Midland Football League Newsletter
25th May 2016
League News

Bardon Hill failed to fulfil their fixture against Alvechurch on Saturday 23rd April 2016, they were duly fined and 3 points were deducted from their playing total.
Nigel Wood, Secretary
-------
The Team of the Month for April / May are as follows:-
Overall – Hereford
Division 1 - Coventry United
Division 2 - Alvis Sporting
Division 3 - Leamington Hibernian
Reserve Division - Solihull Moors
Under 21 - Tamworth
Congratulations to all the winners
-------
Travels of the Press Officer
Thursday 19th May
JW Hunt Cup Semi Final @ AFC Wulfrunians
Sporting Khalsa 2 Alvechurch 1

The second semi-final of the JW Hunt Cup pitted the sides that finished 2nd and 3rd in the Premier Division together. The winners would play Wolverhampton Sporting Community in the final at Molineux after Lichfield City had been expelled from the competition for fielding an illegible player. Both teams were able to field strong sides and a decent crowd turned out to witness what inevitably would be a full-on contest. Khalsa made the ideal start, taking the lead in the 6th minute. A free-kick from Lee Wherton was played into the penalty area where Kristian Green challenged, the b all ending in the Alvechurch net. Green claimed the goal but it appeared to have come off an Alvechurch defender last of all. Jordan Nadat was proving to be the main threat for Alvechurch and James Pemberton was forced into a decent save, placing a shot over the bar. Nadat reached the by-line and his dangerous cross was well cut out by Pemberton. At the other end, Craig Bannister saw his shot deflected for a corner with Paul Evans wrongfooted completely by the deflection. Pemberton was in trouble with the referee in the 17th minute, handling the ball just outside his area gaining a yellow card for his trouble. Nadat cleared the cross bar with the free-kick much to the relief of the Khalsa keeper. Alvechurch were certainly having the better of the half and Pemberton was forced into action again, to save a Luke Paskin shot at his near post. The equaliser came in the 31st minute. The referee awarded a penalty for holding in the penalty area – an infringement missed by most of the crowd. We all know that penalties and Alvechurch have not been the best of bedfellows this season, however, on this occasion, Danny Ashton made no mistake to tie things up. Bannister shot across the face for Khalsa but the half finished level with the two sides very closely matched.
Khalsa upped the tempo after the break and established a supremacy which they maintained for the rest of the game. In the 53rd minute, the busy Marvin Nisbett saw his shot blocked by Mark Smith for a corner. On the hour mark, Bannister tried to curl the ball over Evans from the touchline but the Church keeper held the ball underneath his crossbar. Khalsa took the lead in the 64th minute. Wherton took aim from 25 yards out and the shot took enough of a deflection to send it past Evans and into the net. It was almost three in the 70th minute as brilliant defending took the ball away from Bannister after an excellent cross from Mensah Kinch. Mike Perks should have done better a minute later but his effort sailed over the bar. Kinch was just off target as the game entered the final 10 minutes. For all Alvechurch’s efforts, they could not find a way through the Khalsa defence and it is Ian Rowe’s side that will finish their season at the Molineux.
Am entertaining evening between two excellent teams. Alvechurch can be proud of their achievements this season and they are to be certain to be challenging for the MFL title in 2017. A great finish to an excellent season for Khalsa – 3rd place in the league, a fantastic run in the FA Cup and a Molineux final.

Sunday 22nd May
FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium
Hereford 1 Morpeth Town 4

Three trophies already in the bag, Hereford travelled to Wembley Stadium for a day out everyone associated with the club will remember forever. Morpeth Town, of the Northern League, were their opponents in a competition that has been dominated by sides from the North East, winning 7 of the last 8 finals. With few sides prepared to be promoted from the Northern league, the cream of non-league footballers from the area can be found plying their trade in Step 5. Arriving at Wembley Stadium early, I took my designated spot in the press box with the realisation of the scale of the achievement for Hereford and, by association, the Midland Football League.
From a press point of view, covering a game at Wembley Stadium is a dream come true and that seemed to be a common thread. In this day of the selfie, I don’t think I have seen quite as many journalists taking a picture of themselves / colleagues as a reminder of the day. The press facility was directly opposite from the Hereford section and to see that gradually fill with 20,000 + supporters is something I don’t think I will experience again. If a trophy was going to be awarded for the sheer number of supporters and the noise they made, Hereford would have won, hands down. Their North East opponents had a much longer journey but around 4,000 had made the journey had made the trip creating a real carnival atmosphere. The sight of Ronaldo the Hereford bull, parading around the perimeter added to the day (well done FA for allowing this to happen).
With kick-off approaching the noise from the supports as the two teams emerged was incredible. Led by the suited Peter Beadle (the trademark cap did appear during the game), the Bulls walked out with the huge contingent of Hereford fans directly in front of them. An emotional rendition of the National Anthem and we could get the game underway.
The game kicked off with Hereford playing away from their supporters. If we thought 20,000+ could make a noise, a gaol after 75 seconds almost took the roof off. It was a super individual goal from Rob Purdie, who drove forward, picked his spot and let fly from 25 yards giving the Morpeth keeper, Karl Dryden, no chance. A perfect start for the Bulls and what a way to start a Wembley final.
A couple of minutes later and the Bulls came close to a second goal. Sirdic Grant skipped through the Morpeth defence but Dryden made an excellent save. Two up in four minutes, and it could have been game over. Hereford continued to dominate the early stages. In the 13th minute, a cross from Joel Edwards was flicked on at the near post by Mike Symons to Pablo Haysham but his header was well saved by Dryden. Two minutes later, Aaron Birch had a shot saved as Hereford threatened to run riot. In the 16th minute, Morpeth sent a warning to Hereford when Sean Taylor's shot was
palmed over by Martin Horsell. In the 24th minute, Grant won the ball in midfield, beat two defenders and hit a superb shot which rattled the Morpeth crossbar and bounced away to safety. A minute later and it should have been two. Symons found space on the left and played the ball into the path of Haysham in front of goal. Everyone expected the ball to hit the back of the net but the normally reliable Haysham missed his kick and the chance had gone. Morpeth began to grow in confidence as their deficit remained at a single goal. On the half hour mark, an excellent move by the Highwaymen ended with Ben Sayer just clearing the bar with his effort. Morpeth were back on level terms in the 34th minute. A corner from the Morpeth left was missed by Horsell and found 45-year-old Chris Swailes at the far post. Swailes got his chest to the ball and it agonisingly, fort Hereford, crossed the line. Morpeth should have taken the lead in the 38th minute. Luke Carr played the ball inside to Michael Chilton in front of goal but he somehow missed the target. Just before the break, Purdie won a strong challenge in the middle of the park, fed Haysham who ran from half way to the edge of the box but pulled his shot fractionally wide.
The talk at half-time was of the chances that Hereford had missed and also how Morpeth had got stronger as the half wore on. Within a minute of the resumption, that final comment was the one that came to mind as Morpeth took a 2-1 lead. Taylor played the ball into the path of Carr and his finish gave Horsell no chance whatsoever. Morpeth were now in the driving seat and the impressive Sayer saw his shot blocked for a corner after another driving run from midfield. Jamie Willetts went close for Hereford when his header from a corner dropped wide. Morpeth increased their lead on the hour mark – another quality move being finished by Taylor.
Bulls introduced leading scorer John Mills to the fray and he had an opportunity in the 72nd minute but couldn’t connect and Dryden gathered. Morpeth were still on the hunt for more goals and Steven Anderson should have made it four in the 76th-minute but Horsell made a decent save. Horsell produced an even better save a minute later to deny Taylor. Mustapha Bundu curled an
effort just wide and then saw a header cleared off the line but Morpeth stood firm. The Highwaymen made absolutely certain two minutes into stoppage time When Shaun Bell’s shot was deflected past Horsell to make the final score Hereford 1 Morpeth Town 4. As the Hereford team stood and applauded as their victors received the Trophy, they showed the ultimate in class and sportsmanship by making a guard of honour as Morpeth came down from the Royal Box with the Trophy.
In his after match press conference, Morpeth manager Nick Gray paid tribute to both sets of supporters. He highlighted the save from Grant in the 4th minute as a pivotal moment, as they could so easily have caved in if they had gone two down so quickly. The lack of Mustapha Bundu in the starting line-up had given his side a boost as they were all aware of his skill and pace. The final word was to Hereford – the class shown by Hereford in forming a guard of honour said everything about non-league football and about Hereford FC.

Wednesday, May 25th
JW Hunt Cup Final
Wolverhampton Sporting Community 2 Sporting Khalsa 3 @ Molineux

My final game of the season and a cup final between two community driven sides at the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Khalsa started as clear favourites having finished 3rd in the MFl Premier Division. Wolves Sporting had finished a creditable 4th in the WMRL and, with pace in their side, would enjoy the wide open spaces of Molineux to their advantage. Khalsa almost made the dream start, Marvin Nisbett’s first-minute effort deflected for a corner. Instead, it was Wolves Sporting that took the early advantage taking the lead in just the 2nd minute. Daniel Westwood played the ball into the path of Josh Sarmento and he calmly beat James Pemberton for the opening goal. Khalsa responded positively with Tes Robinson heading over the bar and Kristian Green seeing a header cleared off the line. Khalsa were level in the 17th minute when Carl Bannister converted a Carlo Franco cross. Nisbeet should have given Khalsa the lead in the 24th minute but his header was straight at the keeper, Luke Stevens. David Meese saw another effort saved but it was the underdogs that took the lead in the 37th minute. Ethan Delaney was blocked by Robinson outside the area. Westwood stepped up and curled a superb free-kick over the wall and into the net leaving Pemberton stranded. Sarmento should have grabbed a 3rd for Wolves Sporting just before the break but, after beating Joe Rogers for pace, his shot was wide of the target. In stoppage time, Nisbett was off target as Khalsa went into the break a goal behind.
Khalsa began the second half on the front foot and came close to an equaliser in the49th minute. Meese’ header was blocked on the line and Nisbett’s follow-up was well saved by Stevens. Sarmento continued to pose a threat to the Khalsa defence with his express pace and a near post effort on 57 minutes forced a decent save from Pemberton. Meese forced a save from Stevens on the hour mark before Khalsa equalised in the 69th minute. Robinson received the ball in the penalty area, and with the ball at his feet, turned and shot into the corner. Sarmento shot wide for Sporting 3 minutes later as both sides strived for a winner. With the game into the last 5 minutes, Khalsa had the ball in the net but Mensah Kinch was ruled offside. With the clock showing 89 minutes, Meese struck the decisive blow firing home from the edge of the area. There was still time for Simeon Townsend to go close to a 4th for Khalsa but that would have been harsh on Wolves Sporting. The final whistle went with Khalsa picking up the trophy but Wolves Sporting gave them one fierce battle. An excellent cup final and a great way to finish a season.

Review
Premier Division
Leading Scorers
John Mills Hereford 52
Craig Bannister Sporting Khalsa 44
Lei Brown Highgate United 33
Jamie Cuss Westfields 31
Jordan Nadat Alvechurch 30
Pablo Haysham Hereford 29
Karl Edwards Alvechurch 27
Matt Langham Shepshed Dynamo 27
Mustapha Bundu Hereford 25
Mykel Beckley Coleshill Town 25
Jamie King AFC Wulfrunians 25
Joey Butlin Walsall Wood 24
Ben Ward-Cochrane Loughborough Uni 24
Michael Symons Hereford 24
Kieran Debrouwer Heanor Town 23
Michael Reeve Shepshed Dynamo 23

Division 1
Leading Scorers
Luke Shorthouse Nuneaton Griff 44
Tony Clarke Lichfield City 38
Ryan Seal Hinckley AFC 37
Josh O’Grady Coventry United 33
Ryan Harkin Coventry Copsewood 26
Luke Richards Hinckley AFC 26
Dave Yonwin Heather St Johns,
Lichfield City, Pelsall Villa 25
Marco Adaggio Hinckley AFC 24
James Hicks Leicester Road 24
Jamie Clarke Littleton 23
Kyle Turner Atherstone Town, Southam United
Bromsgrove Sporting 23
Sean Brain Bromsgrove Sporting 22
Amarvir Sandhu Leicester Road 21
Daniel Scragg Heath Hayes 21

Division 2
Leading scorers
Chris Lloyd Chelmsley Town 51
James Lemon Droitwich Spa 44
Mark Bellingham Paget Rangers 36
Dildale Linton Alvis Sporting Club 32
Daniel Carter Paget Rangers 28
Tom Craine Knowle, Hampton 26
Thomas Maguire Alvis Sporting Club 21
Shane Brassington Alvis Sporting Club 21

Division 3
Leading scorers
Peter Martin Barton United 38
Matt Layton Alcester Town 37
Jak Albutt Redditch Borough 36
Jason Cowley Redditch Borough 26
Ashley Wilkes FC Stratford 24
Luke Swinnerton Leamington Hibernian 20
Jay Tilbury FC Stratford 20

County Cups
Sporting Khalsa reached the final of the JW Hunt Cup with a 2-1 win over Alvechurch at AFC Wulfrunians.
On Wednesday evening, Sporting Khalsa lifted the JW Hunt Cup with a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Sporting Community. David Meese scored the winner in the 89th minute in a highly entertaining game at Molineux.

Reserves
Leading Scorers
Christopher Gumery Coleshill Town 26
Lukas Putka Brocton 20
Liam Arrowsmith Lichfield City 17
George Teeney Rocester 16
Che O’Connor Continental Star 14
Oliver Roome Rocester 14

Under 21s
Leading scorers
Andrew Hudson Stourport Swifts 18
Nathan McGarrity Bedworth United 15
Janabi Amour Bedworth United 12
Nathan Cadby Bedworth United 8
Leading scorers
Ryan Sappleton-Williams Walsall Wood 19
Regan Smith Heath Hayes 12
Harry Wakefield Basford United 12
Romario Reid Sutton Coldfield Town 12
Luke Dealney Tamworth 9
George Dixon Tamworth 9
Mason Lopez Anstey Nomads 8

Overall – Hereford
Division 1  -  Coventry United
Division 2  -  Alvis Sporting
Division 3  -  Leamington Hibernian
Reserve Division  -  Solihull Moors
Under 21  -  Tamworth

Midland Football League Newsletter
18th May 2016
League News
-------
-------
Travels of the Press Officer
Saturday 14th May
Pelsall Villa 0 Nuneaton Griff 7
Finally, it looks like the Division 1 season will be completed as glorious sunshine greets my arrival at The Bush Ground. Even better, following last week’s postponement, we have goalposts at either end and players warming up on the pitch. The game was vital for Pelsall who needed a point to finish out of the bottom two and avoid relegation. Griff were guaranteed a 3rd placed finish and their side was full of attacking talent. Griff were kicking up the slope in the first half and made their intentions clear immediately. After just 30 seconds, a cross from Dave Barnett was headed goalwards by Mitch Piggon. Villa keeper Josh Mellors made the save but it was a poor miss by Piggon. However, Griff took the lead 64 seconds into the game. Josh Ruff picked up the ball outside the area, picked his spot and fired low past Mellors. Piggon should have made it two in the 7th minute when through one-on-one but Mellors stood firm and blocked the shot. Ruff was dictating play in the middle of the park and he was just off target with another drive a minute later. Griif continued to pour forward. Piggon beat Craig Timmins for pace but again found Mellors in inspired form as the keeper saved his effort. In the 12th minute, Griff wasted another glorious chance. Luke Shorthouse played the ball inside to Danny Harris who danced past a couple of defenders but his shot was too near to Mellors who again made the save. Griff’s second goal came in the 18th minute with Piggon finally hitting the target, heading home an inch-perfect cross from Barnett. Up to this point, nothing had been some from Villa but Callum Phillips gave the home side some hope when his shot was saved by George Woodward. Alex Naughton was the next Griff player to miss the target, blasting over from another cross from the impressive Barnett. Callum Phillips dragged a shot well wide for Villa as the home side attempted to reduce the deficit. Barnett and Harris combined well for Griff with Harris shooting just over the bar. Ruff was just off target with a shot on the turn. Griff’s third goal came in the 33rd minute. Leading scorer Shorthouse found himself in space on the left and his shot was too fierce for Mellors. Excellent footwork from Ruff saw him again create space and again miss the target. 5 minutes before the break, Griff had a 4th, Shorthouse again creating space and finishing well. Callum Phillips had a great chance for Villa just before the interval when a poor pass from Anton Astley was intercepted, but his shot was straight at Woodward.
The second half continued the theme of the first with Griff increasing their lead in the 49th minute. Piggon played the ball inside to Shorthouse who looked as though he had missed the chance but the ball bobbled in off his shin. Ruff saw a shot saved by Mellors and then Piggon missed an open goal, finding the side-netting. Shorthouse had the ball in the net again but was ruled offside and seconds later, substitute Sam Belcher found the net but his effort was ruled out for handball. An excellent run from halfway by Barnett, saw him break into the box but his fine shot was well saved at his near post by Mellors. In the 71st minute, Ruff ran straight through the middle of the Villa defence but again Mellors stood firm. A Villa clearance found Naughton some 40 yards out and his first-time volley was just wide. Griff grabbed a 6th in the 88th minute when Piggon played the ball to Shorthouse and his effort was followed u#in by Belcher. Shorthouse was again through on goal but Mellors saved again. In the 92nd minute, substitute Gregg Maughan heading home for Griff’s 7th. A fantastic performance by Griff but spare a thought for Josh Mellors, the Villa keeper, without whom the scoreline would have been far more emphatic.
Wednesday 18th May
JW Hunt Cup Semi-Final
Lichfield City 3 Wolverhampton Sporting Community 0
The first of two semi-finals in two days at the home of AFC Wulfrunians. With both sides having a decent season at Step 6, Lichfield City finishing 7th in Division 1 and Wolves Sporting 4th in the West Midlands Regional League, a close encounter was anticipated. Both sides had strikers with an excellent goal return this season – Tony Clarke with 38 for Lichfield and Daniel Westwood with 40 goals for Sporting. Lichfield got off to the perfect start by taking the lead after 90 seconds. Martin Crawford seemed to scuff his shot but it had enough pace to beat Luke Stevens and nestle in the bottom corner. A good run from Jon Letford for Sporting came to nothing, however, the pace of the WMRL side was causing problems for the Lichfield defence. Shaquille Reid went close for Sporting and, at the other end, a Gavin Hurren free-kick was hammered against the defensive wall. Sporting were close to an equaliser in the 24th minute. Kyle Delaney went on a direct run through the middle of the Lichfield defence. Keeper Connor McCarthy came off his line but his clearance hit Delaney and rebounded towards goal. Before Delaney could supply the finish, Joe Haines made a superb clearance to take the ball away. Just before half-time, Tony Clarke was clean through on goal from an offside position but when he attempted to round Stevens, the Sporting keeper blocked the effort.
Sporting were the first to threaten after the break when a good run by Josh Samento ended with his cross cut out by McCarthy. Clarke had another decent chance for Lichfield but his shot was cleared off the line. Lichfield doubled their lead on the hour mark. A cross from Clarke was flicked goalwards by Dave Yonwin. Stevens did well to push the ball against the bar but Tyrone Smith was on hand to bundle the ball home. Three minutes later, Clarke forced a fine point-blank save from Stevens. Substitute Trea Bertie had a good chance for Lichfield but his shot was easily cleared off the line. Bertie again went close with a volley as Lichfield began to dominate. A cross from Bertie was too hard for Smith and the ball cannoned into the striker and away for a goal kick. Try as they might, Sporting could not breach the Lichfield defence and it was Lichfield that sealed victory two minutes into time added on. A rf#free-kick was floated into the box and when the ball fell to Bertie, he rifled the ball home through a mass of bodies in the penalty area to send Lichfield through to a Molineux final next week.
Review
Premier Division
Leading Scorers
John Mills Hereford 52
Craig Bannister Sporting Khalsa 43
Lei Brown Highgate United 33
Jamie Cuss Westfields 31
Jordan Nadat Alvechurch 30
Pablo Haysham Hereford 29
Karl Edwards Alvechurch 27
Matt Langham Shepshed Dynamo 27
Mustapha Bundu Hereford 25
Mykel Beckley Coleshill Town 25
Jamie King AFC Wulfrunians 25
Joey Butlin Walsall Wood 24
Ben Ward-Cochrane Loughborough Uni 24
Michael Symons Hereford 24
Kieran Debrouwer Heanor Town 23
Michael Reeve Shepshed Dynamo 23

Division 1
The final game of the Division 1 season took place at The Bush Ground and 3rd placed Nuneaton Griff ran out comfortable 7-0 winners to consign Pelsall Villa to a bottom two finish. Luke Shorthouse scored a hat-trick for Griff taking his season tally to 44.
Leading Scorers
Luke Shorthouse Nuneaton Griff 44
Tony Clarke Lichfield City 38
Ryan Seal Hinckley AFC 37
Josh O’Grady Coventry United 33
Ryan Harkin Coventry Copsewood 26
Luke Richards Hinckley AFC 26
Dave Yonwin Heather St Johns,
Lichfield City, Pelsall Villa 25
Marco Adaggio Hinckley AFC 24
James Hicks Leicester Road 24
Jamie Clarke Littleton 23
Kyle Turner Atherstone Town, Southam United
Bromsgrove Sporting 23
Sean Brain Bromsgrove Sporting 22
Amarvir Sandhu Leicester Road 21
Daniel Scragg Heath Hayes 21

Division 2
In the final game of the season, Feckenham and Barnt Green Spartak shared 10 goals in a 5-5 draw at The Entaco. Danny Williams scored a hat-trick for Feckenham who came back from 4-1 down to grab the point which means they finish the season in 12th place. Nikinder Uppal scored twice for Spartak.

Leading scorers
Chris Lloyd Chelmsley Town 51
James Lemon Droitwich Spa 44
Mark Bellingham Paget Rangers 36
Dildale Linton Alvis Sporting Club 32
Daniel Carter Paget Rangers 28
Tom Craine Knowle, Hampton 26
Thomas Maguire Alvis Sporting Club 21
Shane Brassington Alvis Sporting Club 21

Division 3
The final game in Division 3 saw Alcester Town win 2-1 at Burntwood Town courtesy of a Matt Layton double. The result means Alcester finish in 5th place.
Leading scorers
Peter Martin Barton United 38
Matt Layton Alcester Town 37
Jak Albutt Redditch Borough 36
Jason Cowley Redditch Borough 26
Ashley Wilkes FC Stratford 24
Luke Swinnerton Leamington Hibernian 20
Jay Tilbury FC Stratford 20

County Cups
Littleton lifted the Worcester Royal Infirmary Cup with a 1-0 win against Malvern Town, Chris Conway with the goal. In the quarter-finals of the JW Hunt Cup, Lichfield City beat Wolverhampton Casuals 2-1 at Brinsford Lane to progress to a semi-final meeting next Wednesday with Wolverhampton Sporting. Tyron Smith scored both goals for City. In the other quarter-final played on Saturday, a Jordan Nadat goal was enough for Alvechurch to beat Heath Hayes at Newlands Lane. The prize for Alvechurch is a semi-final next Thursday against Sporting Khalsa. Both semi-finals take place at AFC Wulfrunians.
Lichfield City won the first semi-final beating Wolverhampton Sporting Community 3-0 with goals from Martin Crawford, Tyrone Smith and Trea Bertie.

Reserves
Leading Scorers
Christopher Gumery Coleshill Town 26
Lukas Putka Brocton 20
Liam Arrowsmith Lichfield City 17
George Teeney Rocester 16
Che O’Connor Continental Star 14
Oliver Roome Rocester 14

Under 21s
Results
Bedworth 1 Tamworth 3 (Bowl Final)
Anstey Nomads 0 Tamworth 4 (U21N)
Bedworth 2 Tamworth 1 After Extra-Time (Play-Off Final)
Leading scorers
Andrew Hudson Stourport Swifts 18
Nathan McGarrity Bedworth United 14
Janabi Amour Bedworth United 12
Nathan Cadby Bedworth United 8
Leading scorers
Ryan Sappleton-Williams Walsall Wood 19
Regan Smith Heath Hayes 12
Harry Wakefield Basford United 12
Romario Reid Sutton Coldfield Town 12
Luke Dealney Tamworth 9
George Dixon Tamworth 8
Mason Lopez Anstey Nomads 8

Preview
FA Vase Final
On Sunday, Hereford travel to Wembley to face Morpeth Town in the FA Vase final. Over 19,000 Bulls fans will make their way to the arch for a dream ending to a remarkable season. By way of a preview here is the respective routes to the final.
Morpeth Town
The Highwaymen began their campaign in September in the 1st Qualifying round with a home tie against NWCL Padiham. Goals from Daniel Taggart, Sean Taylor, Michael Chilton and Keith Graydon gave Morpeth a 4-1 victory.
In the 2nd qualifying round, Morpeth had to travel to fellow Northern League side, Billingham Synthonia. A goal 5 minutes from time from Michael Chilton sent Morpeth through.
In the 1st round proper, Morpeth were involved in a classic at NWCL West Didsbury & Chorlton. This is the report from the West Didsbury & Chorlton website. Wembley will wait another year for West as they lost a nine-goal thriller with virtually the last kick of the game. West welcomed a Morpeth Town side to Brookburn Road who’d arrived fresh from a Friday night hotel stay in Stockport and were top of the Northern League after a 5-3 thrashing of Whitley Bay in mid-week, witnessed by manager Steve Settle. The visitors started the brighter of the two teams and West goalkeeper Hayden Buckley-Smith was called into action after just five minutes as he tipped a long range free kick over the bar. On 6 minutes West responded with their first chance of the game as Ben Steer burst down the right, pulled back a low cross to the waiting Ash Woods but his shot was easily held by the Morpeth goalkeeper. The game’s first goal came on 8 minutes as James Novak raced down the left and his cross into the box sailed over the head of Buckley-Smith and crept inside the far post to give the visitors the lead. Morpeth almost made it 2-0 five minutes later when a corner reached Chiles unmarked at the near post and he crashed his header off the top of the crossbar. On 16 minutes Morpeth added their second as a long free kick was launched to the far post, headed down and kneed home by the waiting Jordan Fry inside the six-yard box. West responded with chances of their own but a Scott Mason effort from 20 yards and a Lewis Schofield free kick from 25 yards out failed to force the Morpeth goalkeeper into a save. On 25 minutes it was 3-0 as a free kick was awarded inside the Morpeth half. The initial free kick was rocketed into the hand of Woods who despite having his back turned to the ball was adjudged to have deliberately handled it moving the free kick inside the West half. The second free kick was launched to the far post and headed home by Christopher Smailes off the underside of the crossbar to give the Northern League leaders a commanding lead. West still continued to create chances as Schofield hit the top of the crossbar directly from a corner and should have had a penalty on 32 minutes when the Morpeth keeper pushed a Nic Evangelinos cross into the path of Woods who was hauled to the ground as he tried to shoot but the referee would only award a corner as the Morpeth goalkeeper pushed it around the post. From the corner, the cross reached the far post, it was knocked down to Steer whose flicked shot deflected onto the outside of the foot of the post. Morpeth continued to be dangerous on the break and a superb
Callum Jones tackle on 34 minutes prevented a certain fourth when the Morpeth winger was through one-on-one. However West couldn’t prevent a fourth and from the corner it was again knocked down into the six-yard box and after a scramble, it was fired home by Chilton. Yet, West still continued to create and forced the Morpeth goalkeeper Niall Harrison into a brilliant save as Kay played a first time pass out wide to Steer whose cross found Woods waiting in the middle but could only see his diving header brilliantly blocked before Evangelinos was chopped down from behind as he attempted to finish the rebound. Sadly they couldn’t find the breakthrough before half-time despite further chances from Woods, Steer and Jones. In one of the strangest turnarounds in football, West came flying out of the blocks in the second half as they created a huge chance three minutes after the re-start as Woods skinned his man down the left pulled the ball back to Kay whose goal-bound shot was desperately blocked by a diving defender. West didn’t relent and two minutes later forced Harrison into another save as he could only palm away Woods shot. On 58 minutes Settle made a double change has he introduced Ricky Gleave and the returning Adam Hilton from Runcorn Linnets in place of Scott Mason and Ben Steer. It had almost an immediate impact as West struck back with a set piece of their own on 61 minutes when a Schofield free kicked was whipped into the penalty area and headed home by Kay with only the slightest flick on. Four minutes later the deficit was reduced again as Kay flicked on a long ball to Ash Woods who coolly rounded the keeper and slotted home. On 70 minutes an unlikely comeback took a step closer as Matty Kay scored a brilliant individual goal racing onto a pass inside the penalty area, turning his man on the goal line and firing in at the far post from the most narrowest of angles. Suddenly West were back in the game and hunting for a fourth and almost found it on 77 minutes when a cross to the far post found Evangelinos, his first touch took his marker out of the game but again Harrison made a world class save palming away a strong shot from almost point blank range. West continued to press as Morpeth resorted to launching it long into the West half. The comeback was complete in the first minute of stoppage time as Ricky Gleave played a one-two with Evangelinos, beat his man before nutmegging the second, dragged the ball past the third man, raced past a fourth and placed his shot coolly under the Morpeth keeper as the home bench and supporters went delirious. Suddenly the game became end-to-end as with extra time approaching both sides wanted a winner however it was the visitors who found it in the 95th minute as a cross from the right just evaded Schofield and Chilton brilliantly outjumped Eckersley at the far post and headed into the far corner to send Morpeth’s bench into raptures. There was almost no time to respond as the referee who’d awarded five additional minutes despite few stoppages alerted the players that there was just three seconds remaining and blew up as West re-started. Despite the heart-breaking nature of the loss, West supporters remained to clap their players off the pitch in recognition of a performance of heart and desire against a team ranked amongst the favourites to win the entire competition.
In the 2nd round, Morpeth were drawn at home to 1874 Northwich. The game was postponed on the Saturday and re-arranged for the Wednesday evening at which point 1874 Northwich withdrew from the competition. This was their statement:-
As many of you will know we have had great difficulties as a Football Club trying our very best to find an amicable solution to the extreme problems caused by the unfortunate postponement of our FA Vase game last Saturday at Morpeth. Prior to the game, we had agreed that, should the scores be level after 90 minutes and a subsequent 15 minutes each way period of extra time, the replay would have taken place in Mid Cheshire this evening. On Saturday our Football Secretary spent a considerable amount of time trying to make arrangements with Morpeth for the game to be played on a suitable alternative date. Discussions took place with her counterpart at Morpeth Town FC and he agreed to put our suggestion/proposal for the game to be rescheduled for Saturday 28th November to his committee. Unfortunately, we were later advised that the Morpeth Town committee had made a democratic decision NOT to agree to play the game this Saturday. Obviously, this came as a big disappointment to 1874 especially because whilst we could play the game next Saturday we have been unable to raise a team to play the game tomorrow. All of our players have full-time jobs and getting time off, especially at short notice, has proved difficult and in fact, only six of our available playing squad would be able to travel to this game tomorrow. Our secretary has been in regular contact with the FA and our Chairman Paul Stockton has e-mailed and spoken with an FA representative but alas they are not prepared to change things Therefore, and most regrettably, we have to advise that we are unable to fulfil this important fixture and therefore in all probability our opponents will receive a "walkover" into the next round.
Morpeth were therefore in the 3rd round and faced more Northern League opposition in South Shields. A topsy-turvy gave finished 3-2 after extra-time with Morpeth’s goals coming from Mateusz Halambiec 2 and Michael Chilton. A penalty shoot-out ensued with Morpeth progressing 10-9!
After seeing off South Shields, North Shields were the opponents in Round 4. Second half goals from Sean Taylor and Lee McAndrew gave the Highwaymen a 2-0 victory.
The fifth round saw Morpeth make the long journey to Berkhamsted of the Spartan South Midlands League. Morpeth went through with a 2-1 victory. Attached is the match report from the Berkhamsted FC website. Goals from Luke Carr and Michael Chilton were enough to send the Highwaymen through, despite Tom Carter’s early goal for the home side. It was a match full of blood and thunder, the sort of tie the FA Cup could do with to keep the spirit of that venerable tournament alive, and in blustery conditions in front of Berko’s best crowd of the season, it had all the makings of a classic.
What eventually unfolded on the pitch certainly made for some entertaining viewing and the Broadwater crowd were in full voice to cheer on their boys. The atmosphere seemed to transfer to the players who made an excellent start, just getting the better of the opening exchanges and carving out the first real opportunity when Lewis Rodrigoe’s header flashed just wide from Dan Weeks’ pinpoint free kick. It all seemed to be going the Comrades way when Tom Carter rose highest to meet Alex Campana’s corner and sent a towering header past Karl Dryden to put the home side 1 – 0 up inside the first 15 minutes. The celebrations showed just how much this game meant and what followed was a sustained period of pressure, Berkhamsted’s high energy and pressing keeping Morpeth from finding a foothold in the game. As the half wore on the visitors began to grow in strength and started to show the kind of attacking threat that saw then knock out last year’s Vase winners North Shields in the previous round. Dale Sears had to be on hand to stop Luke Carr’s shot with a last ditch tackle and Chris Swailes sent a glancing header just over the bar from a corner. Berkhamsted looked like they were going to survive until half time however just before the half time whistle referee Mr Yianni blew up for a foul just outside the Comrades box. Captain Keith Graydon stepped up to take, fired a powerful shot directly into the wall and from there the referee pointed to the spot, claiming handball. Protests exploded but nothing was going to sway the mind of the officials and Luke Carr duly slotted home from the spot to make it 1 -1. No sooner had the game restarted than the whistle blew for half time. The slamming of the dressing room door as the players disappeared down the tunnel telling you all you need to know about how Berkhamsted felt about this turn of events. The game was still there for the taking, however, but now the visitors had a foothold in the match and it was one they were not going to let go of lightly. Berkhamsted brought on the more potent goal threat of Bradley O’Donovan however he received little service as Morpeth controlled the game and dictated the pace, Graydon pulling the strings with a dynamic performance in midfield. The winning goal was one of little quality and one that reflected the scrappier nature of the second half, Michael Chilton popping up to tap the ball home from a corner. Berkhamsted continued to press and probe, growing into the game as the half wore on however their task was made all the harder when Dan Edwards was sent off for a second bookable offence thanks to a reckless challenge on Graydon. Morpeth too continued to be a threat, Sean Taylor tormenting the home defence with his quick feet and pacey runs down the wing. There was drama saved for the final minutes as the Comrades mounted some serious pressure. O’Donovan putting the ball inches over after he found himself in space, receiving the ball as a result of some excellent work by Frankie Jowle. The most dramatic moment of the match was saved for the final seconds. Alex Campana sent in a teasing ball from a corner, captain Jim Baldry leapt clear of the
stranded Morpeth defenders sending a powerful header towards the goal only to see it agonisingly hit the underside of the crossbar and fail to go over the line. That was that the final whistle blew and the Berkhamsted players lay distraught on the ground. Ultimately it had been a heroic effort and one that arguably deserved more. The cup dream may be over for now but the efforts of those players to get there in the first place will certainly not be forgotten in a hurry. As for Morpeth, the Highwaymen march on to the Quarter Finals and the sight of the national stadium comes ever closer
The quarter-final draw gave Morpeth a home tie with Bristol Manor Farm from the Toolstation Western League. Goals from Chris Swailes and Dale Pearson gave the Highwaymen a 2-0 victory and a place in the semi-final.
The semi-final draw pitted Morpeth against Bowers and Pitsea FC from the Essex Senior League. The first leg took place at Concord Rangers and Morpeth raced into a 2-0 lead with goals from Sean Taylor and Michael Chilton. The Essex side came back and goals in the 69th and 88th minutes meant that it was all square into the second leg. Sean Taylor gave Morpeth the lead but the Essex side again levelled matters. A goal late on from Luke Carr sent the Highwaymen to Wembley.

Hereford FC
Hereford entered the competition in the 2nd qualifying round with a trip to fellow MFL side Bardon Hill. A penalty from John Mills was all that separated the sides but it was enough to send the Bulls through to the 1st Round Proper.
A fellow MFL Premier Division side stood in their way with a trip to Staffordshire to face Rocester. Jamie Willetts and John Mills were on target for the Bulls and a 2-0 victory sent them through to the 2nd round.
In Round 2, Hereford were drawn at home to WMRL Haughmond and a crowd of 2,170 saw Hereford continue their march to Wembley with a 4-1 victory. Match report from the Hereford FC website.
Hereford continued their fine form of late by beating Haughmond 4-1 in front of another remarkable Edgar Street crowd.
Goals from Rob Purdie, John Mills, Pablo Haysham and Mike Symons sealed the win and saw the hosts safely through to the next round.
Hereford were looking to extend their remarkable 18 game winning run and build momentum towards a potential trip to Wembley. Haughmond dominated possession early on and took advantage of a slip from Rob Purdie although a succession of corners came to nothing. However, their early dominance wasn’t to last long as the Bulls took the lead in the 7th minute. Joel Edwards broke through the middle and played through Mills before being fouled. With the referee playing advantage, Mills continued the break down the left flank before finding Purdie who finished calmly beyond Sam Jones. The game turned scrappy with both sides struggling giving the ball away cheaply as well as failing to create anything the way of goal scoring opportunities.
Despite being behind, the visitors continued to press well as they searched for a leveller. However, Hereford defended resiliently and countered well to get a second in the 30th minute. Mills beat two men with a neat exchange before firing beyond Jones to double the host’s advantage. Haughmond fashioned their first real chance 37 minutes in but Steve Hole fired well wide of the goal. The hosts could have had a third on the stroke of half-time. Mills, once again in the action, found Haysham in space but his effort went narrowly off the inside post.
The Bulls started the second half brilliantly and scored a third just a minute into it. Edwards broke well again down the left and his cross was met superbly by Haysham to make it 3-0. However despite the start, Haughmond got a goal back almost immediately, through a neat counter attack following a spell of Hereford possession. Dave Howarth scored beyond Rivers after the Bulls defence was left exposed at the back. The goal gave the visitors confidence and they looked much the better side as the Bulls switched off. Hereford improved after a nervous period and got a fourth in the 72nd minute through Mike Symons to re-build the three-goal cushion.
The fourth goal settled the nerves again and the Bulls looked far more comfortable in possession with Mills going close to making it five. With the game all but won, Hereford closed the game out comfortably for a 19th straight win.
The MFL Premier Division again provided the opposition in Round 3 with Brocton visiting Edgar Street. Hereford were pushed all the way as they ran out 2-0 winners. The report again from the Hereford FC website.
Hereford’s Wembley dream was kept alive last night with a resilient 2-0 victory over Brocton in the FA Vase clash at Edgar Street.
Goals from Mustapha Bundu and Joel Edwards were enough to seal the win although it could have been more had it not been for the brilliance of Brocton keeper, Calum Barrett.
Manager, Peter Beadle handed a debut to new signing, Martin Horsell as the Bulls looked for a 22nd straight win. The hosts started the more threatening of the two sides with John Mills seeing an early effort fly blaze well over the bar. Hereford continued to dominate the early proceedings and Joe Tumelty saw a decent effort saved by Calum Barrett following a decent break from Mills down the left flank. Barrett then had to save well minutes later to deny a decent Mills header. The hosts had another chance from the resulting corner but Jimmy Oates couldn’t direct his headed effort on target.
The visitors continued to frustrate the Bulls but the hosts finally got the breakthrough in the 27th minute. Mustapha Bundu, who has continued to look impressive with each game, fired a strong header from a Rob Purdie corner beyond Barrett in to give Hereford the lead. Brockton responded but struggled to find a way past a strong Hereford back four with Jamie Willetts and Ryan Green imposing themselves well in defence. However, they did hit the post through David Berks in a rare sight of goal. The visitors had another good chance to level matters towards the end of the first half. Gary Fife directed a decent effort from a David Berks free kick towards goal but new signing Horsell was equal to it and pulled off a fine save to keep the Bulls ahead.
Hereford started the second half very much like the first and could have doubled their lead. Mills, however, dragged his shot wide of the left-hand post. Joe Tumelty then broke well in midfield and set up the impressive Bundu who blasted his shot just over in another good chance for the Bulls. Hereford continued to press with Pablo Haysham unlucky not find himself on the scoresheet with a fantastic albeit deflected 25yrd shot which ended up clipping the left-hand post. Left back, Joel Edwards saw a dipping volley saved well by Barrett shortly after with the Bulls desperate to clinch a second goal that would kill the game off. Barretts heroics once again denied the Bulls with a brilliant save preventing Mike Symons from firing in. The Bulls pressure finally told when they were awarded a penalty. Matthew Dockerty brought down Symons. Barrett saved John Mills’ penalty but Edwards fired in the rebound to double the hosts lead. With the game all but won, the game petered out and the hosts can look forward to the next round as their FA Vase journey continues.
The 4th Round saw Hereford paired with Leicester Nirvana, the United Counties League leaders. The first attempt to get the game played ended in an abandonment after incessant rain (Nirvana leading 3-2 at the time). The following Saturday, there were no such problems and the Bulls made no mistake in front of another bumper Edgar Street crowd. Goals from John Mills (2), Mike Symons (2), Aaron Burch and Ross Staley gave Hereford a 6-0 victory.
Hartley Wintney of the Combined Counties League were the fifth round opponents and a tough away fixture was expected against a side with a comparative record. Goals from Mustapha Bundu (2), Mike Symons and Joe Tumelty gave Hereford a 4-1 victory. Report courtesy of Hartley Wintney FC website
And so another great cup run comes to an end. Bitterly disappointed but, in my opinion at least, we shouldn't have any regrets that we went out and didn't perform on the day. Others have suggested we didn't play quite at our best and allowed Hereford to dominate us, but for me, it was simply that, on the day, Hereford were just too good for us and didn't let us get any kind of foothold. Their tempo, short passing accuracy even on our less than perfect surface because of recent weather, and immediate closing down whenever and wherever we received the ball, had all the hallmarks of a team that could be playing at least two levels above us. I didn't get the chance to ask any of the players but I would imagine they'd agree Hereford were tougher to play against than Eastbourne Borough from Conference South, who we played earlier this season in the FA Cup - we certainly seemed to have less time on the ball, less space to work into (though Eastbourne's pitch was bigger of course) and were closed down much faster. Hereford's tempo and closing down caused us to make mistakes - yes we made mistakes but they weren't unenforced errors, it was the result of tremendous and relentless pressing. Hereford's 7, who played on the left, Mustapha Bundu, was too much for us to handle, one of several Hereford players clearly playing well below his level, and the opening goal from him was an ominous sign of what was to come. But at just 1 down we were very much still in the game as the 2nd half started. But two quick goals and we were no longer in it as a contest. Ross Cook won and converted the penalty very neatly to put something on the board. Both teams were later reduced to 10 men following a 'coming together' between Ross Cook and Hereford's Ryan Green, Green getting a straight red card and Cook a second yellow. Apart from that, it was a game played in a competitive but good spirit, and the officials showed they were also a step up in ability to what we often encounter in the league. I don't know if that was as good as Hereford can play but they were very good and we barely got a look in. Full marks to the boys for competing with them till the end - the very late 4th goal was unkind to us but brilliantly worked and very well finished. Into the quarter-final for the Bulls and a home tie with another Combined Counties side, Camberley Town. Camberley certainly gave Hereford something to think about and they needed extra time to make it through, the goals coming from Mustapha Bundu, Mike Symons, and John Mills. The semi-final draw put the two ‘reborn’ clubs in direct opposition, Steve Claridge’s Salisbury, the runaway leaders of the Wessex League being the opposition. Over 4,500 crammed into Edgar Street for the first leg with a solitary goal from Mustapha Bundu gave the Bulls a narrow lead into the second leg. Match report from Salisbury FC website A record Hereford FC home crowd of 4,683 witnessed a narrow win for the Bulls that leaves the tie nicely poised for the "second half" at the Ray Mac on Saturday 19th, and it will be another great occasion in the history of both clubs. The home side may rue their luck, however, as their efforts to take a greater lead to Wiltshire faltered against a resolute defence, and not least because of important interventions by the woodwork. The first half belonged to Hereford in terms of possession, but this was only to be expected as the onus is firmly on the home side in a two-legged affair. In spite of all that possession they were restricted to a handful of chances, and after a "goal" was rightly disallowed for handball, they had to wait until the second half before getting the important lead.
On four minutes the first threat of the match came when Rob Purdie crossed for Ross Staley to head wide, but seconds later at the other end, Dan Demkiv's cross found Sam Wilson whose header went straight at keeper Martin Horsell. The Whites had to re-group after only seven minutes as Calum Brockway, after a long injury absence, suffered a recurrence of his dislocated right shoulder in a challenge and was stretchered off, being replaced by Elliott Wheeler. Calum was later able to travel home with the squad but both the player himself and manager Steve Claridge confirmed that he will need an operation to repair the damage. On 13 minutes Charlie Searle saw his first serious action, saving the tricky Pablo Haysham's effort well, low to his right, and it was not until five minutes before the break that Hereford had another effort. They thought they had scored when Haysham beat Searle to a cross and netted, but after a mass protest, Football League referee Stephen Martin, who seemed to have given a goal, consulted his assistant and the "goal" was ruled out for deliberate handball, with Haysham picking up a yellow card for his trouble. So, after a fairly dull first half, but satisfying for the Whites with the scores level, it took only four minutes for the Bulls to register. A curling cross from Jimmy Oates from the right found the increasingly dangerous Mustapha Bundu at the far post and his header gave Searle little chance. Was this to be the opening of the floodgates, and the start of the end of Salisbury's Vase aspirations? The answer was provided by an instantaneous reaction as the Whites flickered to life, Horsell doing well to keep out a Tom Whelan 20 yard effort on 50 minutes, and then watching as a further Whelan potshot went wide two minutes later. Not to be outdone, the Bulls reacted and on 56 minutes a clearance rolled out to Aaron Birch, whose first strike was blocked, but whose follow-up was skewed wide of the mark. On the hour, a magical cross from Bundu found Staley who was unlucky to see his finish cannon off the underside of the bar, with his second attempt hitting the post. On 62 minutes the woodwork came to Salisbury's rescue once more, Bundu's header hitting the top of the bar from a corner, but that was again the sign for the visitors to hit back, and from then on in, apart from a wild Bundu free kick, they looked the better side and might well have grabbed an equaliser. A Whelan corner was played by Wheeler across goal to Danny Young who could not direct his finish, and on 64 minutes a long George Colson throw found Steve Walker in the box, with the tall defender's attempted volley being easily saved by the keeper. On 77 minutes Sam Wilson managed to wriggle clear of two defenders before squaring to Kane O'Keefe on the edge of the box. Unfortunately, O'Keefe could not keep his shot down today when he could normally be relied upon to hit the net. With eight minutes of normal time remaining, the important equaliser didn't happen only because of a world class stop from Horsell. Again Whelan started off the move with Walker getting into a
striker's position at the far post, only to see his firm header, bound for the top corner, somehow clawed away by Horsell with what was, by far, the best save of the match by either keeper. The game, plus three minutes of time added, saw Salisbury fairly comfortable in seeing the game out, and thus a good result was earned at the end of only the first half of the tie. The Whites never reached the high tempo performance heights we are used to seeing but these were different calibre opponents to anything they have encountered this season. To keep a single-goal deficit is, therefore, a notable performance, and if the Whites can produce a better showing at home, with the high tempo returning against an experienced side, then we are in for a great game. Both sets of supporters gave their teams tremendous vocal support in a great atmosphere - almost 600 from Salisbury in attendance - and the right result is possible if Salisbury fans turn the tables by giving their favourites the same level, having the numerical advantage at home. Naturally there were differing reactions from the managers after the game. Hereford's Peter Beadle: "We've had four wins on the bounce now, and perhaps, more importantly, we've kept four clean sheets. We've got our noses in front at half-time in the tie but made some poor decisions as a team in the second half. It became a bit 50/50, but we still had the better chances. We weren't quite at it, though, and when the game became a bit more frantic, at only 1-0 up the players were maybe feeling the pressure a bit. I'll forgive them that, but we didn't deal with it and that will not be acceptable next week as we will come under pressure at some time. We got away with it and Martin (Horsell) did exactly what we wanted when called upon." Steve Claridge's view: "It could have been worse, it could have been better, but aside from a 10/15 minute spell when they probably could have been out of sight, we've matched them, and at the end to be fair had great chances to get it back to one all. I'm not quite sure how I feel, but it was probably a fair result. I didn't ever think it was going to be over here, and it's not. It's now all about having the belief to go on and win it at our place. I'll take today's result, and on the day, I think that their better players played better than our better players. We'll look to improve our performance, and have a little look to see what risks we have to take to do that." The second leg saw a crowd just under 3,500 at the Ray Mac and the home side took an early lead to level matters. Hereford were not to be denied their place at Wembley and goals from Mike Symons and Joe Tumelty gave them victory on the day and on aggregate. The match report comes from the Salisbury FC website In a tie of four halves, Hereford FC won nearly three of them and deservedly go to the final at Wembley on 22 May. Whites can hold their heads up high, however, as the appreciative reaction of a Ray Mac Stadium record attendance testified at the final whistle. After coming away from the first leg just one goal behind, Salisbury hopes were high of turning round the tie at home, and indeed after 40 minutes or so that looked on the cards, as, not only was there a one-goal advantage, but as we all know, usually we can look forward to a sparkling show in second periods playing towards the PB Asher stand. The sparkle, for some unknown reason, deserted Salisbury, and the visitors used their greater experience to take full advantage.
I recorded just one Hereford first half chance, just like at Edgar Street, whilst the Whites produced several, largely due to their accustomed high tempo approach, and on 9 minutes the first of these arrived when a Tom Whelan corner gave Elliot Wheeler a headed chance in front of goal, but Wheeler put the ball disappointingly wide when he was well placed. Another Whelan contribution, this time, a free kick, caused panic in the Bulls’ defence, and the ball broke to Steve Walker who turned and sent his effort like a seasoned striker across keeper Martin Horsell into the corner on 18 minutes, to send Whites’ supporters wild. Two minutes later a half chance fell to Whelan but he hurried his shot, which flew well wide of the mark, and the midfielder then set up Sam Wilson on 24 minutes with another free kick but the striker headed over. The visitors were visibly rattled, but the Whites paid the penalty for wasted chances and not ramming home their advantage when Hereford levelled on 42 minutes. A deflected cross found Mike Symons, who had the simplest of chances volleying home from a couple of yards. Conceding a goal, especially against the run of play, is never good at any time, and certainly not so shortly before the interval, but there was hope that if the tempo was maintained then surely we would be Wembley bound. That was a big “if”, as it was Hereford who came out of the blocks very quickly and some of the home side appeared to be still in the dressing room. Suddenly, the talented Mustapha Bundu got more into the game, having only occasionally flickered in the first half, and on 46 minutes his cross gave Pablo Haysham a presentable chance, but a deflection took the ball to safety. Four minutes later Bundu was clean through on goal but was foiled in a one-on–one when Charlie Searle rushed from his line to block, for the first act of a superb second half for the keeper. Hereford were looking much the stronger side, partly because for an inexplicable reason, the Whites were falling apart and getting sloppy with the ball in the process. All the direction and pattern of the first half went out of the window, and the ball saw too much altitude - which provided meat and drink for the visitors’ defence. Bundu was allowed to cut in but mercifully ballooned his 25 yarder, and it could have been game over as early as 66 minutes when Whelan impeded Haysham in the box for a clear penalty, but Searle came to the rescue with a save from Bundu very similar to the one he pulled off at Nuneaton Griff. For some teams, that would have been enough of a turning point to ignite a response, but not the Whites, just for once, on this important occasion. It was not until the 78th minute that Salisbury again looked at all threatening when a Whelan corner eventually found its way to Wilson at the far post, who should have done much better than hit the side netting from five yards under little pressure. That, instead, was the end of the tie for the Whites, and heads dropped. Those heads hit the floor on 79 minutes when Bundu played his last part in the game, setting up Joe Tumelty for a clinical finish for 2-1, which was almost his first touch after coming on.
On 88 minutes the woodwork prevented a third goal after Rob Purdie shot from 18 yards, but it was Searle who had the last word blocking out man mountain Symons in a one-on-one, something which defenders had been unable to do for much of the game. I don’t think I have previously seen Salisbury fall apart this season as badly as they did here, though it has to be said they were up against the best side they have faced this season. As in the first game at Hereford, the occasion seemed to get to some of them. There were also some who left something on the pitch, and I am sure that, firstly, Steve Claridge will have had something to say about that, and secondly that we won’t see it happen again. As for Hereford, well, over the two games they showed greater experience, and I am sure that fair-minded supporters would agree that they deserved their success. A very small consolation is that we have gone out to the favourites, and will probably have done so to the Vase winners. I am sure we all wish them well

Bardon Hill failed to fulfil their fixture against Alvechurch on Saturday 23rd April 2016, they were duly fined and 3 points were deducted from their playing total.
 
Nigel Wood
Secretary
Midland Football League

Midland Football League Newsletter
11th May 2016
League News
Highgate United were found guilty of failing to fulfil their Premier Division fixture against Stourport Swifts on Thursday 7th April. They were duly fined and in addition 3 points were deducted from their playing total.
Nigel Wood, Secretary
-------
-------
Travels of the Press Officer
Thursday 5th May
Pelsall Villa 1 Stafford Town 0
No hail, no swarm of locusts, just wall to wall sunshine and this crunch game at the bottom of Division 1 can take place. The early stages of the game are littered with mistakes from both sides as the undoubted tension is clear for all to see. The first action of any note sees Michael Murray, the Pelsall skipper, into the referee's notebook for a poor challenge on Malaki Norford. Playing down the slope, Pelsall were having the better of the game without really threatening Richard Stone’s goal. That all changed in the 29th minute. A corner from the right was met with a powerful header by Sean Westley and although it was cleared off the line, the officials agreed that the ball had crossed the line and the goal was given. That’s how it stayed till half-time and the thought that Stafford, with the advantage of the slope in the second-half, may well provide a real challenge for Pelsall.
The visitors did start the second half better, Grant Winwood clearing the bar with a free-kick and Oliver Mannocherhi toe-poking a decent chance wide. Pelsall went close to doubling their lead in the 55th minute. A long throw flicked off the head of Winwood, and Alex Moore’s flick cannoned off the bar. The close call seemed to spur on Pelsall and substitute Michael Clark volleyed over the bar when in a decent position. Aaron Sylvester was proving to be a real thorn in the side for the Stafford defence. A good run by Sylvester saw him check back and roll the ball into the path od Spencer Blackham, and with everyone expecting the net to bulge, Blackham’s shot was straight at keeper stone. At the other end, Tom Bowers was clean through but his shot was weak and easily dealt with. In the 78th minute, Pelsall really should have put the game to bed. Sylvester got to the by-line and crossed perfectly for Blackham who, with an open goal in front of him, somehow missed the target. As the clock ticked by, both sides got more and more desperate as the circumstances, not surprisingly, dictated. In the 4th minute of stoppage time, Stafford had the ball in the net but the assistant referee gave an offside decision. The Stafford players and bench were incensed with the decision making it clear that the run came from an onside position. In the middle of the complaints, the referee sent off Winwood, who had earlier been replaced, for something he said to the assistant. After almost 10 minutes of time added-on, the referee blew giving Pelsall the three points and with it all still to play for. If Pelsall can get a point against Nuneaton Griff, they finish outside of the bottom two dropping Stafford into the relegation zone.

Monday 9th May
Presidents Cup Final
Alvis Sporting Club 0 Droitwich Spa 1
A balmy evening and the first of three nights of cup final action for the Midland Football League. New Mill Lane, the home of Coton Green FC, is the venue for this matchup between two of the top three in Division 2. Alvis had the first chance inside the opening minute with Aaron Cooke off target. Few chances were being created as the two sides were well matched. Nick Seabourne went close for Droitwich, curling a shot over the bar. In the 29th minute, we came close to an opening goal when Seabourne headed the ball on to James Lemon whose shot was well saved by Ashley Hooker. As the first half drew to a close, Haydn Morris was off target with another effort for Droitwich.
Alvis started the second half brightly without creating a clear opportunity. As the half wore on, Droitwich took control with the front two of Lemon and Seabourne causing problems for the Alvis defence. In the 61st minute, Lemon created an opening for Seabourne but the chance was wasted. Three minutes later, lemon saw a shot deflected for a corner. Droitwich took the lead in the 68th minute. Jack Brighton lined up a free-kick from 25 yards out. His shot bounced in front of Hooker who got into a tangle and the ball flew past him into the net. Droitwich went close to doubling their lead when Seabourne flashed a shot wide. Alvis gradually began to push Droitwich back but their finishing was not up to their normal standards. In the 90th minute, a last ditch challenge from a Droitwich defender saw the ball deflected for a corner. From the corner, another good chance to equalise was missed with the ball being blasted over the bar. Two minutes into stoppage time, Alvis were down to ten men after Michael Quirke had clashed with Lemon, who was trying to hold onto the ball. The referee chose not to book Lemon but showed the Alvis skipper a second yellow. Worse was to follow for Alvis when Tom Maguire was shown a straight red card for something he said. A sad end to an enthralling cup final.

Tuesday 10th May
Polymac Packaging League Cup Final
Walsall Wood 1 Hereford 3
The bad weather which has blighted the season followed us to Damson Parkway, the home of Solihull Moors. Thankfully, the pitch was holding up well as the game got underway. Walsall Wood started the brighter and Louis Harris forced a save from Harvey Rivers inside the first 5 minutes. Ross Staley was the first to show for Hereford but his effort was blocked on the line. Walsall Wood took the lead in the 19th minute. A free-kick floated in by Max Black was deflected past Rivers by Harris. The goal seemed to wake Hereford from their slumbers and Joe Tumelty was just off target with a shot. At the other end, Joey Butlin sent a free-kick narrowly wide. In the 32nd minute, Rivers made a fine save to thwart Butlin as Wood continued to impress. John Mills wasted a good chance for Hereford before the league champions equalised in the 36th minute. Mike Symons beat a defender, picked his spot and curled a superb shot into the top corner. Just before half-time, Hereford took the lead, another fine shot, this time from Staley finding the net from 25 yards. In first half stoppage time, Adam Jenkins made an excellent save to keep out a header from Jamie Willets. The Walsall Wood keeper made an even better save seconds later, tipping over another superb effort from Staley.
With the rain continuing to fall, both sides were putting on an excellent show in a true competitive cup final. Aaron Birch went close for Hereford early in the second half while Corey Carruthers went close for Walsall Wood. Jenkins made another wonderful save, tipping over a shot from Jimmy Oates which had a goal written all over it. Walsall Wood were still in the game and a shot on the turn from Black forced a save from Rivers. Mustapha Bundu, on as a substitute forced another decent save from Jenkins with 10 minutes left to play. Walsall Wood had a great chance to level things but Lewis Taylor-Boyce was off target. Unfortunately for Walsall Wood, their chance had gone as Bundu made it safe for Hereford firing a fierce shot through Jenkins into the net. With a minute left, Oates surged forward but his shot was yet again well saved by the impressive Jenkins. Into stoppage time, Symons wriggled through the Wood backline but his show was brilliantly saved by Jenkins as it trickled past the post. The final whistle went as Hereford bade farewell to the Midland League with another trophy.
A fabulous cup final between two very good sides – a great advert for the competition.

Wednesday 11th May
Les James Challenge Cup Final
Alvis Sporting Club 4 Smithswood Firs 3
Another wet evening for a cup final between two of our promoted sides. Division 3 Smithswood started the game in fine style. A run from Aaron Anderson was stopped by Alvis keeper, Ashley Hooker. A cross from the Smithswood left was met by Daniel Charlton but the ball was squeezed behind for a goal kick. Smithswood continued to ask questions and a deep cross from Jack Duffy was just in front of Lee Sayer. The woodwork saved Alvis in the 13th minute when a bullet from Nathan Leek rattled the crossbar with Ashley Weeks unable to convert the rebound. Leek again went close for Smithswood volleying wide with Hooker well beaten. Alvis’ first attempt saw Shane Brassington’s shot saved before Brassington had the ball in the net but an offside flag ruled it out. Smithswood deservedly took the lead in the 22nd minute. Excellent work by Charlton down the right saw him cross low and Anderson clipped the ball past the keeper. Smithswood doubled their lead in the 33rd minute. A cross from Curtis Thomas was headed back into the box by Leek and Adam Rooke was on hand to volley it home from close range. Very little had been seen from Alvis at this point but they pulled a goal back in the 39th minute. Tommy Maguire broke free and played the ball inside to David Moyo. Moyo missed his first kick but maintained his composure and scored at the second attempt. Back came Smithswood and within two minutes they had extended their lead. Anderson picked up the ball on the edge of the box, beat 3 defenders and fired past Hooker.
Alvis were incensed early in the second half when Brassington clean through was fouled by Weeks and no foul was given. Rooke wasted a decent chance for Smithswood while Hooker had to race off his line to thwart Daniel Russell. In the 66th minute, Alvis were awarded a penalty when Dildale Linton was pulled down by Leek. Maguire took the penalty which was brilliantly saved by Jake Woodward. Alvis were certainly having more of the play and Moyo twice saw shots blocked. Smithswood were still creating chances and Rooke was just off target with a header. With 7 minutes left, Thomas teed up Charlton to seal it but his shot was off target. Within a minute, Alvis pulled a goal back. A deep free-kick from Michael Quirke was headed back into the box and Brassington g#finsighed from inside the 6-yard box. It got better for Alvis as they equalised in the 88th minute. The ball was played into Moyo in the area and he turned, and turned again before beating Woodward at his near post. Charlton saw two shots blocked for Smithswood. With two minutes of injury time played, Linton’s shot was well saved and the rebound fell to Brassington who put it wide from 1 yard out. Extra time beckoned.
It was survival of the fittest and the fittest certainly appeared to be Alvis. In the first period of extra time, Maguire had a couple of efforts before a moment of real controversy. Maguire went down under the challenge of Rooke in the area and the referee pointed to the spot. It appeared a fair challenge from Rooke but Linton stepped up and buried the penalty to give Alvis the lead. Alvis kept piling on the pressure as Smithswood struggled to contain them. Into the second period of extra-time, a speculative volley from Adam Day was well saved by Woodward as the ball looked destined for the top corner. Alvis were awarded another penalty with three minutes left after Woodward dived in on Linton. This time Linton’s penalty flew high over the bar. Reece Snape should have made sure for Alvis but he shot wide when clean through. Try as they might, Smithswood couldn’t get the equaliser and it was Alvis that lifted the trophy. What a game!

Review
Premier Division
On Thursday evening, runners-up Alvechurch finished their league season with a 2-1 home win over Bardon Hill. Jordan Nadat scored the winning goal two minutes into time added on. The victory means that Church amassed 101 points and just missed out on 100 goals for the season. If only one of those many penalties missed had been converted!
The Premier division season finished on Saturday with a 1-0 win for Westfields at Dunkirk. Skipper Jamie Cuss got the goal in the 31st minute taking his season tally to 31.
Leading Scorers
John Mills Hereford 52
Craig Bannister Sporting Khalsa 43
Lei Brown Highgate United 33
Jamie Cuss Westfields 31
Pablo Haysham Hereford 29
Jordan Nadat Alvechurch 29
Karl Edwards Alvechurch 27
Matt Langham Shepshed Dynamo 27
Mykel Beckley Coleshill Town 25
Jamie King AFC Wulfrunians 25
Joey Butlin Walsall Wood 24
Mustapha Bundu Hereford 24
Ben Ward-Cochrane Loughborough Uni 24
Kieran Debrouwer Heanor Town 23
Michael Reeve Shepshed Dynamo 23
Michael Symons Hereford 23

Division 1
On Thursday evening, the game between the two sides battling to avoid the drop went the way of Pelsall Villa who beat Stafford Town 1-0. Sean Westley scored the only goal of the game on the half-hour mark with Town having a goal chalked off for offside 4 minutes into stoppage time. The win for Villa means a point against Nuneaton Griff in their final fixture, they would finish out of the bottom two. Leicester Road finished their season on a high with a 6-0 win at Southam United. Callum O’Sullivan and Amarvir Sandhu both scored twice as Leicester Road leapfrog neighbours Hinckley AFC to finish in 4th position.
The all-important game at the bottom of the table between Pelsall Villa and 3rd placed Nuneaton Griff on Saturday was postponed due to “missing goalposts”. Littleton finish the season in 9th place following a final day 2-1 win at 5 Acres over Atherstone Town.
Leading Scorers
Luke Shorthouse Nuneaton Griff 41
Tony Clarke Lichfield City 38
Ryan Seal Hinckley AFC 37
Josh O’Grady Coventry United 33
Ryan Harkin Coventry Copsewood 26
Luke Richards Hinckley AFC 26
Dave Yonwin Heather St Johns,
Lichfield City, Pelsall Villa 25
Marco Adaggio Hinckley AFC 24
James Hicks Leicester Road 24
Jamie Clarke Littleton 23
Kyle Turner Atherstone Town, Southam United
Bromsgrove Sporting 23
Sean Brain Bromsgrove Sporting 22
Amarvir Sandhu Leicester Road 21
Daniel Scragg Heath Hayes 21

Division 2
On Thursday evening, champions Alvis Sporting Club went 2-0 down inside the first 16 minutes at Sutton United but showed some resilience to win the game 4-2, their 22nd win out of 25.
Alvis Sporting Club completed their champion season with a 2-0 win over Paget Rangers. To go through the season unbeaten, dropping just 6 points in three draws (Chelmsley Town, Austrey Rangers, and Fairfield Villa) is a remarkable achievement. Runners–up Chelmsley Town finished the season in emphatic style, waving goodbye to the Pavilions with a 5-0 win over Hampton (they will be playing at Pack Meadow next season). Chris Lloyd and Thomas Ellis both scored twice for Chelmsley. Two goals from Jasper Alford helped Droitwich Spa to a 3-1 win at Rostance Edwards and a 3rd place finish. The bottom two, Earlswood Town and Feckenham fought out a 1-1 draw at The Pavilions. With two games left to play, Feckenham need one more point to finish out of the bottom two. Should they pick up that point, Fairfield Villa will drop into the bottom two after they played out a goalless draw at Barnt Green Spartak.
Sutton United finish their season in 6th place following a 3-2 win at Feckenham.
Leading scorers
Chris Lloyd Chelmsley Town 51
James Lemon Droitwich Spa 44
Mark Bellingham Paget Rangers 36
Dildale Linton Alvis Sporting Club 32
Daniel Carter Paget Rangers 28
Tom Craine Knowle, Hampton 26
Thomas Maguire Alvis Sporting Club 21
Shane Brassington Alvis Sporting Club 21

Division 3
On Thursday evening, Smithswood Firs moved level on points with Redditch Borough in the battle for promotion winning a remarkable game at Coventrians 4-3. Coventrians took a 2-1 lead but doubles from Lee Sayer and Troy Baker won the game for the visitors. Northfield Town and Barton United draw 1-1 at Shenley Lane, the point moving Barton up to 5th.
With the title and promotion to be decided on the last day, there was still plenty to play for on Saturday. Leamington Hibernian were crowned champions following a 5-1 home win over Perrywood. They finish one point ahead of Smithswood Firs who are also promoted after they beat Alcester Town 4-1 at Mackadown Lane. Unfortunately, in a three-way battle for two places, someone has to miss out and commiserations to Redditch Borough who finish 3rd. Barton United missed out on the chance of finishing fourth as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Enville Athletic for whom Adam Wooldridge scored twice. Coventrians and Burntwood Town will finish 10th and 11th respectively after they shared 6 goals at Holbrooks Park. Tyler Haddow scored a hat-trick for Coventrians.
Leading scorers
Peter Martin Barton United 38
Jak Albutt Redditch Borough 36
Matt Layton Alcester Town 35
Jason Cowley Redditch Borough 26
Ashley Wilkes FC Stratford 24
Luke Swinnerton Leamington Hibernian 20
Jay Tilbury FC Stratford 20

Polymac Packaging League Cup
Hereford picked up their 3rd trophy of the season with a hard fought 3-1 victory over Walsall Wood. Wood took the lead in the 19th minute but two goals before the break swung the game the Bulls way.

Challenge Vase
Redditch Borough lifted the Challenge Vase beating Northfield Town 1-0 at The Valley Stadium.

Presidents Cup
Droitwich Spa lifted the Presidents Cup following a 1-0 win over Alvis Sporting Club at New Mill Lane. Jack Brighton scored the all-important goal in the 68th minute. Alvis pushed for an equaliser late on but the trophy went to  Worcestershire.

Les James Challenge Cup
A remarkable cup final at the home of Bromsgrove Sporting had it all. Smithswood Firs went into the break with a 3-1 lead, with a couple of goals for Aaron Anderson. That’s how it stayed until the 84yth minute but two goals in quick succession for Alvis Sporting Club sent the game into extra-time. A dubious penalty, converted by Dildale Linton, gave Alvis the lead and despite a second penalty miss of the evening, they held on to lift the trophy.

County Cups
Pilkington XXX lifted the Smedley Crooke Memorial Charity Cup with a 2-1 win over Bromsgrove Sporting at The Victoria ground. Pilks have had a fine end to the season winning 6 consecutive games in two weeks ending with some silverware. Chelmsley Town lost in the final of the Coventry Evening Telegraph Cup to Woodlands WMC. The scoreline at the Ricoh Arena, 2-1 to Woodlands.

Reserves
Results
Cadbury Athletic 1 Solihull Moors 1
Leading Scorers
Christopher Gumery Coleshill Town 26
Lukas Putka Brocton 20
Liam Arrowsmith Lichfield City 17
George Teeney Rocester 16
Che O’Connor Continental Star 14
Oliver Roome Rocester 14

Under 21s
Results
Gornal Athletic 0 H.O.W. Academy 1 (U21S)
Leamington 2 Kings Heath Concorde 2 (U21S)
Walsall Wood 0 Heath Hayes 2 (U21N)
Tamworth 2 Basford United 1 (U21N)
Walsall Wood 2 Tipton Town 1 (U21N)
Tamworth 3 Heath Hayes 3 (U21N)
Tamworth 1 Tipton Town 1 (U21N)

Preview
Division 1
The one remaining game in Division 1 is vital at the bottom of the table as Pelsall Villa need a point against Nuneaton Griff to finish outside of the bottom two. This game has been called off on 6 previous occasions – here’s hoping its seventh time lucky.
Division 2
The final game of the season is on Thursday evening as Feckenham host Barnt Green Spartak needing a point to move out of the bottom two,
Division 3
One game on Saturday as Burntwood Town welcome Alcester Town to Ravenhill Park.
Under 21
On Thursday night, it is the final of the Challenge Bowl between Bedworth United and Tamworth. Both sides have been excellent form and a good final is in store at the TSA Sports ground.
On Saturday, Tamworth finish their league season with a trip to Anstey Nomads.

Highgate United were found guilty of failing to fulfil their Premier Division fixture against Stourport Swifts on Thursday 7th April. They were duly fined and in addition 3 points were deducted from their playing total.
 
Nigel Wood
Secretary

Midland Football League Newsletter
4th May 2016
League News
The fixture between Hinckley AFC v Coventry Copsewood on Saturday 23rd April 2016 was abandoned with Coventry Copsewood winning 4-1 at the time. The Board’s decision is that the match will not be replayed and that the result at the time of abandonment will stand.
Nigel Wood, Secretary. Midland Football League
-------
Gornal Athletic are inviting applications for u21 manager for next season please email gornaldevelopment@outlook.com for more details
-------
Congratulations to Alvis Sporting Club who are champions of Division 2.

Travels of the Press Officer
Thursday 28th April
Walsall Wood 0 Lye Town 0
With a place in the League Cup Final up for grabs, the weather decides to throw its worst at Oak Park with high winds and torrential rain on offer this evening. The game was finely balanced after a 2-2 draw two weeks before and with the teams locked together in the league table. Conditions were challenging and it took 7 minutes before we had an opportunity on goal, Corey Carruthers Snapshot off target. An excellent move by the home side finished with Joey Butlin playing the ball int the path of Carruthers but his shot was again wide of the mark. Lye’ first opportunity fell to Dreniz Bala but he screwed his shot well wide. Wood wasted a glorious chance in the 19th minute when Butlin knocked the ball down for Louis Harris but his shot was blasted wide when he should have hit the target. On the half hour mark, Lye were indebted to keeper Jake Bedford for a final double save. Max Black created space and hit a shot which was well saved and Lewis Taylor-Boyce followed up but Bedford had gathered himself and saved at point blank range. Butlin again created a chance for Wood but Black was off target on this occasion. The best chance of the half fell to the visitors just before the break. Wood keeper Adam Jenkins made a mess of a punch and Ryan Rowe was on hand to volley it goalwards but the ball flew over the bar.
Lye had an excellent chance at the start of the second half but Callum McFarlane headed wide. It was a really competitive game with both sides giving their all without creating too many openings. For Wood, Ricardo Ricketts blasted wide when in a decent position. A good run from Scott Gennard for Lye was spoiled by a wayward finish. At the other end, an excellent run by Black had the same result, a poor finish. With 5 minutes remaining, Butlin picked up the ball and ran goalwards but instead of going for goal himself, played it wide to Carruthers who was pushed further wide and the chance was gone. Three minutes into stoppage time, Butlin got the wrong side of the defence, was through one-on-one with Bedford but the Lye keeper won the battle and saved with his legs. The miss was not to cost Walsall Wood as they ran out winners courtesy of the two goals they scored at Stourbridge Road.
A thoroughly entertaining game between two evenly matched sides. It was clear early on that a solitary goal could win it – as it happened we kept on waiting for the goal to arrive. Walsall Wood will meet Hereford in the final at Solihull Moors on May 10th.

Saturday 30th April
Pelsall Villa v Stafford Town
Easy choice for me today - a game which would possibly decide which team gets relegated from Division 1. Pelsall Villa hace not had much luck with the weather and their game at home to Nuneaton Griff on Thursday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. I got talking with some Pelsall officials before the game and they were explaining some of the challenges they have faced with a sloping pitch and a high water table. One thing we didn’t discuss was the elements again contriving to rob of us of a game of football. After making my way to the cover by the tea bar, the heavens decided to open and a violent hailstorm sent the Pelsall players scurrying from the pitch, their warm up not being helped by hailstones battering the ears. The pitch soon had a covering of hail and, with the lines no longer visible, these were raked clear by a hardy volunteer. The referee and his officials announce that we would have a delayed kick-off of 3:15 to see how the weather goes. This didn’t come as a surprise as thunder and lightning circled the ground. With the storm passing, it was very apparent that both sides were desperately keen to play the game. Step forward the match officials who decided that the pitch was unfit and the game was postponed – this decision coming at 3:20. If the game had commenced at 3pm, we would have known whether it was unplayable or not. The decision leaves Pelsall with three home games to play in the next week and hoping for an improved weather forecast. The battle to avoid relegation continues for at least another week.

Monday 2nd May
Burntwood Town 3 Redditch Borough 5
A Bank Holiday Monday and, shock, horror it’s raining again. With the race for promotion from Division 3 being close fought between two sides, I take the opportunity of a first visit of the season to Burntwood Town as they welcome promotion chasers Redditch Borough to Ravenhill Park. Better known as Brereton FC, Ravenhill Park sits just outside the small Staffordshire town of Rugeley, not far from Lichfield and Hednesford. With the rain still falling, I get to the ground quite late hoping that things would improve. I managed to find a space in the small car park and the first viewing of the pitch was not encouraging with the near goalmouth with lying water. For once, I decided to keep the notebook dry and watched the game without making any notes whatsoever. Therefore, this particular match report is an overview of the game rather than a detailed match report. The game started with neither side looking all that comfortable on the tricky surface. Burntwood looked very dangerous going forward and they shocked Redditch by taking the lead in the 12th minute through Dan Newton. For a time, the home side looked comfortable but two goals in the space of three minutes turned the game Redditch’s way. Redditch grabbed a third before the break to take a 3-1 lead into half-time.
The weather had improved quite noticeably towards the end of the first half and the pitch became less of a factor. With the possibility that goal difference could have a bearing on promotion, I fully expected an onslaught from Redditch in the second half but it was Burntwood that scored the next goal bringing it back to 3-2. Redditch were streaming forward and creating chance after chance. Two goals in quick succession ,the second, Redditch’s fifth, a wild swing by the Burntwood keeper which deflected the ball into his own net, put the game to bed. The Burntwood goal led a charmed life with some of the misses by Redditch being hard to believe. The home side had the final say on an eventful afternoon with a nice finish to make the final score 5-3 to Redditch. For the visitors, Jamie Hatfield scored three and leading scorer Jak Albutt twice as they created plenty of chances. Burntwood never gave up and, going forward, looked a constant threat. With the sun out, and a backdrop of Rugeley Power Station, a trip to Ravenhill is very much worthwhile.

Review
Premier Division
On Thursday evening, Alvechurch closed in on 100 points and 100 goals with a 3-1 home win over Long Eaton United. The visitors took the lead in the first half through a Mark Smith own goal before Church came back after the break. Worthy of note is that Alvechurch scored from the penalty spot, Connor Deards the man to end the dreadful run of missed kicks. Shepshed Dynamo are sure of 4th place following their 2-1 win over Rocester at The Dovecote.
Leaders Hereford completed their league season with a 3-1 win at Shepshed Dynamo. John Mills added two more to his tally taking him to 52 goals for the season. Runners-up Alvechurch were beaten for only the 5th time in the league this season, going down 2-0 at 5th placed Coleshill Town. Craig Bannister bagged goal number 43 as his Sporting Khalsa side beat Loughborough University 2-0 at the Aspray Arena. Heanor Town finish the season in 6th place. Two goals from Nathan Benger saw them to a 2-0 home win over Long Eaton United. If Highgate United win their final game, they will finish in 7th place. On Saturday, they shared 6 goals in a 3-3 draw with relegated Bardon Hill. Lei Brown scored twice for Highgate while Steve Chaplin scored twice for the visitors. Walsall Wood currently sit in 7th position and they ended Continental Star’s stay in the top flight with a 5-0 victory, Louis Harris, and Joey Butlin both scoring twice. Lye Town are 8th following a 2-2 draw with Dunkirk. That was the same scoreline at Silkmore Lane as Brocton and Quorn shared the points, Gary Fife scoring twice for Brocton in the second-half. Boldmere St Michaels waved goodbye to their grass pitch and their famous slope, with a 3-0 win over Stourport Swifts, Simeon Maye scoring twice. Demetri Brown scored a hat-trick as AFC Wulfrunians beat Coventry Sphinx 3-1 at Castlecroft. Westfields shared the goals around at Allpay Park in a 4-1 defeat of Rocester. Skipper Jamie Cuss netted his 30th goal of the season.
On Tuesday night, runners-up Alvechurch closed in on 100 points with a 1-0 win over 3rd placed Sporting Khalsa at Lye Meadow, Josh March with the only goal of the game. Two Kieran Clarke penalties ensured a top half finish for Boldmere St Michaels as they won 2-0 at Bardon Hill. Stourport Swifts were another side who confirmed a top half finish, as they beat AFC Wulfrunians 3-1 at Walshes Meadow. Two goals from record scorer Gary Fife gave Brocton a 3-2 win at Highgate United as the teams finished in 15th and 9th respectively.

Division 1
Only 1 game was completed on Thursday night as more rain caused further havoc to the fixtures. Bromsgrove Sporting closed the gap on leaders Coventry United with a 6-2 win at Bolehall Swifts, Sean Brain with a hat-trick. Coventry United’s chance to confirm the title will have to wait as their game at Sphinx Drive fell foul of the weather. Cadbury Athletic & Pilkington XXX had played 15 minutes of their game before a floodlight failure caused it to be abandoned.
Coventry United were crowned Champions and promoted to the Premier Division following a 3-0 win at Studley. Ten consecutive victories in April saw them over the line after a terrific battle at the top of the table. Bromsgrove Sporting finish runners-up again but they couldn’t end the season on a winning note, going down 2-0 at Cadbury Athletic who are safe from the drop. 3rd placed Nuneaton Griff also tasted defeat, losing 2-1 at much improved Heath Hayes. Hinckley AFC currently hold fourth spot and they finished their league season with an impressive 5-1 win at Littleton, Isaac Cooper scoring twice. Leicester Road will finish 4th if they win their final game at Southam United in midweek. They finished their home campaign with a 3-0 win over Atherstone Town. At the bottom, relegated Southam United were defeated 7-1 at mid-table Coventry Copsewood. The game between the two teams scrapping to avoid the drop, Pelsall Villa, and Stafford Town, was postponed following a hail storm at The Bush Ground. Heather St Johns confirmed their place in Division 1 for another season with a 1-0 win over Pershore Town, the goal scored by Ahkeem Rose. Bolehall Swifts are safe despite a final day mauling at the hands of Pilkington XXX. The Pilks ran out 8-1 winners with doubles for Dayle Kenny and Craig Oldfield. A Wade Malley double gave Racing Club Warwick a 2-1 win over Lichfield City at Townsend Meadow, the win giving the Racers a top ten finish.
Champions Coventry United finished their season with a 3-0 win over Littleton reaching the 100 point tally in the process. Pelsall Villa must beat Stafford Town on Thursday and get a point in their final game if they are to avoid finishing in the bottom two. This after a 5-1 home defeat at the hands of Studley for whom Daniel Stokes scored twice. Pilkington XXX guaranteed a minimum of a 7th place finish with a 3-2 win at relegated Southam United. Pilkington XXX finish 6th in the table after a fine 3-1 win at Cadbury Athletic, their 2nd game in 24 hours. Littleton will finish in 9th place after they beat Heather St Johns 2-1 at 5 Acres.

Division 2
The game between the top two ended in a 1-1 draw at Green Lane. Leaders Alvis Sporting Club need 6 points from their final four games to claim the title while 2nd placed Chelmsley Town need 3 points from four games to confirm promotion. 3rd placed Droitwich Spa kept it interesting with a 2-1 win at Sutton United.
Chelmsley Town gained promotion to Division 1 following a 2-1 win at Fairfield Villa. The home side took the lead in the 2nd minute but Chelmsley hit back and a goal from Chris Lloyd gave them all three points. Leaders, Alvis Sporting Club need 3 points from their final 3 games to be crowned champions after they beat Coton Green 1-0 at Green Lane. There is a two-way battle for third place and 4th placed Paget Rangers closed the gap to just one point with a 5-1 win at Feckenham. Dan Carter scored 4 taking his season tally to 27. Hampton’ s excellent end to the season continued with a 2-1 win over Sutton United taking Hampton into 7th place. The game between Austrey Rangers and Knowle ended in a 1-1 draw, with both side locked together in 9th and 10th place.
With a 28 goal advantage on goal difference, Alvis Sporting Club are champions following a 2-0 win over Droitwich Spa. Chelmsley Town continue to push them all the way and a 7-0 win over Earlswood Town boosted their goal difference. Chris Lloyd scored 5 goals to move to the top of the scoring charts. Paget Rangers are third with one game left to play. Two goals from Mark Bellingham helped them to a 3-1 win at Barnt Green Spartak. Feckenham closed the gap to the sides above them with a 2-1 win over Austrey Rangers. Alvis Sporting Club are champions after 2nd place Chelmsley Town were beaten 3-2 at Feckenham. Connor Perry-Holmes scored twice for The Millers who are now level on points with Fairfield Villa with two games in hand. A good win for Barnt Green Spartak who move up to 11th after a 4-2 win over Knowle, Andre Tulloch netting twice.

Division 3
Northfield Town moved up into 4th place with a 2-0 win over Coventrians at Shenley Lane.
The significant in Division 3 on Saturday was at The Mackadown Stadium as Smithswood Firs moved into the second promotion spot following a 6-1 victory over Enville Athletic. Curtis Thomas scored twice for the home side who need 4 points from their final two league games to gain promotion. FC Stratford moved back into fourth place after a 2-0 win at Shipston Excelsior. Alcester Town leapfrogged visitors Northfield Town in the table with a 2-1 win. Barton United are one of 4 teams battling for fourth position. They beat AFC Solihull 3-1 with Peter Martin scoring two more. Coventrians rose to 10th in the table in their debut MFL season with a 3-1 win over Perrywood. Burntwood Town and Boldmere Sports & Social Falcons fought out a 1-1 draw at Ravenhill Park.
Leaders, Leamington Spa had hoped to clinch the league title on Monday but they were beaten 2-1 at home by 4th placed FC Stratford leaving the door open for Smithswood Firs to overtake them. Redditch Borough moved back into second place with a 5-3 win at Burntwood Town. Jamie Hatfield scored three and Jak Albutt two in a game of numerous chances at either end. The impressive Dan Newton scored twice for Burntwood. Peter Martin was another of the league’s leading scorers in good form as he scored all three for Barton United in a 3-2 win at basement side AFC Solihull. Alex Griffiths scored twice as Inkberrow recorded a 5-2 win over Northfield Town. Shipston Excelsior completed their first season in the Midland Football League with a 2-0 home victory over Alcester Town. Coventrians completed a quickfire double over Perrywood, winning 5-2 at Neel Park, Tyler Haddow with a hat-trick.
Redditch Borough are back in second place, winning their final game of the season 3-1 against FC Stratford. Ben Cox scored twice for the Reds who now must wait on results elsewhere to see if they will be promoted.

Polymac Packaging League Cup
Hereford will meet Walsall Wood in the final of the Polymac Packaging League Cup on May 10th at Solihull Moors FC. Hereford took a 1-0 lead into the second leg against Stourport Swifts and eventually progressed 4-0 on aggregate. The game was level until the 59th minute but two quick goals from Dylan Bonella and Mustapha Bundu sent Hereford through. Walsall Wood and Lye Town could not be separated on the night with both sides having chances but failing to convert in a 0-0 draw. That result meant that Walsall Wood progressed on the away goals rule after a 2-2 draw at Stourbridge Road.

County Cups
Droitwich Spa lifted the Worcestershire Junior Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win over Worcester Raiders. Hot-shot James Lemon scored twice and Nick Seabourne once as Droitwich clinched the trophy at Pershore Town FC. Hereford picked up their second piece of silverware in a wonderful season as they beat neighbours Westfields 5-1 in the final of the Herefordshire Challenge Cup. The Bulls had five different scorers with the game played out in front of a Bank Holiday crowd of 2188 at Edgar Street. Coventry Copsewood lifted the Birmingham Midweek Floodlit Cup beating Nuneaton Griff 2-1 in the final at Stratford Town FC. Hinckley AFC also claimed silverware beating Oakham United 5-1 in the Leicestershire Senior Cup Final, Ryan Seal with a hat-trick.

Reserves
Results
Gresley 2 Coleshill Town 6
Lichfield City 4 Cadbury Athletic 1
Rocester 2 Solihull Moors 0
Coventry United 2 Solihull Moors 3

Under 21s
Results
Newcastle Town 2 Heath Hayes 0 (U21N)
Bedworth United 3 Walsall Wood 0 (Bowl)
Kings Heath Concorde 1 Gornal Athletic 0 (U21S)
Leamington 1 H.O.W. Academy 2 (U21S)
Heath Hayes 5 Tipton Town 1 (U21N)
Newcastle Town 0 Basford United 1 (U21N)
Tamworth 3 Anstey Nomads 1 (U21N)
Gornal Athletic 1 Bedworth United 5 (U21S)
Kings Heath Concorde 1 Stourport Swifts 3 (U21S)
Heath Hayes 0 Tamworth 3 (U21N)
Newcastle Town 2 Tipton Town 0 (U21N)
Walsall Wood 2 Sutton Coldfield Town 1 (U21N)

Leading Scorers
Premier Division
John Mills Hereford 52
Craig Bannister Sporting Khalsa 43
Lei Brown Highgate United 33
Jamie Cuss Westfields 30
Pablo Haysham Hereford 29
Jordan Nadat Alvechurch 28
Division 1
Luke Shorthouse Nuneaton Griff 41
Tony Clarke Lichfield City 38
Ryan Seal Hinckley AFC 37
Josh O’Grady Coventry United 33
Division 2
Chris Lloyd Chelmsley Town 48
James Lemon Droitwich Spa 44
Mark Bellingham Paget Rangers 36
Dildale Linton Alvis Sporting Club 31
Division 3
Peter Martin Barton United 37
Jak Albutt Redditch Borough 36
Matt Layton Alcester Town 35
Jason Cowley Redditch Borough 25
Ashley Wilkes FC Stratford 24

Preview
Premier Division
Just two games remain in the Premier Division. On Thursday evening, Alvechurch need to score 3 goals and notch up a win to break the 100 goals and 100 points barriers. Standing in their way are visitors Bardon Hill. On Saturday, Dunkirk sign off from the Premier Division with a home game against Westfields.
Division 1
Two fixtures on Thursday night and all eyes on The Bush ground as Pelsall Villa entertain Stafford Town. Villa have to win and pick up a point on Saturday to avoid finishing in the bottom two. As for Town, a draw is enough to survive. Leicester Road travel to relegated Southam United knowing a win will see them finish in 4th place in this, their first season in Division 1.
Depending on Thursday’s result, Pelsall Villa welcome 3rd placed Nuneaton Griff to the Bush ground with the possibility of a point for survival. Littleton finish off their season with the visit of Atherstone Town to 5 Acres.
Division 2
Leaders Alvis Sporting Club can be crowned Champions on Thursday evening if they pick up a point at Sutton United.
The big game on Saturday sees two in-form sides meet at Green Lane with Alvis Sporting Club at home to 3rd placed Paget Rangers, whose run to the line has seen them shoot up the table. Promoted Chelmsley Town are at home to 7th placed Hampton, themselves on a decent run of form. Two former front-runners meet at The Red Lion ground with Rostance Edwards hosting Droitwich Spa in a game of what might have been. The bottom two face each other with Feckenham travelling to Earlswood Town. 12th meets 11th at The Coppice with Barnt Green Spartak at home to Fairfield Villa.
Division 3
Smithswood Firs need 4 points from two games to clinch promotion and the first of those is on Thursday at Coventrians. 13th meets 14th at the bottom of the table as Enville Athletic welcome Perrywood to Hall Drive. Barton United can climb into the top four with a win at Northfield Town.
Leamington Hibernian will be crowned champions with a win at home to Perrywood. Smithswood Firs need a positive result at home to Alcester Town to clinch promotion. Barton United will finish the season in the top four should they beat Enville Athletic at home. Coventrians will be happy with their first season in the MFL and they end their home campaign against Burntwood Town.
Polymac Packaging League Cup
The final of the League Cup takes place on Tuesday 10th May at Solihull Moors FC. Hereford are attempting to lift trophy number three with Walsall Wood standing in their way. While Hereford have stormed to the Premier Division title, Wood have had another competitive season finishing in 7th position. Hereford edged the recent league meeting between the sides at Edgar Street and an excellent game is in prospect.
Presidents Cup
The final of the Presidents Cup takes place on Monday 9th May at Coton Green FC. Two of the 2nd division heavyweights meet with champions Alvis Sporting Club facing 4th placed Droitwich Spa. The two sides met last weekend in the league with Alvis running out 2-0 winners in a very tight game. With goals a plenty in the two sides, it promises to be an excellent evening.
Les James Challenge Cup
On Wednesday evening, the final of the Les James Challenge Cup takes place at Bromsgrove Sporting FC. Alvis Sporting Club head for their 2nd final in 3 days with the competition this time from Division 3 promotion contenders Smithswood Firs. On paper, Firs are undoubtedly the underdogs yet in the previous round, they beat high-flying Paget Rangers from Division 2. Form for both is excellent and another good final is in store.
Challenge Vase
On Saturday, Redditch Borough face Northfield Town in the Challenge Vase final. Both sides had excellent away wins in the semi-final and, as with all our cup finals this season, promises to be an excellent afternoon in front of a healthy crowd.
Reserves
RES1 Cadbury Athletic Reserves v Solihull Moors Reserves
Under 21
THU 05 MAY 2016 19:45
21SE  Gornal Athletic U21 v Kings Heath Concorde U21
21NW Tamworth U21 v Basford United U21
21NW Walsall Wood U21 v Heath Hayes U21
SAT 07 MAY 2016 10:30
21NW Tamworth U21 v Heath Hayes U21
21NW Walsall Wood U21 v Tipton Town U21
21SE Gornal Athletic U21 v H.O.W. Academy U21
21SE Leamington U21 v Kings Heath Concorde U21