Knowle were looking to continue their good form in division two with a result against Earlswood Town at the Robins Nest yesterday afternoon. It’s been an incredible season for the Robins so far who are unbeaten in the league and in the quarter finals of the Les James Challenge Cup. They had a ten-point lead at the top of division two going into this match with supporters having one eye on Northfield V Birmingham United who were just below them in the table. Earlswood Town are going through a transitional period and building for the longer term following a change of manager with Joel Hughes stepping down and being replaced by Jason Pyott in the dugout. The Earls got a confidence building win in the Coventry Charity Cup last weekend where they won 8-0 against Coventry Alvis and were looking to cause one of the shocks of the season yesterday. Pre-match The Robins Nest is a brilliant ground to visit and the volunteers at Knowle were friendly and helpful with any media queries yesterday. The pitch looked in brilliant condition and the weather was mainly sunny throughout the afternoon. It’s a nice set up at Knowle and the clubhouse is welcoming with a wide selection of drinks and club merchandise available for supporters. The programme was informative and engaging to read and provided updates on the club. There’s a real community feel to Knowle with supporters close to the pitch and getting a good view of the match. Starting line ups Knowle’s starting line up included Craig Johnson starting in goal and George Seeley captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Odane Barnes leading the line up front and being supported by Callum Burston-Keeley and Hayden Purves on the wings. There were five changes from their match against Bolehall Swifts last weekend with Jack Duggan coming into the team and playing at centre back alongside Ricardo Dudley. The starting line up for Earlswood Town included Alfie Pyott starting in goal and Keelan Reilly captaining the team from central midfield. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Elliot Edwards playing up front and being supported by Andy Matthews and Joseph Kelso on the wings. There were three changes from their match against Coventry Alvis last weekend with Kieron Baker coming into the team and playing at centre back alongside Luke Woodward. First Half Knowle got off to a strong start and looked like a side coming off the back off eight consecutive wins in the league. They were moving the ball about well and settled into the match in the early stages of the first half. The Robins were given a penalty for a foul on George Seeley in the box in the opening few minutes. Hayden Purves stepped up and took a composed penalty into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 in the 2nd minute. Jack Duggan came into the team for Knowle following an unfortunate injury to Lewis Clarke last weekend and filled in admirably at centre back. He read the danger well to stop Earlswood building some momentum and offered an aerial threat in the box. A swinging cross into the box found Jack Duggan at the back post who produced a quality header into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0 after eight minutes. Toby Scott was getting on the ball for Knowle throughout the first half and building up the play from holding midfield. He was brilliant for the Robins and offered them composure on the ball to build attacks and cause problems for Earlswood. Knowle made it 3-0 after eleven minutes when a well delivered corner by George Seeley found Jack Duggan at the back post who headed it on to Odane Barnes who found the net for the Robins’ third. Earlswood showed character to keep going in the middle of the first half and managed to show some positives to build on. Kieron Baker was breaking up promising Knowle attacks and defending well at centre back to limit the damage for the Earls. Elliot Edwards also looked a threat up front on the break. Knowle were playing some excellent football throughout the first half and smoothly passing the ball around the pitch. A neat passing move saw the ball played to Hayden Purves who had a shot go narrowly wide of the left-hand post on 34 minutes. The Robins found a fourth goal a few minutes before half time when Hayden Purves made a brilliant run down the right-hand side where he beat a few players before squaring it to Callum Burston-Keeley who finished to make it 4-0. They scored another goal just before half time to make it 5-0 going into the break when the wingers combined again. Callum Burston-Keeley made a run before squaring it to Hayden Purves who produced a classy finish for Knowle’s fifth. Second Half Knowle kept up the momentum they had in the first half and found the net again in the early stages of the second half. A well worked corner resulted in Callum Burston-Keeley capitalising on a second ball and finishing into the bottom left corner to make it 6-0. The pressure from the Robins kept coming when Zak Parsons found some space in the box before finishing across Alfie Pyott and into the bottom right corner to make it 7-0 after 49 minutes. Earlswood kept going and were playing for pride at this stage of the match. The visitors caused Knowle a few problems at the back in the middle of the second half and had a promising fifteen-minute spell in front of goal. Elliot Edwards had a half chance for Earlswood when he shot at Craig Johnson after finding some space in the box on the hour mark. He also had a free kick well saved by the Knowle keeper from a dangerous position. Kieron Baker also defended well to keep the scoreline at 7-0. Full credit to the Earlswood players who showed a positive reaction in the second half despite the scoreline and there’s positives to build on for future matches. The final twenty minutes of the match were a bit uneventful in front of goal with a lot of substitutions stemming the flow a bit. None the less, the bench for Knowle yesterday was full of experienced players with quality such as Nathan Corry and Tom Craine who are brilliant at this level and provide leadership to the squad. Not long after the referee blew for the full-time whistle with Knowle keeping their unbeaten streak in division two with just seven league matches remaining. The game between Northfield and Birmingham United ended in a draw which extends the Robins’ lead at the top of division two to twelve points. Full Time Knowle have been one of the standout teams at this level over the last few seasons and have made the Robins Nest a fortress. The Robins have won twenty two of their twenty-seven home games over the last two seasons. They are currently unbeaten this season with 19 wins from twenty-one matches and are looking to win the LJ cup for the third time in a row. The management team of Matt and Clive Seeley have done an incredible job, and they have been getting better every season. They have applied for promotion to step six, and it should be an exciting time for Knowle supporters. Earlswood will feel disappointed with the result yesterday, but they were undone by moments of quality from Knowle rather than any glaring mistakes at the back. It’s a young team which will need a bit of time to build. The next few months is a good opportunity for players to get minutes to build for next season. Earlswood supporters shouldn’t be too disheartened by the result against Knowle when considering their unbeaten run. They have a run of games coming up against teams such as Fairfield Villa and Cadbury Athletic which is a chance for the likes of Elliot Edwards to impress. FT score: Knowle 7-0 Earlswood Town Man of the Match: Hayden Purves (Knowle) Attendance: 123 Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Sutton United were looking to cause another upset in the MFL league cup yesterday evening against premier division side Atherstone Town. It’s been a brilliant season for the Greens under the management team of Richard Heath and Liam Burke so far at step six. The club went on a historic run to the fourth-round proper of the FA Vase and are challenging for a top half finish in division one. Atherstone Town are challenging for a play off spot in the premier division and are building something under manager Mitch Thomson who was appointed in the middle of last season. The Adders notably beat Brocton 2-1 in their last competitive match on the 28th of December with the weather causing havoc since the turn of the year. The atmosphere around Coleshill Road was friendly and welcoming prior to kick off. The facilities in the clubhouse are impressive for the level and there’s a wide selection of drinks available for supporters. Starting line ups The starting line up for Sutton included Aidan Jeynes starting in goal and Matt Bishop captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Hayden Froggatt playing up front and being supported by Abdul Touaiti and Oli Jeeves on the wings. There were five changes from their match against Saffron Dynamo at the weekend with Tion Pearce coming back into the team and playing at right-back. Atherstone Town’s starting line up included Finley Osborn starting in goal and Lewis Noon captaining the team from central midfield. The formation looked like a 4-4-2 with a front two of Ryan Harkin and Mitchell Woakes being supported by Toby Nicoll and Jack Edwards on the wings. There were two changes from their last match against Brocton with Toby Nicoll and Jack Edwards the only changes. First Half Sutton United settled into the match in the early stages of the first half and were moving the ball around well thanks to the passing of Sef Semlali and Sam Jeeves from holding midfield. Atherstone started to build some momentum in the middle of the first half and were pressing high up the pitch to limit the space for Sutton when playing out from the back. Their best chance to make it 1-0 came when Jack Wells found some space in the box before firing over the bar. The Adders showed their quality in the first half with Tom Smith building attacks from midfield and creating space down the channels. Niall Rowe was also defending well at centre back and alert to the danger of Sutton up front. The visitors had a lot of the ball throughout the first half and were looking to break down a resolute Sutton side who were working hard off the ball to limit the space available. The Greens were mainly playing on the counter attack in the first half but looked a threat up front with Joe Gildea holding up the play well and bringing players into the game. Sutton United were able to keep the match tight thanks to the defending of Matt Bishop and George Ray at centre back who were putting in blocks and cutting out dangerous balls into the box. The Greens had a few half chances in the first half when Joe Gildea had a shot from the edge of the box saved by Finley Osborn and Matt Bishop had a header go wide from a free kick into the box. Sutton were able to take the lead a few minutes before half time thanks to a brilliant run by Matt Bishop down the left-hand side who beat a few players before finishing into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0. It was not quite clicking for Atherstone in the final third throughout the first half and they were mainly limited to half chances. Their lack of matches due to the weather might have played a part alongside Sutton using the offside trap to stop promising attacks. Second Half Atherstone had a huge chance to get back into the match in the early stages of the second half when Tom Smith was free in the box with just Aidan Jeynes to beat at the back post. He made a well-timed run into the box but couldn’t quite connect with the ball for the equaliser. Sutton United scored on the break a couple of minutes later to make it 2-0. Hayden Froggatt found some space down the left-hand side before crossing to Oli Jeeves who finished at the front post for Sutton’s second. The visitors showed some character and kept going in search of a way back into the match. They created some decent chances in and around the box but were lacking that ruthlessness in front of goal. Jack Edwards made a good run into the box but couldn’t get his shot on target to test Aidan Jeynes in the Sutton goal. Sutton were brilliant off the ball in this match and stayed focused throughout the ninety minutes to limit the clear-cut chances for Atherstone. Tion Pearce had an underrated game at right-back and defended well to stop some of Atherstone’s momentum down the left-hand side. Abdul Touaiti was also tracking back to take some of the pressure off Sutton defensively. There was a late chance to make it 3-0 when Hayden Froggatt ran into the box before getting a shot off that was saved by Finley Osborn a few minutes before full time. Not long after the referee blew for the full-time whistle with Sutton United being one match away from a visit to the Bescot Stadium. Full Time Sutton United have been brilliant at causing cup upsets this season against a range of teams higher up the pyramid and it continued yesterday with an eye-catching result against Atherstone. To reach the semi finals of the MFL league cup is a notable achievement for a division one side and puts them one win away from being in the final at the Bescot near the end of the season. There’s a lot to play for over the next few months for the Greens who are pushing for a top half finish alongside getting to the semi-finals of the league cup. Their upcoming league fixtures include Heather St John’s (Away), Gornal Athletic (Home), Chelmsley Town (Home) and Allexton and New Parks (Home) over the next few weeks. Atherstone will feel a bit disappointed with the result yesterday but their having a good season and are well in the mix for a play off place in the premier division. There’s still a lot to play for and they should be an exciting side to follow over the next few months. Their upcoming league fixtures include Shifnal Town (Away), Northwich Victoria (Away), Shifnal Town (Home) and Uttoxeter Town (Away) over the next couple of weeks. FT score: Sutton United 2-0 Atherstone Town Man of the Match: Matt Bishop (Sutton United) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
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February 2025
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