Atherstone Town V Studley (Premier Division)

​Atherstone Town were looking to continue their impressive form with a result against Studley yesterday afternoon. It’s been a brilliant few months for the Adders who were coming off five consecutive wins in the premier division going into this match. The Warwickshire side have been building something at step five since the appointment of manager Mitch Thomson last season.  

Studley were looking to build on last weekend’s 1-0 home win against Northwich Victoria. It’s been an interesting season for the visitors with Mike Fowler leaving at the end of November and the club going through a bit of a rebuild. None the less, the Bees were sitting in the top half of the table going into the weekend and have the potential to cause teams problems.  

The atmosphere at the GAMS Civils Stadium was friendly and welcoming prior to kick off. The clubhouse looked inviting with a wide selection of drinks and sandwiches available.

It’s a ground full of character to make it stand out. The sports bar has references to the club’s history alongside scarfs and pin badges to buy. There’s a nostalgic feel to the ground in a positive way.    

It’s a brilliant ground to visit for casual groundhoppers across the West Midlands and is accessible to visit by either train or bus. Supporters can get the 65-bus route from Tamworth to Nuneaton before getting off at the Sheepy Road stop which is just near the ground. 

​Starting line ups

The starting line up for Atherstone included Finn Osborn starting in goal and Connor Gudger captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 4-4-2 with a front two of Lewis Collins and Ryan Harkin being supported by Ryan Quinn and Chris Cowley on the wings.

There were three changes from their mid-week match against Highgate United with Lewis Noon coming into the team and playing in central midfield.  

Studley’s starting line up included Brendon Bunn starting in goal and captaining the side. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Kyle Moseley leading the line up front and being supported by Szhem Whyte-Hall and Jamie Spiers on the wings.

There was one change from their match against Northwich Victoria last weekend with Ash Demulder coming into the team and playing in a holding midfield role.   

​First Half

Studley got off to a brilliant start inside the opening ten minutes and took the lead when Kyle Moseley made a good run off the shoulder to go through one on one with just Finn Osborn to beat. He kept his composure well before finishing into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 to the Bees.

Atherstone grew into the match as the first half went on and started to build some momentum in front of goal. Lewis Collins looked a threat in the final third and was getting into some promising positions in and around the box.

​The Adders made it 1-1 after fifteen minutes when Brendon Bunn struggled to claim a long ball into the final third. The ball fell to Lewis Collins who produced a clinical finish into an empty net for the equaliser.

It was an even match in the first half with Studley looking a threat on the counterattack and working the ball down the wings. Kyle Moseley looked a threat in the final third and Jamie Spiers was causing problems down the left-hand side.
  
Atherstone were playing a possession-based style throughout the first half. They were playing out from the back and looking to find space to create chances in the final third. Ryan Harkin found some space in the box before having a shot well saved by Brendon Bunn who managed to tip it round the post for a corner.

Studley looked well organised off the ball throughout the opening 45 minutes with Dexter Dudley-Toole reading the danger well at centre back and Mickey McGuigan having a good game at right-back.

Atherstone were building some momentum in the final fifteen minutes and were searching for a lead going into the half time break.

The central midfield partnership of Lewis Noon and Tom Smith was working well for Atherstone in the first half and helped them take control of the match. Lewis Noon was working hard off the ball to break up the play with Tom Smith having that quality on the ball to create chances and find space.

A quality attacking move saw a brilliant ball played to Chris Cowley who found Lewis Collins with just Brendon Bunn to beat. He produced an instinctive finish into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1 with just a few minutes to go.

Atherstone did a good job of seeing out the first half to go into the break with the lead.

Second Half

Studley started the second half with a promising fifteen-minute spell in front of goal in search of an equaliser. Ash Demulder was moving the ball around well from holding midfield and finding some space for the Bees. The best chance came when Harry Eden had a shot at goal go over the bar.

Atherstone grew into the second half and made it 3-1 on the hour mark. Lewis Collins found some space in the final third before playing an intricate through ball to Ryan Harkin in the box. He had a shot saved by Brendon Bunn before scoring on the rebound to effectively seal the match for Atherstone.

There was a lot of hard work going on off the ball from the Adders yesterday. They were pressing high up the pitch to keep the pressure on Studley and Connor Gudger was reading the danger well at centre back to limit the chances for the Bees.

Studley threatened from a couple of set pieces into the box, but Finn Osborn was on hand to claim the ball and take the pressure off Atherstone.

Atherstone made it 4-1 when Ryan Harkin capitalised on a loose ball in the box before producing a quality finish for his second of the match.

Studley had a chance late on with a few minutes to go and had an effort hit the left-hand post.

The referee blew for the full-time whistle not long after with Atherstone continuing their impressive home form and cementing their position in the top five.  

Full Time

Atherstone played well yesterday and looked like a team in form. They have been one of the standout teams at this level over the last month and are coming off six consecutive wins in the league. There’s now a seven-point gap between Atherstone in 5th and Whitchurch in 6th in the race for the play offs.    

The Adders will be looking to keep up their momentum throughout the festive period with upcoming away games against Lichfield and Brocton.

Yesterday was a tough day at the office for Studley who came up against a team in form. None the less, they competed well throughout first half and in the early stages of the second half and have quality on the ball to cause teams problems.

At this stage of the season the play offs might be a stretch but it’s a promising squad with a lot of potential to develop over the coming months. There’s quality with Kyle Moseley and Jamie Spiers impressing yesterday and causing Atherstone some problems at the back.

The Bees have upcoming games against OJM Black Country (Home) and Stone Old Alleynians (Away) over the festive period and are worth checking out for groundhoppers across the Redditch area.      

FT score: Atherstone Town 4-1 Studley

Man of the Match: Lewis Collins (Atherstone Town)

Attendance: 235

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League