MFL Newsletter

24th July 2015

League News

Hereford FC are delighted to announce that we will welcome the family and friends of Adam Stansfield as special guests at Edgar Street on August 1st when The Bulls entertain Hull City U21s. Adam’s mother, Gig, sent the following message “I just wanted to thank you and all at Hereford FC for the invite and for the amazing support you continue to give to our Foundation.

“As we approach the 5th anniversary of losing Ads, the charity we set up in his name is continuing to grow and help so many young children to participate in ‘kicking a ball around’.

The Adam Stansfield Foundation will be collecting around the ground before the game, and Gig says that the donations they receive will make a real difference. “We are working very hard to get the message out there that bowel cancer isn’t a disease that only attacks older people. Your very generous offer of a collection at the ground will enable us to continue in doing this. We are very proud and happy to be able to see so many young people enjoying the game that our Adam was so passionate about.”

The foundation will sponsor one of the United In The Community sides for the coming season.

Gig ends by saying “Hereford will always be a very special place for us because Adam & Marie loved living there and being part of what is a wonderful community

Paget Rangers have pulled off a major coup by signing non-league goal scoring legend Mark Bellingham from WMRL Cradley Town. Bellingham has 662 career goals to date and adds significant firepower to the Bears, who have also signed Jem Mills from Aston United. Enville Athletic new signing, Kieran Miller from Sporting Khalsa, hit a second half hat-trick as they came from 3-0 down to beat WMRL Div1 Wyrley 4-3 at Four Ashes. Plenty of higher league scalps being taken in pre-season by teams from all 4 divisions of the Midland Football League – see the results for more details. The travels of the Press Officer

Friday 17th July

Sporting Khalsa 1 Halesowen Town 1

Sporting Khalsa hosted Evostik Northern Premier Division Halesowen at the Aspray Arena. I hadn’t visited Noose Lane for many years and on my last visit it was the home of Willenhall Town. What was a rundown stadium with one of the worst pitches imaginable has been transformed into an excellent set-up. On the park, Ian Rowe’s side were more than a match for the Yeltz who are two steps higher in the pyramid. Khalsa were unlucky to go behind to a scrambled goal but deservedly levelled with a cracking goal from Ben Hadley. Khalsa missed a glorious opportunity

to win the game but their pace and approach play will be welcome addition to the Premier Division. As an aside, how many other clubs will be serving delicious samosas at Half-time?

Tuesday 21st July

Bromsgrove Sporting Stratford Town 3

Another ground that I last visited over a decade ago as my team, Stafford Rangers clinched promotion at the Victoria ground despite losing 3-2 to Bromsgrove Rovers. Rovers are now no more and the Rouslers, as Bromsgrove Sporting are known, have been building a strong foundation for the last 5 seasons. Visitors Stratford Town were promoted to the Evostik Southern Premier Division last season and with 3 leagues separating the sides, a tough evening was anticipated for Bromsgrove. How wrong we were. Easily the best game I have seen this pre-season with Stratford holding a 1-0 lead at half-time through a penalty from Richard Gregory. The home-side were in the lead within 15 minutes of the second half with Josh McKenzie and Sean Brain on the score sheet. Stratford equalised through Aaron Stringfellow following an excellent move but the Rouslers weren’t deterred and a wonderful run and finish from Ollie Gibson gave them the lead again. The goal of the game from 17 year old Charlie Faulkner, who controlled and shot on the turn, gave Stratford a last minute equaliser. The crowd of around 150 was thoroughly entertained and if this is what is going to be served up at The Victoria ground this season, it will be well worth a visit.

Plenty of games for me over the next week with Brocton, Coventry Sphinx and AFC Wulfrunians likely to be on my list.

Pre- season results
Friday 17th July
Malvern town 0 Westfields 2 (Jones, Febery)
Sporting Khalsa 1 (Hadley) Halesowen Town 1
Saturday 18th July AFC Solihull 0 Alcester Town 5
AFC Wulfrunians 0 AFC Telford 3
Austrey Rangers 5 Jaguar Daimler 1
Bardon Hill 2 (Tozer, Disney) Gresley 1
Barton United 2 (Grant, Roberts) Walsall Phoenix 3
Bilston Town 1 Stafford Town 1 (McAnespie)
Brocton 1 (Jones) Cadbury Athletic 0
Chelmsley Town 1 (Lloyd) Pilkington XXX 0
Coventry Sphinx 4 (Thomson 3, Piggon) Worcester City 0
Coventry United 2 Dudley Town 0
Cradley Town 1 Bromsgrove Sporting 0
Droitwich Spa 1 Stourport Swifts 3
Dunkirk 1 (Bopp) Derby County XI 1
Enville Athletic 4 (Miller 3, Brown)Wyrley 3
FC Stratford 1 Wrens Nest 4
Feckenham 2 (Ager, Bennett) Redditch United Reserves 2
Heath Hayes 0 Tividale 2
Heather St Johns 3 Chasetown 5
Highgate United 2 (Brown 2) Black Country Rangers 0
Jet Blades 8 Kenilworth Town 0
Lichfield City 1 (Clarke) Walsall Wood 1
Merthyr Town 2 Hereford FC 2 (Summers, Wheatley)
Northampton Spencer 3 Southam United 0
Oadby Town 0 Alvechurch 3 (March, Foster, Bellis)
Paget Rangers 2 (Morris 2) Boldmere St Michaels 2 (Capaldi, Clarke)
Pelsall Villa 2 Dudley Sports 1
Pershore Town 4 (Griffiths, Walsh, Gifford, Hall) Badsey Rangers 1
Powick Rangers 2 Perrywood 1
Quorn 1 (Thompson) Swaffham Town 3
Racing Club Warwick 1 Coleshill Town 2
Radford 1 Shepshed Dynamo 3 (Porter, Miveld, Langham)
Redgate Clayton 1 Rocester 3 (Mottershead 2, Williams)
Romulus 2 Hinckley AFC 1 (Adaggio)
Rostance Edwards 3 Wolverhampton Casuals 1
Shifnal Town 1 Lye Town 3
Smithswood Firs 0 Hampton 3 (Crane, Joynes, Richardson)
South Normanton 0 Long Eaton United 0
Stapenhill 1 Atherstone Town 5 (Ball 2, Smith, Miller, Thorpe)
Teversal 0 Heanor Town 5 (Debrouwer, Cooper 2, Benger, OG)
Wednesfield 2 Coton Green 2
Wolverhampton Sporting 2 Walsall Wood 0

Monday 20th July
Pinxton 3 Heanor Town 2 (Naylor, Clarke)
Sutton United 1 Pilkington XXX 2
Leicester Road 2 (Lyne, OG) Blaby & Whetstone 0
Tuesday 21st July
Alcester Town 3 Feckenham 0
Arnold Town 2 Dunkirk 3 (Hastie 2, Hemagou)
Atherstone Town 2 (White, Tyler) Alvis Sporting Club 2
Bewdley Town 1 Stourport Swifts 3
Bilston Town 1 Sporting Khalsa 2 (Reid, West)
Boldmere St Michaels 2 (Palmer, Clarke) Sutton Coldfield Town 3
Bolehall Swifts 0 Coleshill Town 6
Bromsgrove Sporting 3 (McKenzie, Brain, Gibson) Stratford Town 3
Continental Star 0 Rushall Olympic 0
Coventry United 5 (Nduna 2, Briscoe, Dakouri 2) Barnt Green Spartak 0
Heath Hayes 1 (Watkins) Chasetown 1
Hinckley AFC 1 (Richards) Barwell 3
Ingles FC 2 Shepshed Dynamo 2
Lichfield City 2 (Clarke, OG) AFC Wulfrunians 1 (Henslow)
Lydney Town 2 Westfields 1 (Cuss)
Paget Rangers 7 Burntwood 1
Pelsall Villa 1 (Williams) Walsall Wood 0
Quorn 2 (Staniland 2) Gresley 3
Racing Club Warwick 2 (McKenzie, Junior) Long Buckby 1
Rocester 0 Hanley Town 3
Stafford Town 3 Market Drayton Town 7
Stapenhill 3 Barton United 0
Wellington 2 Hereford FC 4

Wednesday 22nd July
AFC Solihull 0 Leamington Hibernian 4
Chelmsley Town 2 Coleshill Town 2
Darlaston Town 2 Rostance Edwards 2
Droitwich Spa 1 Worcester City 3
Littleton 3 Malvern Town 2
Shawbury United 4 Brocton 2
Tipton Town 0 Tividale 2
Willenhall Town 0 Walsall Wood 2
Wolverhampton Sporting 1 Alvechurch 5 (Ashton, Ambula, Turton, Priest, Edwards)

Thursday 23rd July
Aylestone Park 1 Shepshed Dynamo 3 (Porter, Meade, Whymark)
Dunkirk 1 (Green) Coalville Town 1
Folly Lane 5 Barnt Green Spartak 2
Highgate United 3 Paget Rangers 2
Leicester Road 1 (Hicks) St Andrews 0
Loughborough University 2 Stratford Town 3
Nuneaton Town 2 Nuneaton Griff 2 (Millerchip, Brennan)
Pelsall Villa 0 Sikh Hunters 2
Worcester City Academy 3 Perrywood 3
Wyrley Juniors 0 Heath Hayes 1