Premier Division Darlaston Town 3-1 Stourport Swifts Darlaston got a huge win against Stourport on Saturday to book their place in the play-off final for the 4th of May against Lichfield City. An excellent crowd of 351 supporters turned up to see the hosts continue their excellent home form with five consecutive wins at the Paycare Stadium. The Citizens have been one of the standout teams at step five and go into the final with some momentum. In a close first half, Darlaston took the lead in the 34th minute through Kieran Cook before Stourport found an equaliser through George Baker to make it 1-1 going into half time. A brace from defender Alexander Foreshaw in the second half was enough to seal the win and progress to the final at Lichfield this Saturday. Based on the two play-off matches, the final is set to be evenly matched this weekend with not much separating Lichfield and Darlaston. Both are well set up off the ball and have quality on the ball to cause problems. Stourport have had an excellent season regardless of the result and will be looking to go again come the start of pre-season in July. Quentin Townsend has done a brilliant job of making the visitors one of the top teams in the MFL Premier and they have gradually improved their league position down the years with 7th (22/23) and 13th (21/22) place finishes. Division One Allscott Heath 1-3 Droitwich Spa Droitwich made it consecutive play off final appearances with an eye-catching win against Allscott Heath at the weekend to progress to the final at OJM Black Country this Saturday. A brilliant crowd of 231 supporters turned up to Shawbirch Road to see the Saltmen get the win. The visitors started the match brightly and made it 2-0 going into half time thanks to goals from Jack Brighton and James Lemon in the first half. Allscott got back into it in the second half to set up a nervy finish thanks to a goal by Harry Morris. Droitwich responded and sealed the win late on thanks to another goal by James Lemon to be a game away from competing at step five next season. James Lemon was part of the play off team that lost out to Ashby Ivanhoe last season and having that continuity is a huge positive for the Saltmen. The likes of Alex Dugmore and Cory Rudd were also part of the Saltmen’s play-off run last season and having that experience and leadership is crucial for big matches such as these. It’s been an excellent season for Allscott Heath and to finish in 2nd is a memorable achievement for both the club and the supporters. They competed well against Droitwich and took it to the final moments before Droitwich’s third goal sealed the result. The Shropshire side will feel disappointed, but it could serve them well when looking at the bigger picture and going again next season. If Allscott can keep most of the squad and build over the summer, they could be a challenger for either the league or the play off positions. Having that experience in the play offs is a huge positive when looking ahead to next season. OJM Black Country 2-0 Ingles OJM continued their excellent form with a crucial home win against Ingles at the Triplex Sports Association over the weekend. It puts them only one match away from competing in step five next season and they go into the play off final against Droitwich this Saturday with some confidence. The hosts have been strong at home throughout the season with ten wins and six draws from nineteen matches and it continued here against Ingles. Goals in each half was enough to give OJM the win and progress to the play off final. It showcased what OJM have been good at this year with an excellent defensive performance and being clinical in front of goal against a quality Ingles side. They were going into the play offs with the best defence in the league with 40 goals conceded and it continued here to settle a tight match. Both of OJM’s goal came on the counterattack and Kofi Williams scored late on to seal the win. The hosts have been excellent at step six this season and go into an evenly matched play off final with Droitwich Spa this weekend. Being strong at the back is always going to give OJM a chance in a huge match if they can take their chances in front of goal. Ingles have had a memorable season regardless of the result and took the defeat well on twitter. If they can build on the positives of this year, they could be one of the challengers for either the league or the play off positions next season. Having that experience in the play offs is a huge positive for a side that have been building over the years. Their record at step six speaks for itself over the last few seasons with a 13th place finish in MFL Division One in 22/23 and a 18th place finish in UCL Division One in 21/22. The visitors have been on an upward trajectory, and it will be interesting to see if they can go one better next season. Round up feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Lichfield City were looking for a huge result against Highgate United to progress to the play off final next Saturday and keep their unbeaten record at the Trade Tyre Community Stadium. The Staffordshire side had been outstanding at home throughout the league season with thirteen wins from 17 matches. They were looking to keep that going yesterday afternoon. Highgate United were looking to cause a bit of an upset against Lichfield City. It’s a big week for the visitors who are also involved in the MFL League cup final against Congleton Town at the Bescot Stadium. It’s been an excellent couple of weeks, and they got in the play offs courtesy of a eye catching 12-0 win against relegated Bewdley Town in their final game of the season. The Play-off format has been introduced this season at step five and it’s really benefited the MFL Premier and kept a lot of seasons alive for teams competing in the top half of the table in the hope of making the play offs. The other semi final involved Darlaston Town taking on Stourport Swifts at the Paycare Stadium. The atmosphere prior to kick off was brilliant and the set up at Lichfield City was friendly and welcoming. There was a programme, a club pin badge and the latest issue of MFL Matters available for supporters at the turnstiles which added to the experience. There was a notable number of Villa and Tamworth fans who turned up to support Lichfield which was good to see. Starting Line Ups Lichfield’s starting line up included James Beeson starting in goal and captaining the team. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Dan Smith playing up front and being supported by Jack Edwards and Liam Kirton on the wings. Jordan Clement was playing in a number ten role. There were three changes from the team that started against Studley a few weeks ago with Jamie Elkes coming back into the team and playing in central defence. The starting line up for Highgate United featured Reece Francis starting in goal and Aaron Williams captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 3-5-2 with a front two of Ryan Harkin and Aaron Brown. There were three changes from the team that started against Bewdley Town a few weeks ago with Ben Vallance coming into the team and playing as part of a back three. First Half Lichfield started the match brightly and took the game to Highgate early on. They committed players into the box looking to take the initiative and were rewarded in the 7th minute when Dan Smith produced an excellent finish into the bottom left corner. It was promising start from Lichfield and helped them settle into the match within the opening ten minutes. They had a good chance to make it 2-0 in the 10th minute when Liam Kirton made a run down the right-hand side before playing a brilliant cross that found Dominic Lewis who headed over the bar. A goalkeeping mistake by Reece Francis allowed Dan Smith to capitalise and he produced a composed finish in the 14th minute to make it 2-0 to Lichfield. The visitors were struggling early on and it was not quite clicking in the final third. Their best chance to reduce the deficit and get into the match came in the twentieth minute when Bassit Manday did well to beat the offside trap and was one on one with James Beeson before having a shot saved. It was a snapshot into what Highgate were capable of in the final third and a warning for Lichfield. The hosts responded well and produced a timely goal to take control of the match a few minutes later. An excellent long ball was played to Jack Edwards on the left-hand side of the box who produced a quality finish into the net to make it 3-0. Lichfield then got a penalty near the half hour mark to have the opportunity to make it 4-0. Jack Edwards stepped up and his effort was well saved by Reece Francis in the Highgate goal who made up for the earlier mistake and kept the visitors in the match. The main concern for Lichfield in the first half was the injury to prolific forward Dan Smith who had to be taken off on a stretcher a few minutes before half time. He was substituted for Demitri Brown who filled in up front and looked promising. None the less, if Dan Smith is ruled out for next week’s play off final it could be a huge blow for Lichfield. Second Half The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first with Lichfield having a control of the match and looking to make things happen in the final third. A good corner into the box by Luke Childs found Dominic Lewis in the box who headed over the bar. The visitors had more clear-cut chances throughout the second half and Ryan Harkin had a good chance through on goal near the hour mark with his shot being saved by James Beeson. Luke Childs had an excellent curling effort go over the bar for Lichfield from long range in the middle of the half. Highgate were starting in build some momentum in the last twenty minutes of the match and showed character to keep going in search of a goal to set up a nervy finish. Lichfield were mainly content in holding on and seeing the match out to progress to the final. The visitors were awarded with a penalty late on for their efforts with a push in the box resulting in a spot kick. Aaron Brown stepped up and took a composed penalty into the left corner to make it 3-1 going into injury time. There was an excellent chance to set up a grandstand finish when substitute Jake Collins was in acres of space before having an effort go wide of the post. Lichfield did enough to see the match out in the final stages to set up a crucial play off final against Darlaston Town on the 4th May who beat Stourport Swifts 3-1 yesterday afternoon. Full Time This was an excellent game to watch for the neutral and both teams were going for it and looking to make things happen rather than waiting for the mistake. Play off games can tend to be attritional due to the circumstances and the pressure of the occasion. This match was the complete opposite of that and it’s a credit to both sides that they were willing to be positive and play on the front foot. Lichfield stuck to their possession style which has served them so well this season and were looking to build goal scoring opportunities in and around the box. Jordan Clement was brilliant yesterday and he’s got that quality on the ball to make a real difference in matches like this. His reading of the game stood out and he linked up the play effectively. Highgate United showed character and resolve to make a game of it in the second half and caused Lichfield a few problems. Ryan Harkins looked a threat in the final third and was holding up the play well for the visitors. Bassit Manday also looked promising in the final third and was making some good runs off the ball to create chances. Ben Vallance had an underrated game from the left of a back three and looked defensively solid against some quality players at this level. He was making some big blocks and interceptions in the second half to keep Highgate in the match. George Cleet also looked good defensively and was blocking dangerous shots in the box. Overall, this was an enjoyable match yesterday and an excellent occasion to showcase Lichfield’s season in the premier division to a wider audience. One of the benefits of the play offs is the value of drawing more casual supporters in and it was encouraging to see yesterday. FT score: Lichfield City 3-1 Highgate United Attendance: 424 Man of the match: Dan Smith (Lichfield City) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
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February 2025
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