Knowle V Earlswood Town (Division Two)

​Knowle were looking to continue their good form in division two with a result against Earlswood Town at the Robins Nest yesterday afternoon. It’s been an incredible season for the Robins so far who are unbeaten in the league and in the quarter finals of the Les James Challenge Cup.

They had a ten-point lead at the top of division two going into this match with supporters having one eye on Northfield V Birmingham United who were just below them in the table.   

Earlswood Town are going through a transitional period and building for the longer term following a change of manager with Joel Hughes stepping down and being replaced by Jason Pyott in the dugout.

The Earls got a confidence building win in the Coventry Charity Cup last weekend where they won 8-0 against Coventry Alvis and were looking to cause one of the shocks of the season yesterday.

Pre-match  

The Robins Nest is a brilliant ground to visit and the volunteers at Knowle were friendly and helpful with any media queries yesterday. The pitch looked in brilliant condition and the weather was mainly sunny throughout the afternoon.

It’s a nice set up at Knowle and the clubhouse is welcoming with a wide selection of drinks and club merchandise available for supporters. The programme was informative and engaging to read and provided updates on the club. There’s a real community feel to Knowle with supporters close to the pitch and getting a good view of the match. 

Starting line ups

Knowle’s starting line up included Craig Johnson starting in goal and George Seeley captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Odane Barnes leading the line up front and being supported by Callum Burston-Keeley and Hayden Purves on the wings.

There were five changes from their match against Bolehall Swifts last weekend with Jack Duggan coming into the team and playing at centre back alongside Ricardo Dudley.

The starting line up for Earlswood Town included Alfie Pyott starting in goal and Keelan Reilly captaining the team from central midfield. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Elliot Edwards playing up front and being supported by Andy Matthews and Joseph Kelso on the wings.

There were three changes from their match against Coventry Alvis last weekend with Kieron Baker coming into the team and playing at centre back alongside Luke Woodward. 

​First Half

Knowle got off to a strong start and looked like a side coming off the back off eight consecutive wins in the league. They were moving the ball about well and settled into the match in the early stages of the first half.

The Robins were given a penalty for a foul on George Seeley in the box in the opening few minutes. Hayden Purves stepped up and took a composed penalty into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 in the 2nd minute.

​Jack Duggan came into the team for Knowle following an unfortunate injury to Lewis Clarke last weekend and filled in admirably at centre back. He read the danger well to stop Earlswood building some momentum and offered an aerial threat in the box.

A swinging cross into the box found Jack Duggan at the back post who produced a quality header into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0 after eight minutes.   

Toby Scott was getting on the ball for Knowle throughout the first half and building up the play from holding midfield. He was brilliant for the Robins and offered them composure on the ball to build attacks and cause problems for Earlswood.

Knowle made it 3-0 after eleven minutes when a well delivered corner by George Seeley found Jack Duggan at the back post who headed it on to Odane Barnes who found the net for the Robins’ third.

Earlswood showed character to keep going in the middle of the first half and managed to show some positives to build on. Kieron Baker was breaking up promising Knowle attacks and defending well at centre back to limit the damage for the Earls. Elliot Edwards also looked a threat up front on the break.   

Knowle were playing some excellent football throughout the first half and smoothly passing the ball around the pitch. A neat passing move saw the ball played to Hayden Purves who had a shot go narrowly wide of the left-hand post on 34 minutes.

The Robins found a fourth goal a few minutes before half time when Hayden Purves made a brilliant run down the right-hand side where he beat a few players before squaring it to Callum Burston-Keeley who finished to make it 4-0.

They scored another goal just before half time to make it 5-0 going into the break when the wingers combined again. Callum Burston-Keeley made a run before squaring it to Hayden Purves who produced a classy finish for Knowle’s fifth.

Second Half

Knowle kept up the momentum they had in the first half and found the net again in the early stages of the second half. A well worked corner resulted in Callum Burston-Keeley capitalising on a second ball and finishing into the bottom left corner to make it 6-0.

The pressure from the Robins kept coming when Zak Parsons found some space in the box before finishing across Alfie Pyott and into the bottom right corner to make it 7-0 after 49 minutes.

Earlswood kept going and were playing for pride at this stage of the match. The visitors caused Knowle a few problems at the back in the middle of the second half and had a promising fifteen-minute spell in front of goal.

Elliot Edwards had a half chance for Earlswood when he shot at Craig Johnson after finding some space in the box on the hour mark. He also had a free kick well saved by the Knowle keeper from a dangerous position. Kieron Baker also defended well to keep the scoreline at 7-0.

Full credit to the Earlswood players who showed a positive reaction in the second half despite the scoreline and there’s positives to build on for future matches.             

The final twenty minutes of the match were a bit uneventful in front of goal with a lot of substitutions stemming the flow a bit. None the less, the bench for Knowle yesterday was full of experienced players with quality such as Nathan Corry and Tom Craine who are brilliant at this level and provide leadership to the squad.  

Not long after the referee blew for the full-time whistle with Knowle keeping their unbeaten streak in division two with just seven league matches remaining. The game between Northfield and Birmingham United ended in a draw which extends the Robins’ lead at the top of division two to twelve points.

Full Time

Knowle have been one of the standout teams at this level over the last few seasons and have made the Robins Nest a fortress. The Robins have won twenty two of their twenty-seven home games over the last two seasons. They are currently unbeaten this season with 19 wins from twenty-one matches and are looking to win the LJ cup for the third time in a row.

The management team of Matt and Clive Seeley have done an incredible job, and they have been getting better every season. They have applied for promotion to step six, and it should be an exciting time for Knowle supporters.

Earlswood will feel disappointed with the result yesterday, but they were undone by moments of quality from Knowle rather than any glaring mistakes at the back. It’s a young team which will need a bit of time to build. The next few months is a good opportunity for players to get minutes to build for next season.

Earlswood supporters shouldn’t be too disheartened by the result against Knowle when considering their unbeaten run. They have a run of games coming up against teams such as Fairfield Villa and Cadbury Athletic which is a chance for the likes of Elliot Edwards to impress.    

FT score: Knowle 7-0 Earlswood Town

Man of the Match: Hayden Purves (Knowle)

Attendance: 123

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League