Shawbury United V Chelmsley Town (Division One)

​Shawbury United were looking to get a result yesterday afternoon at the Shrewsbury Town Community Hub to cement their position in the top half of the table. The hosts were in 10th and on a run of four consecutive wins coming into this match. The Shropshire club have been one of the form teams in the division since the new year and have grown into the season.

Chelmsley Town were looking to cause an upset yesterday against Shawbury United to climb up the table. It’s been a tough season for the visitors away from home with just one win from ten matches coming into yesterday. None the less, they were comfortably in mid table and had a bit of breathing space over the bottom three with an 11-point gap over AFC Bridgnorth in 18th.  

The atmosphere around the Shrewsbury Town Community Hub was positive and relaxed prior to kick off with both sets of supporters looking forward to the match. There was a commendable amount of Chelmsley Town supporters who made the trip up to Shropshire to cheer the team on. The Café next to the pitch was also welcoming and well presented with a good selection of beverages to choose from.

The ground is fairly accessible to get to by public transport for casual groundhoppers across the West Midlands. Supporters can get the 27 bus from Shrewsbury bus station, get off at Brooklands PH and walk across Meole Brace roundabout to the ground. It’s between a 10–15-minute walk from Brooklands PH bus stop to the ground and it’s just left of Shrewsbury Town’s main stadium.      

​Starting Line ups

Shawbury United’s starting line up included Max Williams starting in goal and Emmanuel Williams captaining the team from central defence. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Eric Mensah leading the line up front and being supported by Marcus Dillon and Cody Rimmer on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Stapenhill last weekend with Andy Haynes coming into the team and playing in central defence alongside Emmanuel Williams.

The starting line-up for Chelmsley Town featured Liam Moss starting in goal and Corey Solomon captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with a front two of Chris Gumery and Oliver Jeeves being supported by Kaine Williams in the attacking midfield role.

There were four changes from the team that started against Coventry Copsewood in mid-week with Tom Hackett coming into the team and playing in holding midfield. 

​First Half

Shawbury started the first half well and took the initiative early on to cause Chelmsley Town a few problems. They were linking up well in the final third and were just missing that final ball to unlock the Chelmsley defence. The best early chance for the hosts fell to Seth Ellis who narrowly shot wide following a good ball into the box.

The visitors also had a few notable chances to take the lead in the opening five minutes. The best chance fell to Oliver Jeeves who got into a good position in the box before shooting wide. It was a promising move by Chelmsley and a crucial moment in the match as Shawbury managed to take the lead a few minutes later.       

Following a quick attacking move, an excellent ball was played to Marcus Dillon on the right flank who finished well across Liam Moss into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 to Shawbury United in the 7th minute. It was a moment of quality on the ball from the hosts and underlined why their having such a successful season in the league.

Shawbury started to assert themselves on the match following the goal and were starting to get into a rhythm when building attacks. David Howells gave them that composure on the ball from holding midfield and was linking up well for Shawbury to give them a control of the match.   

To Chelmsley’s credit they were doing well to contain Shawbury in the opening 20 minutes and limit the clear-cut chances in front of goal. The visitors always had a chance in the second half if they could keep the scoreline close going into half time. Corey Soloman was reading the game well defensively and managing to clear dangerous ball away at the back.

None the less, the Shawbury pressure eventually told, and the hosts made it 2-0 in the middle of the first half. Following an attack on goal, Cody Rimmer was the quickest to react to a second ball in the box and finished well to double the hosts’ lead.  

Shawbury had some good chances late in the first half to make it 3-0 going into half time and effectively seal the three points. Cody Rimmer made an excellent run down the left flank and cut inside before having a curling shot well saved by Liam Moss on the half hour mark. Jack Howse also came close through an overhead kick in the box that went over the bar minutes before half time.

The hosts were in control of the match at the end of the first half but there was some hope of a Chelmsley comeback in the second half with the score still at 2-0.

Second Half

A moment of genuine quality early in the second half effectively sealed the match for Shawbury United. Seth Ellis played an excellent ball to Eric Mensah on the edge of the box who finished brilliantly to make it 3-0 following a neat passing move by the hosts. Shawbury’s quality on the ball really stood out yesterday and the third goal was just another example of it.

Chelmsley were chasing the match from then on and looking to get any positives out of it for future matches. Situations like yesterday are good opportunities to assess the squad and bring on players that could play a pivotal role going forward. A few players impressed from the bench for the visitors in the second half which was encouraging.

Al-Mohamin Traore looked good since coming on and playing at right back. He did well to track his runners and defended well at the back to keep the scoreline down for the visitors. Alfie Chetwin also looked promising up front and was getting into some good positions around the box.

Shawbury did have a few notable chances to make it 4-0 in the second half with substitute Reece Jacobs playing well in the final third. He had some half chances to score and was regularly getting into good positions in the box. The best chance came when he had a header excellently saved by Liam Moss to keep it at 3-0 following an excellent ball into the box.

Not long after, the referee blew for the full-time whistle for Shawbury’s fifth consecutive win in the league which moves them up to eighth in the table.  

Full Time

Yesterday’s match was more a case of Shawbury playing well rather than Chelmsley struggling. Richard Brown has done an excellent job as manager, and they played well as a team. The hosts have gradually grown into the season and there’s a nice balance in the team with quality on the ball and leadership off it.

Emmanuel Williams had an underrated match at the back for Shawbury and lead the team well. He made some key interceptions and tackles in the second half to keep the clean sheet intact. Harry Woodburn also played well at right back and was looking to make things happen on the ball.

Both Marcus Dillon and Cody Rimmer were a threat on the wings throughout the afternoon. David Howells was brilliant from holding midfield and linked up well to build attacks for the hosts.

There was a lot of effort and endeavour from Chelmsley despite the defeat. Their still clear of the bottom three and staying up would be a successful season for the visitors in a competitive division.         

FT score: Shawbury United 3-0 Chelmsley Town

Man of the match: David Howells (Shawbury United)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League