were seven changes from the team that started against Continental Star last weekend with Ben Rea coming into the team and playing in central defence as part of a back three. First Half Boldmere started the opening fifteen minutes of the match excellently and took the game to Silhill. The Falcons were linking up well around midfield and in the final third and were passing the ball around with a sense of confidence. They caused Silhill a lot of problems defensively and took the lead in the 6th minute. A brilliant ball into the box evaded the defence and found Ryan McFadden who finished well into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0. The momentum was fully with Boldmere throughout the early stages of the first half with Silhill gradually growing into the match as it went on. Another brilliant passing move by the Falcons was finished off by Mouhamadou Kandiaye in the box to make it 2-0 in the 15th minute. He accelerated through the final third before scoring past Matt Pickford to give the visitors a two-goal lead against one of the top teams in the division. Silhill gradually started to build some momentum as the first half went on and were starting to link up well from the 25th minute onwards. They had an excellent chance to make it 2-1 in the 26th minute when Alfie Merriman had a header well saved by Jimmy Griffiths at the back post. It was the first real chance of note for Silhill and they started to really threaten the Falcons goal from then on. Tom Hudson also made a good run down the left flank and played an excellent ball on the edge of the box to Jon Myrie who shoot wide from a good position near the end of the first half. Silhill were getting into the match, but it was not quite clicking in the final third for the Solihull club in the opening 45 minutes. Second half Silhill took the initiative at the start of the second half and asserted themselves more than they did in the opening 45 minutes. Alex Spencer was substituted at half time for Boldmere due to an injury. He was excellent in the first half and was replaced by Joe George who filled in admirably at the back. However, he did concede an unfortunate penalty at the start of the second half when the Falcons were reduced to ten men with Ryan McFadden being sin binned for ten minutes. A foul on Jon Myrie in the box gave Silhill a penalty which Tom Hudson stepped up to take. He had an effort on target brilliantly saved by Jimmy Griffiths in the Falcons goal to keep the score at 2-0 in the 50th minute. The momentum was firmly with Silhill in the second half with Boldmere playing on the counterattack and looking to break with pace. The hosts found an opening goal in the 55th minute to make it 2-1 with substitute Gilad Grant placing an excellent header into the net at the back post. The goal was a moment of genuine quality rather than any defensive mistake at the back from the Falcons. Gilad Grant was having a significant impact on the game as the second half went on and was looking the most likely to get Silhill back into the match. He had a shot well saved by Jimmy Griffiths who made an instinctive save to prevent the equaliser. The hosts did manage to find an equaliser in the final twenty-five minutes, and it came from a corner delivered into the box. Boldmere cleared the ball which fell to Gilad Grant on the edge of the box who finished excellently into the bottom left corner to make it 2-2 in the 70th minute. Despite Boldmere putting in a resilient effort at the back, they did have chances to get a late winner on the counterattack. The best one fell to new signing Dale Huckfield on the edge of the box who shot narrowly wide of the post from a good position. Silhill had a couple of good chances to win it late on and take home the three points. Gilad Grant had an effort go narrowly wide in the 90th minute before Jon Myrie headed marginally wide from a well delivered corner into the box deep into injury time. Not long after, the referee blew for the full-time whistle, and it finished 2-2 in an entertaining match at Sharmans Cross yesterday afternoon. Full Time Despite probably being disappointed not to get the three points, Silhill battled back well in this match to get something out of it against a resilient Boldmere Falcons side. They showed a lot of character in the second half in tough conditions to get a point and they played well from the middle of the first half onwards. Substitute Gilad Grant was excellent and made a notable impact in the second half for Silhill. He has that quality both on and off the ball to unlock defences and cause problems in the final third such as making clever runs into the box. Owen Fackrell played well at the back and read the game well defensively. Jamie O’Neil also had an underrated game from holding midfield and gave the team that composure to build attacks in the second half. Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons were excellent in this match and deserved a point based on their effort and performance level. Their main strength was undoubtedly their back three which was excellent throughout the 90 minutes and withstood the Silhill pressure. Dean Rea had an underrated game as part of the back three. He was excellent in the second half and constantly cleared balls away from danger. Jimmy Griffiths had an excellent game in goal and made some brilliant saves to keep the Falcons in it late on. Ryan McFadden and Dale Huckfield looked promising up front and offered the Falcons an attacking outlet when given the opportunity. Mouhamadou Kandiaye also looked good on the ball from attacking midfield, especially in the first half. Overall, it was an encouraging performance from the Falcons yesterday that showed their capable of competing against the quality teams. FT Score: Silhill 2-2 Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons Attendance: 35 Man of the Match: Gilad Grant (Silhill) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Birmingham Tigers V AFC Solihull Birmingham Tigers play AFC Solihull at the Hadley Stadium on Saturday looking to get a statement result against one of the in-form teams in the league. It’s been a challenging season for the Tigers so far with one point from 17 matches with the highlight being the 2-2 draw with Continental Star. If they could get a result against AFC Solihull, it would arguably be one of the shocks of the season at this level. They have struggled in the final third with 13 goals scored and defensively with 91 goals conceded and even a draw against AFC Solihull would be excellent. The visitors have been one of the standout teams in division three this season and are challenging for the league title between now and April. Their currently top of the league with 45 points and have a four-point gap over 3rd place Northfield Town who have a game in hand. They’re on an excellent run of form with 15 points from their last six league matches. Their main strength has been up front with a total of 56 league goals which has propelled the club up the table. Jahvan Howell has been excellent since signing from DSC United over the summer and has 16 goals in all competitions. Castle Vale Town V DSC United Castle Vale Town will be looking to continue their recent run of form at CV stadium on Saturday against DSC United. 7 points from their last three matches has put the Spitfires in 6th with 33 points. This is the match up of the two most prolific forwards in the division. Jordan McKenzie has scored a total of 18 goals in all competitions for Castle Vale Town who comes up against Rabab Ali who has scored 17 goals in all competitions for DSC United. The Spitfires will be looking to improve on their home form to challenge for a top six spot come the end of the season. They have won two out of eight matches at CV stadium but notably beat Silhill over the festive period. DSC United have been good in division three and are comfortably in mid table. They’re in 8th with 21 points and their away form has been good so far with five wins from nine matches. This should be an entertaining match tomorrow against two teams that like to get forward and score goals. Meadow Park V Leamington Hibernian Meadow Park will be looking to continue their good home form with a result against Leamington Hibernian tomorrow afternoon. Five wins from nine home matches has put the club comfortably in mid table where they’re in 10th with 19 points. Ellis Blakemore is a player to watch who has that quality on the ball to create chances. Leamington Hibernian will be looking for a result tomorrow to build some momentum and get their season back on track. It’s been a stop and start season so far and they have six points from their last six league matches. One of the positives is their away form with four wins from eleven matches which has put them in 12th with 15 points. Kyle King is a player to watch with five goals in all competitions this season. Northfield Town V BNJS Northfield will be looking to get a result tomorrow afternoon to challenge for the top two. Their home form at Shenley Lane has been one of their strengths with seven wins from nine matches. The club are currently in 3rd with 41 points and well involved in the promotion race going into the second half of the season. They have a game in hand over the top two of AFC Solihull and Feckenham and are set for an interesting few months between now and April. Patrick Behan has been one of the standout forwards in the division since coming up with Northfield from the Birmingham and District Football League last season. He has 15 goals in all competitions so far. BNJS are adjusting to step eight of the National League pyramid since joining division three over the summer. They’re currently in 16th with six points and have not been too bad away from home given their league position. One win and three draws from eleven matches shows they can be competitive on the road. Their main strength has been up front with a total of 32 goals scored. James Reid is a player to watch who has 12 goals in all competitions. Silhill V Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons Silhill are challenging for the top two between now and April and have a few games in hand over the teams above them. The Solihull club are 5th in the division with 34 points and have two games in hand over the current top two. Their home form at Sharmans Cross has been one of their main strengths this season with seven wins from ten matches. They have also played well at the back with 17 goals conceded over the course of 16 matches which is one of the best in the league. Their form going into this match is good with 13 points from their last six league matches. Gilad Grant is a player to watch with 11 goals in all competitions. It’s been a transitional season so far from Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons who are transitioning to a new coaching set up with Jordan Lengthorn coming in as their new manager. They have signed a lot of players over the last month and the next few months are a good opportunity to assess the squad and build for next season. The Falcons have struggled away from home so far this season with one win from six matches on the road. There’s quality in the squad and they have the potential to get a result as shown when they beat Gornal 4-0 at home on boxing day. This match is a good chance to get a statement result against a top five team in the division. Solihull Sporting V Balsall and Berkswell Solihull Sporting will be looking to continue their good home form at the Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst against Balsall and Berkswell tomorrow. Their comfortably in mid table and are in 11th with 18 points. Five wins from eleven home matches has put the club in mid table and they will be looking to challenge for a top ten finish come the end of the season. Their main strength has been up front with a total of 40 goals scored. Gabriel Harding is a player to watch for Sporting with ten goals in all competitions and he’s led the front line well. Balsall and Berkswell have been consistent so far this season. The Hornets have identical home and away records to sit in 9th with 21 points. Their main strength has been at the back with just 23 goals conceded over the course of 15 matches. Jack Archer is a player to watch for the visitors who has seven goals in all competitions. Wake Green Amateur V AFC Birmingham Wake Green will be looking to get a statement result against AFC Birmingham at the Holloway tomorrow afternoon. Their home form has not been too bad with five wins and one draw from ten matches to leave the club in 7th with 23 points. Their main strength has been up front with a total of 43 goals scored. Adam Turner has played well in the final third and has 10 goals in all competitions. AFC Birmingham have been excellent in division three this season and are in the top four. They’re currently in 4th with a five-point gap to make up over Feckenham in 2nd and have a game in hand over the Millers. One of their key strengths has been their away record with eight wins from eleven matches. They have also played well at the back with just 19 goals conceded from 17 matches which is one of the best defensive records in the league. The visitors are capable of challenging for the top two and going far in the Birmingham Saturday Vase so it should be an exciting few weeks for AFC Birmingham supporters. Rahiem Faulder is a player to watch with 14 goals in all competitions. Gornal V Feckenham (Saturday, 3pm Kick off) It’s been a transitional season for Gornal who are adjusting to step eight football since joining division three over the summer. They have notably been good at home at the Wombourne Leisure Centre with just three losses from seven matches. Their main issue has been defensively with a total of 51 goals conceded which has left them in 15th with 10 points. Their defensive record is fairly identical home and away, but their goals scored record is notably different. They have scored 17 goals at home compared to four on the road. Habil Darboe is a player to watch with 11 goals in all competitions. Feckenham have been excellent since joining division three over the summer. The Millers are competing for the league title and are currently in 2nd with 42 points. Their main strength is how well they have played up front and at the back. 68 goals scored and just 16 goals conceded from 18 matches are the best records in the league. Their away form has also been a strength with five wins and two draws from eight matches. The Millers are currently three points off league leaders AFC Solihull with the same amount of games played. William Skelton is a player to watch for Feckenham who has been prolific at this level with 18 goals in all competitions. Most matches kick off at 2pm on Saturday, except where noted. Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
MFLThe official news channel of the Midland Football League (founded 2014) Archives
March 2024
Categories |