Bolehall Swifts V Fairfield Villa (Division Two)

​Bolehall were looking to build on their huge win against Central Ajax in mid-week with a result against Fairfield Villa at Rene Road yesterday afternoon. The Swifts are in a battle to stay at step seven for the remainder of the season and are looking to continue their home form to get them out of danger. They had won four out seven home games prior to yesterday.

Fairfield were looking to get a result yesterday to create some distance between themselves and the bottom two. The Swans have done well in both the LJ cup and the Worcester Saturday Cup but have struggled in the league and were close to the relegation zone going into yesterday. A notable area where they struggled had been away with just one point from seven matches going into this match.  

The atmosphere around Rene Road was positive and relaxed prior to kick off and the weather held out for a huge relegation six pointer yesterday afternoon. Fairfield brought a commendable number of supporters who made the trip up to Tamworth for the match. The pitch looked in good condition and the weather was mainly windy with the odd bit of rain throughout the afternoon.

The ground is an excellent location for casual groundhoppers to visit across the West Midlands and is accessible to get to by public transport. Supporters can get the number 5 from Victoria Road interchange in Tamworth Town Centre and get off at Ferrers Road. It’s only a five-minute walk to the ground and well worth a visit with an excellent view of the pitch and an eye-catching main stand.

​Starting Line Ups

Bolehall’s starting line up included Greg Lewis starting in goal and Lewis Miller captaining the team from central defence. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Toby Hulland leading the line up front and being supported by Oscar Jackson and Jordan Hunt on the wings.

There was only one change from the team that started against Central Ajax in mid-week with Toby Hulland coming into the line up and playing as the main striker.

Fairfield’s starting line up featured Ben Maxwell starting in goal and Lewis Cosgrove captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 5-3-2 with a front two of Shadai Mbi and Darren Green being supported by Jeson Dinanga in the number ten role.

There were three changes from the team that played against Bolehall Swifts a few weeks ago with Ryan Moulton coming into the line up and playing in holding midfield. 

First Half

The opening fifteen minutes were mainly scrappy with both teams settling into the match and working out where to find the space. Out of the two, Fairfield started the brighter and were looking to make things happen in the final third early on.

Their best chance to take the lead in the early stages fell to Jeson Dinanga who had a good strike from the edge of the box hit the far post. It was a warning sign to Bolehall and a statement of intent from the visitors in the opening 15 minutes.

The visitors made their early pressure count in the middle of the first half and were rewarded with a penalty when Lewis Miller got the wrong side of Darren Green before fouling him in the box for a spot kick. It was a clever run off the ball from Darren Green who created the space to leave the Bolehall defence stretched. Finlay Gaynor took a composed penalty into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 to Fairfield on the 26th minute.

To Bolehall’s credit they responded to the goal excellently and showed a lot of character and resiliency to get back into the match at the end of the first half.

The Swifts were struggling to create notable chances in front of goal in the opening half an hour and were mostly reduced to half chances from around the box. This changed in the last ten minutes and Bolehall started to look a threat in the final third.

The hosts had an excellent ten-minute spell and were linking up the play well and taking the game to Fairfield. Their first clear cut chance came following an excellent passing move which resulted in Jordan Hunt having an effort go wide in the box on the 43rd minute. It was a quality move from Bolehall and involved a lot of intricate passing through the thirds.

Bolehall managed to find an equaliser near the end of the half to make it 1-1. An excellent ball into the box by Louie Barrett found Connor Thompson who headed the ball in at the near post for the equaliser. It was a clever move from Bolehall and came from a second ball from a corner routine.

Second Half

Bolehall continued the momentum they had at the end of the first half and built on it to take the lead early on. Oscar Jackson managed to steal the ball high up the pitch and accelerated into the box before squaring it to Toby Hulland who finished well into the bottom left corner.

Both of the goals yesterday showed that the Swifts have quality on the ball despite their league position which is encouraging.

Fairfield had a good chance to get an equaliser a few minutes later with Darren Green having an effort from the edge of the box go wide. The match was fairly even throughout the opening 15 minutes of the second half and both teams were having moments in front of goal.

Bolehall had an excellent chance to make it 3-1 with Reece Beacon having a shot go over the bar following a second ball into the box from a corner.

The final half an hour was cagey with Bolehall looking to see the match out and Fairfield pushing for an equaliser, and it made for an entertaining but nervy finish to the match. The best chance for an equaliser came from substitute McKenzie Hine who had a shot well saved by Greg Lewis in the Swifts goal in the 72nd minute.

To the host’s credit they dug in for the remaining half an hour and managed to see it out for a huge three points. It puts them level on points with Fairfield and with a game in hand over the Swans.  

Full time

It was a team effort from Bolehall yesterday which was the most pleasing thing about the result for the Tamworth club. They looked resolute off the ball to limit the Fairfield chances and showed quality on the ball to create key chances and score goals. There was a lot of effort and character on show yesterday from the hosts in their bid to stay up.

Reece Beacon was brilliant at the back for the Swifts and read the game well from defence. He made some crucial interceptions and clearances to prevent Fairfield getting through on goal. Another player who stood out was Scott Goodby who was excellent from holding midfield. He offered that composure on the ball to help Bolehall settle into the match and was linking up the play well.

Fairfield were decent in this match despite the result and were looking to make things happen in front of goal. Most of the time it was just that final ball that was missing rather than any lack of effort. It speaks to the strength of the league as both teams showed flashes of quality yesterday despite their league positions.

Edward Quilty looked good at the back and was making some big clearances as part of a back three. Ryan Moulton played well from holding midfield and was linking up the play well to help the visitors get into the match. Shadai Mbi also looked promising up front and was making things happen in the final third.

Overall, it’s not a lost cause for Fairfield and their more than capable of staying up.

FT score: Bolehall Swifts 2-1 Fairfield Villa

Man of the match: Reece Beacon (Bolehall Swifts)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League