Earlswood Town were looking to get a result yesterday afternoon against the league leaders in a local Solihull derby at the Pavilions. The Earls have been playing well this season and had scored a total of 26 goals going into this match which was the highest in the division. Their recent form had been good with seven points from four matches in the league against some tough teams. Knowle were the form team in the league going into this match and were looking to make it five consecutive wins in the division. The Robins were top of the table going into this local derby and were looking to get a huge result to continue their impressive form and continue their spell as league leaders. The defence was also playing well with three clean sheets from their last four matches coming into this match. The weather at the Pavilions was clear throughout the afternoon and the conditions were excellent for a game of football. The set up at the ground was good and offered a great view of the pitch to be close to the action. The programme on offer by the club was informative and provided a history of the club and gave a rundown of the local non-league results within the Solihull area. The atmosphere prior to kick off was positive and there was a notable following for the Robins yesterday afternoon. Starting Line ups The starting line up for Earlswood Town featured Ethan Pheasey starting in goal and Louis Bridges being the skipper from attacking midfield. The formation looked like a 4-4-2 with a front two of Daniel Elwell and Thomas Kinsey leading the line with Zach Taylor and John Palmer playing in central defence. There were three changes from the team that started against Coventry Alvis last weekend with Harry Street coming into the team and playing in midfield. The starting line up for Knowle included Craig Johnson starting in goal and George Seeley leading the team as the skipper from attacking midfield. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Jay Rendell playing up front for the Robins and being supported by Jack Mullen and Tom Craine on the wings. There were three changes from the team that started against Central Ajax last weekend with Toby Scott coming into the team and playing in a holding midfield two alongside Dylon Bennett. First Half
The opening 15 minutes of the match were mainly cagey with both teams settling into the match and working each out. Knowle started the match the better of the two teams with Earlswood gradually growing into the game as the first half went on. The visitors were linking up play well in the final third and were clearly a team in form as they played a possession-based game that was focused on working balls into the box and playing some good football. They were awarded with the opening goal in the 22nd minute and George Seeley did brilliantly to finish into the bottom right corner to give the Robins the lead. The goal was coming for the visitors and Earlswood did well in the opening 20 minutes to make some last ditch defending and block threatening attacks on goal. Zach Taylor and Jamie Hyland stood out in defence throughout the first half and were reading the game well to make clearances and blocks to give the hosts a foothold in the match. It was not quite clicking for Earlswood up front throughout the half, but it was not for a lack of effort from the hosts. Daniel Elwell was getting into some good positions around the penalty box but looked a bit isolated up front. The main positives from Earlswood were how they were growing into the game and getting on to the ball more in the last 15 minutes to cause Knowle some problems. Knowle controlled the opening 45 minutes well and they looked organised both on and off the ball to take a 1-0 lead going into Half Time. Second Half The second half kicked off with a key moment in the match early in the half which effectively sealed the match and gave the Robins the three points. George Seeley took an excellent free kick from the right that went into the top right corner to give the visitors a 2-0 lead in the 46th minute. It was a moment of genuine quality and underlined why the Robins have had such a positive start to the season. The team looked a bit more composed in the final third than Earlswood throughout the match and it showed for spells of the second half. Knowle had a few half chances to make it 3-0 after the second goal but Jay Rendell and George Seeley narrowly missed from promising positions. The visitors did eventually make it 3-0 with George Seeley playing an excellent through ball to Tom Craine on the left who scored past the keeper in the 62nd minute. Knowle controlled the match from then on and allowed Earlswood to have more of the ball and played on the counter attack in the last half an hour. Earlswood were passing the ball better throughout the second half and had some promising moments going forward which were dealt with by the Knowle defence. Jay Rendell had a good chance for the Robins in the 70th following a free-flowing move from the visitors and narrowly missed. Earlswood did have a few half chances to get a goal late on with Joseph Brake-Cervantes heading over from a corner at the back post. None the less, it was a convincing away win for Knowle that underlined their title credentials. Full Time Despite the defeat, there some positive for the Earls against tough opposition. The central defensive partnership of Zach Taylor and John Palmer looked good, and they did well to read situations and make key blocks throughout the match. Zach Taylor played well blocking shots and looked effective when playing out from the back and starting attacks. John Palmer looked good in the air and managed to head threatening balls away from danger. Another player who stood out was Jamie Hyland from left back who looked an excellent player in this match and managed to make some key tackles. Daniel Elwell offered a bit of attacking threat up front and got into some good positions near the box which was encouraging for Earlswood supporters. There was plenty of effort and endeavour from the hosts and it was just a case of Knowle having a bit more quality up front. Knowle were excellent in this match and underlined why they are challenging at the top of the table. The whole team looked good and organised on and off the ball to give the Robins control of the match against a team that have played well this season. Rob Shaw was brilliant at the back and was constantly reading situations well to clear the ball away and stop Earlswood attacks. Reece Staley had an underrated game from left back and looked solid defensively as well as offering a threat from the left. Dylon Bennett played well as the holding midfielder and gave Knowle composure on the ball from midfield to start attacks. The player that really stood out for the Robins was George Seeley who was excellent in this match and had that bit of quality going forward. He got into some good positions and offered a bit of class on the ball and played some brilliant through balls. Jay Rendell also impressed as the number nine and linked up play well as the main striker. Overall, it was an impressive performance from the visitors and a deserved win. Man of the Match: George Seeley (Knowle) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Alcester Town V Fairfield Villa
Alcester go into this match in a good run of form with four wins from their last five matches in the league. The Romans have been one of the standout teams in the division this season and are competing admirably with Knowle and AFC Coventry Rangers near the top of the table. Odane Barnes has impressed this season with seven goals from six matches started in the division. Fairfield Villa are comfortably in mid table and are coming off the back of two challenging matches against Redditch Borough and AFC Coventry Rangers. They managed to get three points from those two games and won against AFC Coventry Rangers a few weeks back. The visitors have struggled away from home so far with two losses against Redditch Borough and Lane Head in the league. None the less, the Swans will look to cause an upset on Saturday and get a statement win against the Romans. This should be an interesting match this weekend as Alcester are in a good run of form with three consecutive wins in the league and come up against Fairfield Villa who should pose some problems for the Romans tomorrow afternoon. Bolehall Swifts V Coventrians Bolehall have had a challenging start to the season so far with the main highlight being the home win against Inkberrow back in late August. They currently sit 15th with four points from seven matches. Goalscoring has been a problem for the team this season with seven goals in total. Four of them have come from the team’s top scorer David Yonwin up front who has impressed. This feels like a big match for the club and their home form at Rene Road will be key in staying up this season. Coventrians have some momentum going into this match and are coming off the back of consecutive wins against Birmingham United and Littleton to move up the table. The team has started to click up front with five goals from their last three matches and they have played well throughout September. They should be going into this match with a bit of confidence and belief to get a result this weekend. This feels like an important match this weekend within the division. It involves a team needing a result to kickstart their season against a team looking to sustain their good run of form and move clear of the relegation zone. Cadbury Athletic V Central Ajax Cadbury Athletic have played well throughout September and have picked up seven points from their last three matches to sit 11th in the table with seven points from seven matches. The team have shown a lot of promise up front with 14 goals this season under new manager Daniel Moses and are linking up well in the final third. Callum Devlin has impressed up front with five goals from seven matches started in the division. The club have consecutive home matches over the coming weeks against the likes of Birmingham United and Inkberrow in the division. Central Ajax sit comfortably in mid table and are 9th with 11 points from 8 matches in the division. The visitors have had a challenging month so far with one point from their last four matches in the league and will look to get a result this weekend. They had an incredible run of form in August and picked up 10 points from their first four matches. The team is similar to Cadbury and they have impressed up front with 14 goals. Shaye Eden has been excellent with 11 goals from 8 matches started in the division and is the league’s top scorer. This match should be an intriguing one as it involves two teams that are similar in terms of style. Both team’s main strength is going forward, and both have shown a lot of promise in front of goal so far. For supporters who like front foot football and lots of goals, this could be one to watch this weekend. Earlswood Town V Knowle Earlswood Town have had a really good start to the season under new manager Joel Hughes and sit 5th in the table with 17 points from 8 matches. The Earls have been brilliant going forward this season with the highest total of goals in the league with 26. The team have been entertaining this season with every match played having at least three goals. Knowle are the form team in the league with 13 points from their last five matches. The Robins have four consecutive wins in the division coming into this weekend and have played well both going forward and at the back. The visitors have three clean sheets from their last four matches. Jay Rendell has impressed up front and has 6 goals from 7 matches started. This match should be a good stage for Earlswood Town to show their quality against the in-form league leaders in a local Solihull derby. Knowle will want to get a huge win to continue their brilliant form at the top of the table. Hampton V Birmingham United Hampton have played well this season and sit in 7th with 13 points from 8 matches. The hosts have recorded impressive away wins against Earlswood Town and Coventry Alvis and have a lot of quality in the squad. Ciaran Lawless has played well and has six goals from eight matches for the Solihull club that are currently playing at New Mill Lane following the clubhouse fire at Field Lane in August. Birmingham United have also had a positive start to the season and are in 6th with 14 points from 8 matches to sit higher mid table. Amechi Kingsley Eze-Sunday has impressed for the club with three goals from six matches started in the division. The team have also played well at the back with only seven goals conceded in total. This match should be a good one and involves two teams that have had positive starts to the season to sit near the higher reaches of mid table. Inkberrow V AFC Coventry Rangers Inkberrow have had a challenging season so far with the main highlight being the away win at Central Ajax a few weeks back. They currently sit bottom of the table with three points from eight matches in the division. None the less, there’s been some bright moments for the Worcester club and George Thomas has stood out with three goals so far. However, they face one of their toughest matches of the season this weekend. AFC Coventry Rangers got a huge win at home against Hampton last weekend to sustain their impressive home form and challenge the likes of Knowle and Alcester Town near the top of the table. This is the club’s second away match of the season, and they will be looking to get a result tomorrow to sustain their title challenge. The defence has impressed so far with only 9 goals conceded in total from 8 matches. Lane Head V Coventry Alvis Lane Head have had an interesting season so far and have shown a lot of promise despite being 13th in the table with 4 points from 8 matches. The team is capable of finishing mid table and have scored ten goals in total. Joshua Lewis and Adam Shorto have played well up front and have scored six goals combined. The hosts have recently struggled at the back with ten goals conceded from their last three matches. Coventry Alvis have been a bit inconsistent over the past few weeks but have had a positive season in general and are in 8th with 13 points from 8 matches. The team have been really entertaining so far with 24 goals in total and they haven’t had a match in the league with less than three goals this season. The main problem has been at the back with 18 goals conceded in total. Jagit Aujla and Jack Low have impressed for the club and have scored 13 goals combined. This should be an interesting match as both teams are capable of scoring goals which should make for an exciting game with both teams looking to get a result. Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
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February 2025
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