Gornal Athletic V Allexton and New Parks (MFL Division One)

​Gornal Athletic started their MFL campaign against Allexton and New Parks yesterday afternoon at the Garden Walk Stadium. The Peacocks were one of the standout teams in the WMRL last season and were promoted to step six with a lot of momentum under manager Dave King.

It’s been an eye-catching summer with the signings of Curtis Cocking, Joe Burroughs and Brad Welding strengthening the squad in the build up to this season.  

Allexton and New Parks gained promotion to step six by winning the premier division of the Leicestershire Senior League. It was a season of success with only one loss on the road all season at step seven.

Key players from last season had been retained such as Matthew Dennis and Ryan Charles for the challenge of step six. They started life in the MFL with a tough test away at Gornal Athletic.     

Garden Walk Stadium is an excellent old school stadium which will please supporters who like a bit of nostalgia as part of their match going experience. It’s going to be the last season of Gornal playing their homes games there and it’s well worth a visit.  

It’s fairly accessible to get to by public transport with the X10 Platinum going from Birmingham City Centre to Gornal Wood where it’s just a five-minute walk from the Bank Road stop.   

Starting Line Ups

The starting line up for Gornal featured Louis Connor starting in goal and Ben Priest captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Luke Sidaway playing as the main striker and being supported by Brad Welding and Nathan Guest on the wings.

Allexton and New Park’s starting line up included Freddie Young starting in goal and Jordan Brown-March captaining the team from full back. The formation appeared to be a 4-3-3 with Ryan Charles playing up front as the main striker and being supported by Nathan Turner and David Gittao on the wings. 

First Half

The opening fifteen minutes of the match were fairly scrappy with both teams working each out in the early stages. The visitors settled the better of the two teams and took the game to Gornal in the opening half an hour. They were looking to make the most of runs into the box and looked a threat from set pieces.

The first real chance came in the eleventh minute when David Gittao broke free from a corner in the box before heading wide. It was a warning sign for Gornal and gave the visitors that belief and confidence to settle into the match.

Lloyd Nelson was excellent at the back in the first half for Allexton and New Parks and managed to break up promising Gornal attacks which helped them gain a foothold. The work of Josh Gough from holding midfield also gave them a platform to build from and he linked up the play well for the visitors.       

The Leicester side were on the front foot for parts of the first half and managed to quiet the home crowd. The clear-cut chances in front of goal were limited for the first 25 minutes which suited the visitors and helped them build some momentum when going forward.

Gornal’s best chance in the opening half an hour fell to Brad Welding out on the right who cut inside before having his effort saved by Freddie Young.

Allexton managed to take the lead in the 29th minute when David Gittao played an excellent ball down the right that found Ryan Charles who finished well into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. It was the finish of a striker coming off a 31-goal season with the movement brilliant in the build up to it.   

Gornal responded well to the set back of going a goal down and started to build some momentum near the end of the first half. A goalkeeping mistake by Freddie Young almost resulted in a deflected equaliser in the final few minutes. Brad Welding also had a good opportunity late on where he cut inside down the right before testing Freddie Young. 

Second Half

The pattern of the match completely turned in the second half with Gornal creating some momentum in front of goal. The hosts were in the ascendancy, and it energised the crowd with the home supporters getting behind them.  

The Peacocks were making genuine inroads at the Allexton goal in the opening fifteen minutes and were coming close to an equaliser. Jay Rossiter delivered an accurate ball into the box from a free kick that found Nathan Guest whose effort went wide in the 53rd minute. Luke Sidaway also had an excellent chance in the box that narrowly went wide of the far post in the 59th minute.

​Gornal found an equaliser on the hour mark when Nathan Guest cut inside from the right before firing into the bottom right corner to make it 1-1. There was a notable improvement from the first half with the hosts linking up the play better and creating more problems at the back for Allexton.  

The host’s persistence in front of goal paid off with Curtis Cocking capitalising on a rebound from a shot at goal and producing a composed finish to make it 2-1 in the 62nd minute.

Gornal were in control of the match in the middle of the second half and the likes of Ben Priest and Curtis Cocking gave them that stability to push on in search of a third. Josh Godwin produced an excellent cross from the left that found Nathan Guest at the back post who produced a quality finish to make it 3-1 in the 78th minute.

They could have made it four late on when substitute Owen Waterfield squared the ball to Josh Godwin in the box whose shot was instinctively saved by Freddie Young to keep it at 3-1 at full time.     

​Full Time

Full credit to Gornal Athletic who showed character to get something out of this match. They were pushed by Allexton and New Parks in the first half and duly responded in the second half which is encouraging for the supporters.

​The result continues a trend of teams coming up from the WMRL and impressing which include the likes of Droitwich Spa and Allscott Heath in recent years.  

There was a lot of leadership and know-how from Gornal yesterday with the likes of Ben Priest and Curtis Cocking having a notable influence which helped to change the momentum.

Ben Priest was excellent at the back for Gornal yesterday and was constantly clearing dangerous balls into the box. Alongside experienced defender Joe Burroughs, he gives them that assurance at the back which is huge if they want to challenge at step six this season.

Despite the result, Allexton and New Parks showed a lot of potential in this match and should not be too disheartened. There was a lot to be positive about yesterday and the aim will be to avoid finishing in the bottom three. Gornal away is a tough place to go to start the season and they did well to stifle their momentum in the first half.  

Lloyd Nelson and Matt Dennis looked good at the back, especially in the first half and were reading the game well. Josh Gough has that composure from midfield that’s needed for success at step six, and he breaks up the play well. There’s also attacking quality through the likes of David Gittao and Ryan Charles which is encouraging.

It’s a long season and both teams showed enough yesterday to leave the supporters feeling optimistic for the future ahead. Both have got that leadership and attacking quality which should serve them well in MFL Division One throughout the course of the season.       

FT score: Gornal Athletic 3-1 Allexton and New Parks

Man of the Match: Ben Priest (Gornal)

Attendance: 130

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League