Romulus were looking to get a result yesterday evening against Atherstone Town at Castle Vale Stadium. The Roms are chasing the play offs and came into this match only eight points off 5th with four games in hand over AFC Wulfrunians. It’s been an ok season by the Roms so far in the league who are comfortably in mid table. One of their main strengths which has put them in play off contention has been their home form with four wins from seven matches coming into this one. Atherstone have been gradually growing into the season following a tough start with four points from their first 8 league matches. The Adders had been playing well of late with 10 points from their last six matches to sit comfortably in mid table coming into this one. The appointment of new manager Mitch Thomson over the last month has helped turn their season around. One of their issues this season has been their form on the road with one win from seven matches coming into this match. The atmosphere around Castle Vale Stadium was excellent prior to kick off and a notable attendance of 131 supporters turned out for a mid-week match in December. There was a large following for the Adders which was commendable given the distance travelled and the tough weather conditions throughout the day. Starting line ups The starting line up for Romulus featured Lewis Gwilliams starting in goal and Callum Lee captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 5-3-2 with a front two of Ryan Nesbitt and Isai Marselia being supported by George Manning in the attacking midfield role. There were two changes from the team that started against AFC Wulfrunians last weekend with Isai Marselia coming into the team and playing up front. Atherstone Town’s starting line up included Finn Osborn starting in goal and Richard Blythe captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 4-3-3 with a front two of Lewis Collins and Jake Brown being supported by Lewis Noon in the attacking midfield role. There was one change from the team that started against Tividale last weekend with Jacob Shilton coming into the team and playing at right back. First Half The first half was mainly cagey with both teams settling into the match and working each other out. Both Romulus and Atherstone Town were well organised off the ball which reduced the clear-cut chances in front of goal in the final third. The main pattern of play was both teams cancelling each other out in the final third and heading dangerous balls away from the box. The opening 45 minutes were an interesting tactical battle rather than a free-flowing game with both teams showing a bit of caution to not get caught out defensively. Atherstone shaded it and were passing the ball around well in midfield and in the final third. The only thing missing from the Adders was the final ball and that bit of composure in the box to have a shot on target to test Lewis Gwilliams. It took a while for any notable chances in front of goal in the opening half an hour. Romulus had a few half chances in front of goal with the best one falling to Ryan Nesbitt who fired wide from the edge of the box. The Roms looked dangerous when going forward and committed players into the box in search of the opener. The best chance for Atherstone came at the end of the half with Callum Rudd having a good chance in the box in injury time but headed wide from a good position. Second Half The second half was more action packed than the first and the match got more stretched as it went on. Substitute Joe Phillips had an excellent chance for Romulus early in the second half but fired wide with the Adders a bit stretched at the back. There was also a subtle tactical change for Romulus in the second half with Jordan Francis coming on for Dan Okoje at left back which gave them more of an attacking threat down the left. The Roms were searching for the opener and were positive with their build up play in the final third. Similar to Atherstone in the first half, the only thing missing was that bit of composure to unlock the Adders defence. Atherstone produced a moment of genuine quality to take the lead in the 70th minute. Lewis Noon played an excellent cross into the box which was well anticipated by Lewis Collins who headed home into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0. It was a good goal by Atherstone, and the visitors produced a moment of quality when it mattered to take the lead in a fairly even match. The question was whether Romulus would find an equaliser to get back into the match late on. The Roms managed to find an equaliser in unlikely circumstances to make it 1-1 with ten minutes to go. Following a dangerous ball into the box Jack Wells made a failed clearance that resulted in an own goal. It was unfortunate on Atherstone, but Romulus were applying pressure on the visitor’s goal prior to the mistake and committed players in the box in search of an equaliser. Atherstone showed a lot of character late on to not let the defensive mistake get to them in the final stages of the match. They were positive on the ball and looked to make things happen in the final third. They had a late chance with Lewis Collins playing a good ball into the box which just evaded the head of Gabe Webster. The match looked like it was heading for a 1-1 draw until a moment of late drama in injury time. Atherstone substitute Reece Massey made an inspired run down the right and went to the byline where he beat James Bowen before being fouled by Callum Lee in the box for a penalty. Lewis Collins stepped up to take the penalty and took it brilliantly into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1 to the Adders late on. Not long after the referee blew for the full-time whistle with Atherstone taking home the three points and going into the top half of the table. Full Time Romulus were ok in this match and showed moment of quality despite the defeat. Cameron Lee was reliably good at the back for Romulus and headed dangerous balls away from the box throughout the match. He was unfortunate to concede the penalty late on, but he had a good match overall. The holding midfield of Dean Morris and Paul Ibhadon looked good and were regularly breaking up the play to give the Roms a foothold in the match. They covered a lot of ground defensively and helped stop promising Atherstone attacks. Substitutes Jordan Francis and Joe Phillips looked good off the bench and offered the Roms an attacking threat in the final third and were direct with the ball. Atherstone were good in this match and showed quality both on and off the ball. Callum Rudd was excellent at the back. He was constantly dealing with dangerous balls and reading the game well. Jacob Shilton had an underrated game at right back and looked defensively solid as part of a back four. He was constantly winning the ball back and linking up the play well when building attacks down the right. Richard Blythe was brilliant from holding midfield and passed the ball well to get attacks going. He gave the visitors that composure on the ball to settle into the match. Lewis Collins was excellent as the number nine, and he held up the ball well in this match. He showed brilliant anticipation for the opening goal and had that composure to score the winner from the spot late on. Overall, an encouraging performance from Atherstone and they could be a dark horse for the play offs if they can keep this form going over the next few months. FT score: Romulus 1-2 Atherstone Town Attendance: 131 Man of the match: Lewis Collins (Atherstone Town) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Cradley Town were looking to get a result yesterday against OJM Black Country at Beeches View Avenue to continue their excellent home form. The Hammers had won eight out of ten league matches at home coming into this one and were 2nd in the league with 39 points from 20 matches. It’s been an excellent turnaround from Cradley who were battling relegation last season. They were in 20th with 14 points from 23 matches on Boxing Day last year which shows how far the club has come. The Hammers have been one of the stories of the season in division one and finishing in the play offs would be an excellent season. OJM were also looking to get a result yesterday to cement their position as play off chasers. The visitors have grown into the season and have gradually climbed up the league as the weeks have gone on. A key part of their success has been their defensive record which was the best in the league coming into this one with 19 goals conceded over 19 matches. The atmosphere around Beeches View Avenue yesterday was relaxed and friendly with both sets of supporters looking forward to the match. The ground is full of character and is an excellent place to visitor for casual groundhoppers around the West Midlands area. It can be accessed by taking the 9 platinum from Birmingham, stopping at Colley Lane and taking a 20 minute walk to the ground. Starting Line Ups Cradley Town’s starting line up featured Nana Frimpong starting in goal and Darren Whitley captaining the team from central defence. The formation appeared to be a 5-3-2 with a front two of Chris Bladen and Jordan Crump being supported by Joshua Marsden from attacking midfield. There were four changes from the team that started against Coventry Copsewood at the weekend with Daniel Harvey coming into the team and playing in holding midfield alongside Jamie Underhill. The starting line up for OJM involved Tom Clapp starting in goal and Callum Nimmo leading the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Kosheen Sappelton leading the line up front and being supported by Zaq Hussain and Reece Morris on the wings. There were four changes from the team that started against Hinckley AFC a few weeks back with Musa Jawara coming into the team and starting at right back. First Half The opening half an hour was fairly cagey with both teams settling into the match and there were not many chances. OJM started the stronger of the two with Cradley gradually growing into it. The visitors were passing the ball around positively and linking up the play well around the pitch. Cradley were well organised off the ball and looked to catch OJM on the break and out of position. One of the main reasons for the lack of chances in front of goal was down to how well organised both defences were. Callum Nimmo was excellent for OJM and made some crucial headers and blocks to stop promising Cradley attacks in the box. Daniel Hadley was also good at the other end for Cradley and made some brilliant tackles to break up promising OJM attacks in front of goal. Kosheen Sappelton was holding the ball well up front for OJM and bringing players into the game. This was crucial as it gave the visitors a way into the match, and they settled into it brilliantly in quite a lively atmosphere and stuck to their passing game. Cradley looked threatening up front with Jordan Crump linking up the play well in the final third and looking dangerous in the box. The Hammers were getting players into the box, and it was testament to how well OJM defended that they did not have many chances in front of goal. The first half was entertaining despite being goalless with both teams organised and offering some threat in the final third. Second Half The second half was more stretched than the first with both teams getting forward more often and looking dangerous in the box. The pattern of play reversed from the first with Cradley taking the initiative and getting on the ball more in front of an excellent home support. OJM were set up to catch them on the break and build attacks from the wings. Musa Jawara had a good early chance for OJM in the box which was well set up by Reece Morris on the right wing. This was a sign of things to come with the visitors taking the lead which involved a moment of quality from OJM. They broke with pace on the counter and attacked down the right where a ball was played to Liam Spink on the edge of the box who finished excellently into the top right corner to make it 1-0 in the 55th minute. Cradley were putting a lot of effort into building attacks in the final third, but it was not quite clicking in front of goal. Similar to the first half, their movement off the ball was good and they were getting into some promising position around the box with the only thing missing being the final ball. OJM took control of the match in the middle of the second half and made it 2-0 in the 70th minute. An incisive ball was played to Zaq Hussain in the box who lobbed the ball over Nana Frimpong into the right corner. It was a brilliant finish that underlined why he was so prolific in front of goal last season with 32 goals scored. Cradley had a brilliant chance to get back into the match a few minutes later with Tom Clapp making a point blank save from Daniel Hadley’s header from a well delivered corner. This was a big moment and if it went in it could have set up a grandstand finish. None the less, OJM made it 3-0 late on to seal the three points. Substitute Taylor Hommer got into a good position in the box and was clinical in front of goal with an excellent finish for OJM. This underlined OJM’s strength in depth with a lot of quality coming off the bench in the second half such as striker Jabber Ahmed. Not long after, the referee blew for the full-time whistle in an entertaining match at Beeches View Avenue. Full Time Cradley were good in this match despite the scoreline, and it was more of a case of OJM playing well and being clinical in front of goal than the Hammers struggling. The result makes it consecutive defeats in the league for Cradley but it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how far the club has come. The Hammers have a crucial run of fixtures against fellow play off rivals throughout January. They play Wednesfield (Away), Sutton United (Home) and Heather St John’s (Away) over the next month. They are up against Chelmsley Town at the weekend at Pack Meadow. There’s quality in the team with the back three of Daniel Hadley, Darren Whitley and Declan Bibb impressing and dealing with dangerous balls into the box. Jordan Crump and Joshua Marsden also have that quality on the ball to unlock defences in the final third. OJM were excellent in this match and are capable of finishing in the play offs. They have a nice blend of defensive and attacking quality and looked well balanced in this match. The central defence of Stefan Cameron and Callum Nimmo were excellent and headed dangerous ball away from the box and stopped Cradley attacks. It’s a good way to grow into matches away from home and should serve them well over the coming months. Liam Spink had an underrated match from holding midfield and linked up the play well. He offered the team composure on the ball from midfield and helped the visitors settle into the match. Reece Morris also looked dangerous on the right and was a threat on the wing, especially in the second half. Overall, an impressive performance from OJM that underlined their strengths as a team. FT Score: Cradley Town 0-3 OJM Black Country Attendance: 121 Man of the Match: Callum Nimmo (OJM) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
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