Lichfield City V Darlaston Town (Premier Division, Play off final)

​Lichfield and Darlaston met at the Trade Tyre Community Stadium in the play-off final yesterday for a place in step four.  Both teams have been excellent in step five this season with only eleven league losses all season between them. The introduction of the play offs has been excellent at this level with promotion to step four more competitive than ever.

It was 2nd vs 3rd in this season’s play off final and there was not much to separate the two. Lichfield City got some confidence building home wins against Highgate United and Studley over the last month. Darlaston were coming into the final with a lot of momentum and had won eight consecutive matches.

The atmosphere at the Trade Tyre Community was excellent for the play off final with an eye-catching attendance of 1,110 supporters watching it. Both Lichfield and Darlaston bought a commendable number of supporters for a huge match in step five, and it was notably busy half an hour before kick-off.

It’s an excellent ground to visit for groundhoppers and can be accessed by taking a twenty-minute walk from Lichfield Trent Valley train station. 

​Starting Line Ups

Lichfield’s starting line up included James Beeson starting in goal and captaining the team. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Jude Taylor playing up front and being supported by Jack Edwards and Cameron Dunn on the wings. Jordan Clement started in a holding midfield role alongside Dominic Lewis with Liam Kirton playing in the number ten role.

There were two changes from the team that started against Highgate United last weekend with the big change being Jude Taylor coming in for Dan Smith who suffered an injury last time out.

The starting line-up for Darlaston featured Tom Allsopp starting in goal and Alexander Foreshaw captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Kieran Cook playing up front and being supported by Rivel Mardenborough and Jack Downing on the wings. Ryan Winwood and Jake Pearson started in holding midfield for the visitors.   

There were no changes from the team that started against Stourport Swifts last weekend with Dean Gill playing a settled starting eleven.      

​First Half

Darlaston got off to the perfect start in the opening minutes of the final with Jake Pearson managing to win the ball high up the pitch and playing in Kieran Cook. He accelerated with the ball before producing a quality finish into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. It was an excellent counter attacking goal and came from pressing the Lichfield defence who got caught playing out from the back.

​The goal stunned Lichfield City and the Staffordshire side gradually grew into the match as it went on. The situation suited Darlaston who have been pragmatic away from home all season and were reliably set up off the ball to limit clear cut chances in front of goal.

The hosts were getting into a rhythm as the first half went on and were starting to create some decent opportunities in the final third. They stuck to their possession-based style and were looking to break down a stubborn Darlaston back four. It was just that final ball in the box that was missing but the effort and character was there from Lichfield.

Just as Lichfield were growing into the final, Darlaston scored a second goal to have some control of the match. The visitors looked threatening going forward and were looking to catch Lichfield off guard defensively. Harry Chesterton made a brilliant run down the left before playing an inviting cross to Josh Jones who headed in at the front post to make it 2-0.

It was not quite clicking for Lichfield up front in the first half and Alexander Foreshaw and Ben Podmore were clearing numerous balls into the box. Their best chance of getting an opening goal came near the end of the first half when Leighton McMenemy had a shot blocked by Harry Chesterton at a crucial time in the match.

Darlaston did well to see out the first half and looked composed off the ball in one of the biggest matches of the season.        

Second Half

Lichfield started the second half brilliantly with a quick goal to turn the momentum in their favour. They were looking for a moment of inspiration to get them going and it came just after half time with Jack Edwards playing an excellent ball to Lewi Burnside who headed in at the front post to make it 2-1 with 40 minutes plus stoppage time to play.

​Dean Gill made a clever tactical substitution following the goal and bought on Kieron Miller for Jack Downing. He played him as the central striker up front to hold the ball up and take the pressure off the visitors. It worked well and helped them manage the match in the second half alongside offering a threat on the counterattack.

The hosts had a few good chances to find an equaliser in the second half with Liam Kirton having a notable chance where he had a shot well saved by Tom Allsopp on the hour mark. To Darlaston’s credit, there excellent at managing a match when in front and it continued yesterday with Josh Jones reading the game well and taking the pressure off the visitors.

The visitors have that pragmatism off the ball and played the ball in less risky areas when in possession such as near the side of the pitch to limit Lichfield’s momentum.

The best chance for an equaliser came a few minutes before stoppage time when substitute Demitri Brown had an excellent shot destined for the top left corner instinctively saved by Tom Allsopp for a corner kick.

As Lichfield were committing more players forward in search of a late equaliser, it left them vulnerable to the counterattack and this happened right near the end of the match. Darlaston got the ball back near the edge of the box and it fell to Kieron Miller who made an excellent run before finishing past James Beeson to seal promotion to step four.     
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​Full Time

This was a classic play off final between two evenly matched teams and the atmosphere was incredible yesterday. It’s a great advert for having the play off format in step five as it created brilliant drama and tension throughout the afternoon. The attendance was one of the biggest of the season and it was a final that will live long in the memory.  

Lichfield will understandably feel disappointed with the result and might need a bit of time to reset and go again for next season in the league. Losing a match as big as the play off final is a tough one to take but there’s reasons for optimism when looking at the bigger picture. The play off run has showcased a club on the up within the West Midlands and one that’s constantly improving and developing.    

It’s a tough one to take for the supporters but they should be proud of the team this season. To finish as runners up of the MFL Premier is an excellent achievement and they went unbeaten at home throughout the whole league season going into the play offs.

Darlaston Town have really grown into the season to get promoted from the MFL. The most pleasing thing about the Citizens is how they have got better as the season has gone on. To have nine consecutive wins in both the league and play offs is an incredible achievement and they deservedly go up as play off winners.

A key part of their success is how they play as a team and there’s a nice balance between defending and attacking quality. The full backs Harry Chesterton and Josh Jones were excellent in this final and looked solid at the back. They were regularly blocking balls into the box throughout and that second goal between both full backs will live long in the memory for Darlaston supporters.

Overall, this was a brilliant final which showcased the strength of step five.                 

FT score: Lichfield City 1-3 Darlaston Town

Man of the match: Josh Jones (Darlaston Town)

Attendance: 1,110

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League