Coton Green were looking to continue their good form with a result against Nuneaton Griff at New Mill Lane yesterday afternoon. The Green Army have bounced back over the last few weeks following a tough start to the new year with consecutive wins coming into this match. The Tamworth side have been building something since the appointment of manager Nick Oakley last season and are challenging for a play-off spot over the next few months. They have made New Mill Lane a fortress so far with ten wins from fourteen matches and could get a home play off match if they can keep up their good form. Nuneaton Griff are also building something at step six under manager Aaron Cheshire and have been a tough side to beat of late. The Heartlanders were coming off three consecutive wins coming into this match and have gone a bit under the radar in a competitive division one. The visitors have a track record of causing eye catching results against play off chasers and beat Heather St John’s at home a few months back. Pre-match The atmosphere around New Mill Lane was positive and welcoming with both sides wanting to build on their recent form. The people at both clubs were friendly and approachable with any media queries yesterday. It’s a nice set up at the ground with a well-presented clubhouse near the pitch. The pitch looked in good condition and both Coton Green and Nuneaton Griff bought a good following along for the match. Starting line ups The starting line up for Coton Green included Lewis Landers starting in goal and Cameron Lee captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Harry Dixon playing up front and being supported by Tyrike Richards-Burke and James Henry on the wings. There were two changes from their match against Kirby Muxloe last weekend with John Baker coming into the team and playing in the number ten role. The starting line up for Nuneaton Griff included Divin Emmanuel starting in goal and Tom Hall captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 5-3-2 with a front two of Danny Edmonds and Charlie Morgan being supported by Josh Dixon from attacking midfield. There were two changes from their match against Wednesfield last weekend with James Bryson coming into the team and playing as part of a back three. First Half The match got off a cagey start in the early stages of the first half with both sides settling into it and working each other out. Coton Green had a half chance early on when Jamie Ashmore found some space in the box before having a shot well saved by Divin Emmanuel who pushed it away for a corner. Nuneaton Griff grew into the match as the first half went on and started to build some momentum in front of goal. The formation worked well and gave them a foothold to cause Coton some problems. Danny Edmonds was making some encouraging runs into the box and holding up the play well to bring players into the match. Reiss Martin also impressed at left wing-back and was making things happen down the left-hand side and taking players on in the final third. Coton struggled to create clear cut chances in front of goal for parts of the first half and it was not quite clicking in front of goal. None the less, the effort and endeavour was there, and they were working hard off the ball to limit the chances for Nuneaton. Cameron Lee stepped up at centre back and was reading the danger well to take some of the pressure off Coton. The pressure from Nuneaton eventually told and they found the breakthrough to take the lead. A brilliant run down the left by Beau Friel created some space in the box where he squared it Danny Edmonds who rounded Lewis Landers in goal before finishing into the bottom left corner. The Green Army showed character to keep going in the first half and not let the match get away from them. Dean Morris was working hard off the ball to break up the play and track back to stop Nuneaton making it 2-0. Coton were mainly reduced to half chances for large spells of the first half with Nuneaton looking well organised at the back. The back three were doing a good job of closing the space with Tom Hall and James Bryson impressing and helping to clear the danger. Coton were clinical when the chance came for an equaliser and took it well to make it 1-1 a few minutes before half time. A free kick into the box looked set to find the top left corner before Divin Emmanuel pushed it away. The second ball fell to James Henry who produced a quality finish into the top right corner. Nuneaton were pushing to make it 2-1 just before half time and had a huge chance when Charlie Morgan saw a shot go wide from a throw in into the box. They also threatened from a few corners and Dean Morris did well to block a shot on goal to keep it at 1-1. Second Half The chances in front of goal were a bit more limited throughout the second half with both defences stepping up and playing well to make it a tight match. Coton Green took the lead in the early stages when Harry Dixon raced through on goal before finishing well into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1. Nuneaton Griff showed character and kept going in search of an equaliser and were putting pressure on the Coton goal. Danny Edmonds had a shot well saved by Lewis Landers on the hour mark. The visitors were looking to break down an organised Coton side in the closing stages of the second half with the Green Army looking to catch Nuneaton on the break. Harry Dixon had a good chance to seal the match when he fired a shot over the bar in the 70th minute from a promising position in the box. The best chance for Nuneaton came when they hit the far post in the latter stages which was a bit unlucky from the visitors’ perspective. Coton Green were able to see the match out for a huge three points to strengthen their position in the top three with both Kirby Muxloe and Cradley Town losing yesterday. Full Time Coton Green showed resiliency yesterday and they had to work hard to get their third consecutive win in division one. The Green Army had to show another side to their game against Nuneaton to get the result. They were clinical when the chances came and withstood a good amount of pressure from the visitors with Cameron Lee and Dean Morris impressing off the ball. The Green Army have a run of fixtures against quality sides over the next two weeks. They are away at Leicester St Andrews in mid-week before games against Nuneaton Griff (Away), Nuneaton Town (Home) and Coventry Copsewood (Home). Nuneaton Griff will feel a bit disappointed not to get something from yesterday’s match, but the future is bright for the Heartlanders. Aaron Cheshire is putting together a competitive team in division one that can cause a few eye-catching results along the way. There’s quality with Dan Edmonds and Beau Friel providing an attacking threat and the likes of Tom Hall and James Bryson giving them that stability at the back. The visitors have a track record of producing upcoming managers with Mitch Thomson previously managing there and going on to have success with Atherstone Town. Their upcoming fixtures include Wednesfield (Away), Coton Green (Home), Leicester St Andrews (Home) and Kirby Muxloe (Away). FT score: Coton Green 2-1 Nuneaton Griff Man of the match: Cameron Lee (Coton Green) Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League 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 |
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February 2025
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