Continental Star V Feckenham (Division Three)

​Continental Star were looking to cause an upset against promotion chasing Feckenham at the Holford Drive Sports Hub yesterday afternoon in Perry Barr. The hosts were on a good run of form with three consecutive wins in the league coming into this one and presented a tough challenge for the Millers.

Feckenham were looking to continue their excellent run of form yesterday and record their fourth consecutive win. The Millers have been one of the standout teams in step eight and were looking to make it five matches unbeaten going into this match. They were sitting in 2nd and a point better off than Northfield Town in 3rd prior to kick off.

The match between Feckenham and Northfield on the 2nd of May could be crucial in determining how it shapes up going into the final weekend of the season.

The atmosphere around the Holford Drive Sports Hub was welcoming with both sets of supporters looking forward to the match. Feckenham brought a good number of fans who made the trip up from Worcestershire to cheer on the Millers.

The ground is an excellent location for casual groundhoppers across the West Midlands and is only a 15-minute walk from Perry Barr Train station. It’s definitely worth checking out and visiting for local supporters around the North Birmingham area.       

​Starting Line Ups

Continental Star’s starting line up included Armando Pepa playing in goal and Rhys Hoyte captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Kymani Hunter leading the line up front and being supported by Lawrence Taylor and Khadim Fall on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Birmingham Tigers a few weeks ago with Francesko Totti coming into the team and playing in attacking midfield.

The starting line up for Feckenham featured Adam Watson starting in goal and Kian Davies captaining the team from central defence. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with prolific forward Will Skelton playing up front and being supported by Ben Cox and Lewis Espley on the wings.

There were two changes from the team that started against BNJS in mid-week with Josh Bowen coming into the team and playing in attacking midfield.    

First Half

The opening stages of the match were fairly scrappy with both teams working each out and where to find the space to build attacks. It was evenly matched with both teams having a good share of the ball and looking to cause problems in the final third. Continental Star had a half chance from the edge of the box when Francesko Totti had a shot that was saved by Adam Watson.

Feckenham managed to take the lead in the 14th minute through their first real chance in front of goal. It came from a well delivered corner into the box that was initially cleared by the hosts before the second ball was recycled well by the visitors with Kian Davies playing a ball into the box that found Will Skelton who finished into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 to the Millers.

Continental Star responded well to going a goal down and managed to settle into the match. There were not that many clear-cut chances for much of the first half as the hosts were building some momentum and reducing the Feckenham chances to stay in it. A lot of this was down to how well they were set up off the ball with Kona Campbell having a good game at the back and clearing dangerous balls into the box.

The best chance for the hosts to get an equaliser came in the last ten minutes when Rumal Johnson had an effort on goal that was instinctively saved by Adam Watson. He tried to catch the goalkeeper off guard from the edge of the box, but the Feckenham stopper was alert to keep the clean sheet intact.  

Second Half

The early stages of the second half were similar to how the first half left off with Continental Star having a lot of the ball and Feckenham looking to play on the counterattack. To the visitors’ credit they were resolute at the back with Ashley Bunn having an excellent game from central defence and clearing dangerous balls into the box.

The visitors made it 2-0 in the 48th minute when Kevin Ingram capitalised on a goalkeeping mistake from a free kick into the box. Armando Pepa was looking to clear the ball away but struggled to connect with the ball with Feckenham anticipating the mistake and setting Kevin Ingram away on the right-hand side of the penalty box who finished well across goal.

The hosts responded to the setback well and showed character and resolve to keep going. Marcel Simpson had a header saved from a good corner into the box. Substitute Michel Fueto came off the bench in the middle of the second half and made a positive impact in the final third. He held the ball up well and bought players into it to build attacks.

The most clear-cut chance of the second half for Continental Star came in the 70th minute when Michel Fueto did well to find space in the box before putting an effort wide of goal.  

Just as the hosts were close to scoring, Marcel Simpson was sent off for an incident off the ball which reduced them to ten men. It was a shame as they were building something, and it disrupted their rhythm going forward.

The visitors managed to make it 3-0 late on when a long ball resulted in another goalkeeping error from Armando Pepa who misjudged the flight of the ball. Will Skelton anticipated the mistake well and was in the right place to produce a composed finish to seal the three points for the Millers.

Feckenham saw the match out in the final stages to get a huge result and keep pace with Northfield and AFC Birmingham who both won yesterday.  

Full Time

It was an interesting match to watch yesterday with Continental Star having a lot of the momentum in the final third but lacking that ruthlessness in front of goal. They created a fair number of chances which was encouraging. None the less, despite the visitors not having that many chances they were clinical when it mattered which was the main difference between the two teams.

Continental Star should not be too discouraged by the result as they played well and put in a spirited performance against one of the standout teams in division three this season. The effort and endeavour were certainly there, and they looked well set up off the ball to get something from future matches.     

Francesko Totti had a good game from holding midfield and was linking up the play well going forward. Lawrence Taylor also looked a threat out on the right-hand side and was making things happen on the ball. There was a lot to be encouraged by yesterday for the hosts.  

Feckenham put in a professional effort to get the three points and see the match out against a tough Continental Star team. The visitors did enough to get the three points and a lot of the credit should go to the defence who did well to stand up to the pressure and get the clean sheet.

Ashley Bunn was excellent at the back and made some key interceptions to break up promising attacks. Lucas Cooke also had an underrated game from holding midfield and was helping to link up the play and stop promising Continental Star attacks.

It was a battling win from the visitors yesterday and they worked hard to get this result.

Overall, it was an entertaining game to watch at the Holford Drive Sports hub yesterday which showcased both teams well.    

FT score: Continental Star 0-3 Feckenham

Attendance: 34

Man of the match: Ashley Bunn (Feckenham)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League