​Alcester Town V Knowle

Alcester Town play Knowle at Stratford Road tomorrow afternoon in division two. The Robins are challenging for the league title and Alcester Town are well placed for a top four finish at the end of the season.  

The Romans have been brilliant at home this season and have won six out of nine matches. Their coming off a good win against Littleton a few weeks ago where they won 3-1. 

Odane Barnes is a player to watch who holds the ball up well in the final third. He has 11 goals for the Romans this season.

Knowle have been one of the standout teams in step seven this season. The Robins are currently five points ahead of nearest title challenger Redditch Borough in 3rd who have four games in hand. Having a consistent run of form is going to be key so they can put pressure on Redditch to win their remaining games.

They have been good away from home throughout the season and have won six out of nine matches on the road. A key part of their success has been the defence with only four goals conceded away which is excellent.

Jay Rendell is a player to watch for Knowle who has been brilliant this season. He has 12 goals for the Robins in all competitions.   

Birmingham United V AFC Coventry Rangers

Birmingham United host AFC Coventry Rangers at the Trico Stadium tomorrow afternoon looking for a result to cement their position in the top three. The hosts have made it a fortress there of late with consecutive home wins against Fairfield Villa, Coventrians and Cadbury Athletic.

Their home form has been good throughout the season with six wins from ten matches and only 10 goals conceded. The Blinders have eight more matches to play in the league. A top three finish would be an excellent achievement and a good way to build for next season.

Ricardo Richards is a player to watch up front who has been excellent at this level. He has 20 goals in all competitions for both Alcester and Birmingham United this season.

AFC Coventry Rangers have a lot of matches remaining due to postponements. They have 15 league matches to play over the coming months and are capable of challenging for the top four. Their currently in 6th with 28 points and are comfortably in the top half of the table. 

Their main problem is their away form which has prevented them from challenging at the top of the table. One win from six matches on the road has stopped them going for the league title this season. None the less, their capable of getting a result tomorrow and have quality in the squad.

Jordan Powell is a player to watch who can make things happen in the final third.  

Bolehall Swifts V Redditch Borough

Bolehall will be looking to get a result against Redditch Borough at Rene Road tomorrow afternoon in the league. It’s been a challenging season for the Swifts who are looking to stay in the league and avoid relegation to step eight. There currently six points off safety with 15 matches left to play.

One of the main positives of a tough season has been their home form with three wins from six matches. They have a lot of games left to play at Rene Road and if they can pick up results at home alongside being competitive on the road, they have a chance of finishing above the bottom two.

Their main issue has been in front of goal with only 14 goals scored which is the lowest in the league.

Redditch Borough are going for the league title and promotion to step six between now and the end of the season.

They have four games in hand over Knowle with a five-point gap to make up to win the league. With a lot of the season left, it’s in Borough’s hands and they have Knowle to play twice over March.

The visitors are unbeaten away from home with seven wins and two draws from nine matches. They also have one of the best defences in division two with just 16 goals conceded.

Szhem Whyte Hall has impressed for the visitors over the last month and is a player to watch in this match.    

Central Ajax V Coventry Alvis

Central Ajax will be looking for a result against Coventry Alvis at Ajax Park tomorrow afternoon. It’s been a successful season for the Warwickshire club at step seven who are comfortably in mid table and in the semi finals of the LJ Challenge Cup. They have a big game away at Knowle next weekend which is a good chance to get to the Bescot for the final.

They have been excellent at home since being promoted from division three last season. They have three wins and three draws from eight matches at Ajax Park in the league.

Adam Taylor is a player to watch in the final third who is having an underrated season in front of goal. He has seven goals in all competitions and has been playing well alongside Shaye Eden.

Coventry Alvis are comfortably in mid table going into this match and challenging for a top half finish for the rest of the season.

Their record on the road has been ok with five wins from eleven matches. The Tankmen have been fine in division two this season and are building for next season with ten matches left to play.

Jagit Aujla is a player to watch for the visitors who has 12 goals in all competitions. 

Coventrians V Littleton

Coventrians have adapted to step seven well since being promoted as division three champions last season. They are comfortably in mid table and well clear of relegation concerns with a ten-point gap over the bottom two.

A key part of their success has been their home form at the Colliery Sports Ground with four wins from seven matches. If they can keep getting results over the next month, they should be fine in terms of staying up.

Romano Graham is a player to watch who has impressed up front with eight goals in all competitions.

It’s been a challenging season for Littleton in division two and the Tonboys are currently five points off safety. One of the main positives is having a lot of the season left with 13 matches to pick up the points needed to stay in step seven.

Their away form has not been too bad given their league position with two wins on the road from six matches. Their main problem has been up front with 20 goals scored which is one of the lowest in the division.

Littleton have been competitive over the last month against a lot of quality teams in division two such as Alcester Town a few weeks back. Like Bolehall, if they can find a reliable goal scorer, they have a chance of staying up.

Earlswood Town V Fairfield Villa

Earlswood are comfortably in mid table and challenging for a top half finish. The Earls will be looking to respond to a disappointing exit from the LJ cup a few weeks ago where they lost 3-2 to Central Ajax.

They have struggled at the Pavilions this season with two wins from six matches at home and have been better away.

Tom Kinsey is a player to watch up front who can make things happen in the final third.

Fairfield Villa are set for an interesting remainder of the season. The Swans are looking to stay in division two and are five points better off than Littleton in 15th. The visitors are also in the semi finals of the LJ Challenge Cup and only one match away from playing at the Bescot.

There at home to Hampton next weekend in the cup which is a big match against last season’s runners up.

Their main issue has been on the road where they are yet to win from seven matches.

Darren Green is a player to watch who has impressed since joining from Cadbury Athletic. He has 8 goals in all competitions this season.       

Inkberrow V Cadbury Athletic

Inkberrow will be looking to build on last weekend’s home win against Fairfield Villa with a result against Cadbury Athletic tomorrow afternoon. The Eagles have been good at Sands Road of late with consecutive wins coming into this match.

The Worcestershire side have been picking up points over the last month to have a good chance of finishing above the bottom two. They have ten points from their last five matches and have developed a ten-point gap over Littleton in 15th.

The main concern for Inkberrow is that they have played six games more than Littleton and eight games more than Bolehall. None the less, they’ve put themselves in a good position to stay at step seven.

It’s mainly been a team effort in front of goal with five different scorers of their last five goals. None the less, the return of Jay Higgins-Pugsley is a huge boost for the Eagles, and he scored last weekend.

Cadbury Athletic are comfortably in mid table and have breathing space over the bottom two. The visitors are ten points clear of Littleton in 15th with ten matches left to play this season. It’s been a transitional season for the Chocolate Men in division two but there’s positives to take going forward.

They have been competitive on the road with four wins from eleven matches away from home.

Callum Devlin is a player to watch up front who is having a good season. He has ten goals in all competitions.  

Lane Head V Hampton

Lane Head will be looking for a result tomorrow afternoon to make it back-to-back home wins. They notably beat AFC Coventry Rangers a few weeks back and will be looking to build on that in this match.

It’s been a successful season for Lane Head who are in the top half of the table. They have six matches left to play and a top ten finish would be an excellent achievement come late April. The main goal was to avoid relegation and they have done that comfortably. 

Josh Lewis is a player to watch who has been good in front of goal. He has 9 goals in all competitions for Lane Head.

Hampton are comfortably in mid table and in the top half of the division. It’s been a positive season from the Solihull club and their arguably one of the most consistent teams at this level.

They finished last season in 7th and their currently in 7th going into this weekend.

​To be unaffected on the pitch by the problems with the clubhouse fire earlier in the season is testament to how well the squad has played. They also have a huge match in the semi-finals of the LJ cup away to Fairfield Villa next weekend for a place at the Bescot.

The visitors have been competitive on the road with three wins and a draw from seven away matches.

Ciaran Lawless is a player to watch in the final third who has been excellent in front of goal. He has 14 goals in all competitions for Hampton this season.   

Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League

​Bewdley Town 0-6 Atherstone Town

Bewdley’s home problems continued with a 6-0 lose against Atherstone Town at Ribbesford Meadow on Saturday afternoon. It’s been a challenging season for the Worcestershire side, and they have struggled at home with nine consecutive losses in the league.

The result leaves them 15 points off safety and it’s looking an uphill task to stay at step five for next season. It’s all about building for step six when relegation is confirmed and hopefully the club can bounce back.

Atherstone have been one of the form teams since the turn of the New Year and they continued it here against Bewdley Town. The result makes it five wins from their last six league matches and leaves them just five points off the play offs.

A commendable crowd of 94 supporters turned up to watch Atherstone get their fourth away win of the season.  The visitors controlled the first half and went 4-0 up at half time thanks to efforts from Ryan Quinn, Tom Smith, Richard Blythe and Nathan McGarrity in what was an excellent team performance from the Adders.

Further goals in the second half from Jess Adcock and Jacob Shilton made it 6-0 at full time and helped Atherstone’s goal difference. It’s been a positive season for the visitors who have an outside chance of the play offs.

Dudley Town 5-1 Stourport Swifts

Dudley Town continued their excellent home form with a convincing 5-1 win against play off chasers Stourport Swifts on Saturday. The Guardian Warehousing Arena has been a real strength for the Robins this season with only three losses from 13 matches at home.

An excellent crowd of 186 supporters turned up to watch Dudley’s sixth home win of the season. Harry Crook opened the scoring in the first half for the hosts before Stourport found an equaliser to make it 1-1 going into half time. Dudley found another gear in the second half with Harry Crook completing his hat trick and Ethan Muckley also getting on the score sheet. There was also an own goal by Stourport to make it 5-1 at full time.

Stourport’s issues on the road continued. It could prevent them from getting in the play offs which would be a shame as they have been excellent at Walshes Meadow.   

Lichfield City 2-0 Highgate United

Lichfield continued their impressive home form at the Trade Tyre Community Stadium with a huge win against play off chasers Highgate United at the weekend. The result continues Lichfield’s unbeaten home record where they have conceded just 9 goals from 14 matches.

A brilliant crowd of 187 supporters turned up to watch Lichfield get their 11th home win of the season to leave them only five points off Congleton Town. Second half goals from Jack Edwards and Dominic Lewis gave Lichfield the three points. It was a clinical performance from Lichfield who produced the quality when it mattered to get the win.

Despite the loss, Highgate are still in a good position in the league and are three points better off than Stourport Swifts in 6th with the same number of games played.

Romulus 3-4 Studley

Studley beat Romulus in a thriller at the CV Stadium at the weekend to cement their position in the play offs. A good crowd of 83 supporters turned up to watch Studley get their 4th away win of the season and continue their consistent record on the road with just three losses from eleven matches.

Romulus got off to a brilliant start and took the lead through Isai Marselia inside the opening ten minutes. The visitors responded and efforts from Finley Holmes and Zach Guinan made it 2-1 to Studley at the end of the first half.

The hosts showed character to get back in it and took the lead early in the second half thanks to goals from Rob Hanna and Jack Sang to make it 3-2. Studley found an equaliser near the hour mark through Zach Guinan before John Mills scored a late winner in the 80th minute to give the Bees the three points.

The Roms competed well in this match against a play off chasing team and there’s some positives to take going into the next run of matches.  

Shifnal Town 1-1 Darlaston Town

Darlaston got a battling point against Shifnal Town at the Acoustafoam Stadium in their hunt for the play offs. It could prove to be a big point in the race for the top five with Stourport Swifts struggling against Dudley Town at the weekend.

A notable crowd of 88 supporters turned up to watch the match in Shropshire. Michael Nelson scored early on for Shifnal to give them the lead before Alexander Foreshaw scored an equaliser just before half time to make it 1-1.

Out of the two teams, Darlaston will be happier with the point and Shifnal might have to settle for a top half finish for the rest of the season. 

Stone Old Alleynians 1-1 Wolverhampton Casuals

Wolverhampton Casuals battled to get a point against Stone Old Alleynians at Kings Park to give themselves some breathing space over the bottom two. A decent crowd of 67 supporters turned up to watch a big match near the bottom of the table. If either team lost, it could have dragged them into a relegation battle, so it was huge for both.

Louis Anthony gave the hosts the lead in the first half in the 7th minute in a tight match. The visitors found an equaliser in the second half thanks to an effort by Benni Wilson to make it 1-1 at full time.

It’s a good point for both teams and gives them a bit of space over the bottom two. Stone Old Alleynians will be looking over their shoulders with Northwich and Tividale having a few games in hand but being seven points above the bottom two is a big advantage at this stage of the season.

Whitchurch Alport 2-2 Congleton Town

Whitchurch battled back to get a point in the second half against league leaders Congleton Town at Yockings Park. It’s a statement result for the Shropshire side under Adam Shillcock and leaves the door open for Lichfield in 2nd who have a five-point gap to make up with two games in hand over the Bears.

Congleton took an early 2-0 lead in the opening twenty minutes thanks to goals from Peter Williams and Max McCarthy. Whitchurch responded a few minutes later with Macauley Taylor scoring an excellent individual goal to make it 2-1 going into half time.

The hosts were reduced to nine men in the second half with red cards for Aaron Simms and Adam Hailes. Jack Sheward produced a brilliant save from a free kick by Carl Dickinson late on to leave Whitchurch with a chance of getting something in the final few minutes. They managed to get an equaliser in injury time with Nicky Parker scoring from a header at the back post to make it 2-2.

It’s an eye-catching result for Whitchurch who are comfortably in mid table. There’s been signs of progress this season since Adam Shillcock has come in as manager and they have competed well in both the league and the FA Vase.    

It’s a tough result for Congleton who were moments away from getting a crucial win to keep their lead at the top of the table. None the less, they have a chance to respond against Tividale this weekend at the Beeches and play Lichfield on the 2nd of March at Booth Street in a huge match.      

Round up feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League