Northfield Town V Hampton (Division Two)

Northfield were looking to finish their title winning season strongly with a result against Hampton. The Town were confirmed as league champions on Saturday following a 2-0 win at Coventry Alvis to cap off an incredible season for the club. The South Birmingham side were looking to go the whole season unbeaten at home yesterday and were coming off nine straight wins in division two.
  
Hampton have gone a bit under the radar this season at step seven but were sitting in 4th coming into this match and looking forward to a Les James Challenge Cup final against Knowle at the Bescot next month. The Solihull side have been reliable under manager Dean Guest with only five losses from 25 matches to be near the top of the table.       

​Starting line ups

Northfield’s starting line up included Louis Jones starting in goal and Josh Westwood captaining the team from central midfield. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with Ethan Hanks playing up front and being supported by Jimmy Ward and Josh Roberts on the wings.

There were five changes from their match against Coventry Alvis on Saturday with Jack McGinn coming into the team and playing in central midfield alongside Josh Westwood.

The starting line up for Hampton included Matt Allely starting in goal and Ash Brown captaining the team at right-back. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Hayden Froggatt playing up front and being supported by James Mudie and Marcus Brookes down the wings.

There were nine changes from their last league match against Coventrians a few weeks back with Scott Saunders coming into the team and playing at centre back alongside Reece Wyatt. 

​First Half

Hampton started the match positively inside the opening fifteen minutes and were committing players forward in the early stages. Hayden Froggatt was making some good runs into the final third and Ash Brown looked a threat from attacking midfield. The visitors settled into the match well and caused Northfield some problems early on.

Just as the Solihull side were building some momentum Northfield hit them with a well worked corner to make it 1-0 on 16 minutes. A quality delivery from Josh Westwood found Jimmy Ward at the back post who beat his marker before heading into the top right corner.  

Northfield were moving the ball about well following the goal and stringing together a run of quality passing moves into the final third. Jack McGinn and Josh Westwood were building up the play well from midfield and finding space down the channels for the likes of Jimmy Ward and Josh Roberts to run into.

Their best chance to make it 2-0 came when Ethan Hanks made a brilliant run into the box before sending a chipped effort marginally wide of the left post on 32 minutes.

​Hampton showed character to stay in the game at 1-0 down and gradually got back into it as the first half went on. The visitors were well organised at the back and managed to limit the clear-cut chances for Northfield to not let the match getaway from them. Scott Saunders was reading the danger well at centre back and putting in some good blocks.

The visitor’s best chance for an equaliser came in the final stages of the half when Reece Wyatt had a header tipped over the bar by Louis Jones in the Northfield goal. Hayden Froggatt also had a shot from outside the box saved by the Northfield keeper just before half time.

Second Half

Northfield started the second half brightly and created an early chance when Josh Roberts made an impressive run into the box with just the keeper to beat before sending a looping effort wide on 47 minutes.

Hampton did well to limit the attacking quality of the league champions with Ash Brown having an underrated game at right back. He defended well and was winning the ball back for the visitors to give them a foothold in the game.   

The second half was a bit scrappy with not that many clear-cut chances with both sides cancelling each other out. Daniel Wells was putting in a reliable performance at centre back for Northfield and offered a composed presence at the back. Jack Wilson also impressed for the Town yesterday and did well to clear the danger from left back.     

The visitors made the most of their chances in the second half and found an equaliser to make it 1-1 in the 65th minute. Ash Brown showed good technique to get the ball down on the edge of the box before producing a quality finish into the bottom left corner.

Northfield had a late chance to win it in the final ten minutes when Josh Roberts had a shot from distance hit the right-hand post. The Town had the momentum in the final fifteen minutes but just lacked that final ball into the box to trouble the Hampton defence.   
There was a late sending off for Hampton substitute Ciaran Connaire following a high tackle, but the visitors were able to hold on for a momentum building result.

The Solihull side have some key cup finals coming up against the likes of Central Ajax and Knowle and this result should give the squad some confidence going into a crucial period of the season.  

Full time

Despite being held to a point yesterday, it’s been a successful season for Northfield Town who were officially crowned division two champions at the end of the match with a trophy presentation.

Full credit goes to the players and the coaching staff of Ryan Smith and Thomas Kempa for ending the season with 23 wins from 28 matches in their debut season at this level.

The draw with Hampton means they have gone the whole season unbeaten at home and finished the season on a 23-game unbeaten run in division two. To keep that sort of form going is a remarkable achievement in a memorable season for the club.

It just beats Redditch Borough’s run of 21 matches unbeaten from last season on their way to winning the division two title.

Hampton competed well with Northfield yesterday and should take encouragement from yesterday’s match. They looked a threat going forward and worked hard off the ball to limit the chances for Northfield to get a point.

They have a busy end to the season over the next few weeks and play Central Ajax in the final of the Coventry Charity Cup tomorrow evening at the Butts Park Arena. The visitors finish the league season with away games against Inkberrow and Central Ajax before playing Knowle in the LJ cup final.

The Solihull side have been one of the more consistent teams in division two over the last few seasons, with finishes of 7th (22/23) and 5th (23/24). They could finish 4th this season and win some silverware if they can keep their momentum going over the next few weeks.      

FT score: Northfield Town 1-1 Hampton

Man of the match: Ash Brown (Attacking midfielder) (Hampton)

Attendance: 128

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League