Match report of Chelmsley Town V Coventry Copsewood (MFL Division One)

Chelmsley were looking to build on their opening day home win at Pack Meadow against Shawbury United. Coventry Copsewood came into the match looking to get a result following their opening day loss to Cradley Town at the weekend.

Prior to kick off the atmosphere at the ground was friendly and welcoming with most supporters starting to turn up at quarter past seven onwards for a 7:45pm kick off. The programme provided by the club was excellent and provided an overview of the clubs in MFL Division One and their respective histories. The weather was clear and not as challenging as Saturday with no rain throughout the match. 

Starting line-ups

Chelmsley started the match with a formation of 4-1-4-1 with Aidan Doherty the skipper and Adam Woods leading the line as the sole striker. Joe Summers played as the number 10 with Lewis Moss stepping into the holding midfield role. There was one change to the starting line up from Chelmsley’s game on Saturday, with Ryan Coley coming in as right-back and Harry Jennings on the bench.

Coventry Copsewood had a strong starting eleven and included Sean Kavanagh as their number nine and Bryan Kohyleron playing up front. There was one change to the starting line-up with Charlie Gordon coming into the midfield and playing as a number seven. The starting formation for the visitors looked like a 4-1-3-2.

First half  

The visitors started the game brightly and created the majority of the chances in the opening fifteen minutes with Chelmsley Town gradually growing into the match. Bryan Kohyleron had a good chance for Coventry Copsewood following a passage of play down the right but narrowly missed.

Both Sean Kavanagh and Bryan Kohyleron were playing up front as a two which made the link up play smoother and helped the visitors build attacks into the box. Chelmsley Town found it difficult to build up the play and get it forward in the first half with Adam Woods as the lone striker.

The hosts had to withstand a lot of pressure defensively with skipper Aidan Doherty up to the task and being immense at the back. He constantly headed balls out of danger and blocked shots throughout the match which helped Chelmsley get a foothold later in the second half.

There were moments of promise for the hosts going forward. Ben Tomlinson linked up well with Samuel Jeeves down the left and Dylan Corrigan looked good in midfield and was able to pass the ball with control and purpose in congested areas.

One of the main features for the visitors was trying to switch the play quickly and get it to Daniel Lole who was running off the shoulder. Chelmsley dealt with this fairly well and managed to get him offside on a number of occasions.

Just before the match was heading to HT, a brilliant move by Coventry Copsewood was finished by Sean Kavanagh into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead which they probably deserved. This was crucial as it set the tone for the second half. 

Second half

Coventry Copsewood had a few chances early in the second half to open a two-goal advantage and take control of the match which were either missed or saved by Tom Allsopp in the Chelmsley goal. The first notable chance involved a shot by Harvey Wells which went narrowly wide from a good position. The second involved Bryan Kohyrelon who cut inside before having a brilliant shot well saved by Tom Allsopp for a corner.

​The visitors failed to capitalise on their earlier control of the match which made the last half hour a nervy ending and the chances notably dried up following several substitutions for both Chelmsley and Coventry Copsewood.

There was a key tactical change made by the hosts in the middle of the second half where Adam Woods came off for Oliver Jeeves who was up front with Samuel Jeeves as a front two for the last twenty minutes. This effectively posed a different challenge to the Coventry Copsewood defence and resulted in a dramatic finish to the match.

Oliver Jeeves had numerous chances to score and was getting in the right positions before finally scoring a late equaliser near the end of the match to make it 1-1. Coventry Copsewood failed to clear their lines and Oliver Jeeves was on hand to strike the ball into the top left corner of the net. The hosts also had a chance to win it at the death with Samuel Jeeves taking a free kick from outside the box that was missed to make the FT score Chelmsley Town 1-1 Coventry Copsewood.

Full time

One of the key takeaways from Chelmsley’s first two home games is the team’s ability to show character and fight for points in the second half. They have managed to get four points from losing positions and will serve them well throughout the season.

There’s a lot of talent in the squad with Aidan Doherty brilliant at the back and reading the game well. Tom Hackett also had an excellent game and was constantly heading key balls away from danger and passing well from out the back. Adams Woods showed flashes of potential in the lone striker role and was positive on the ball. Overall, there is a lot of encouraging signs and it’s just the final ball into the box which will hopefully get better as the season goes on.

​Coventry Copsewood are a good team and it’s a bit surprising to see them on just one point as they played well throughout the match and especially in the opening 60 minutes. The link up play from the likes of Bryan Kohyrelon was encouraging and going forward there was a lot of quality. Similar to Chelmsley, the final ball was the only thing missing but it was not for a lack of effort.

Joe Anthony was brilliant at the back for the visitors and read situations well. He also marked players effectively throughout the match to stop promising attacks. Ryan Pedley also had a good game as the attacking midfielder and linked up play well when working chances towards the box.         

This match involved two teams that have a lot of players that will develop and get better as the season progresses and both are worth following and keeping an interest in from August to the end of April.

FT score: Chelmsley Town 1-1 Coventry Copsewood

Man of the match: Aidan Doherty