Silhill V Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons (Division Three)

​Silhill were looking for a result yesterday afternoon to challenge the teams at the top of the division. It’s been a successful season for the Solihull club since joining division three over the summer and they have adjusted to step eight well over the last five months.

Boldmere Falcons were looking for a statement result yesterday under new player-manager Jordan Lengthorn. He joined the club back in late November and has signed a lot of players over the last few weeks in a new look squad for the Falcons.

The atmosphere around Sharmans Cross was relaxed and positive prior to kick off with both teams looking forward to the match. It’s a ground full of character and the clubhouse is excellent for step eight and features a history of the club.

It’s also accessible to get to for local non-league groundhoppers across the West Midlands. There’s the 4A bus from Carrs Lane near Birmingham Moor Street where supporters can get the bus to Solihull and it’s only a short walk from the Sharmans Cross bus stop to the ground.

Starting Line Ups

Silhill’s starting line-up included Matt Pickford starting in goal and Jamie O’Neil captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 3-4-3 with Tom Hudson leading the line up front and being supported by Jon Myrie and Lewis Williams further back.

There were five changes from the team that started against Castle Vale Town a few weeks back with Owen Fackrell coming back into the team and playing in central defence.

The starting line up for Boldmere Falcons featured Jimmy Griffiths starting in goal and Alex Spencer captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 3-4-3 with a front two of Ryan McFadden and Dale Huckfield being supported by Mouhamadou Kandiaye further back.

There were seven changes from the team that started against Continental Star last weekend with Ben Rea coming into the team and playing in central defence as part of a back three. 

First Half

Boldmere started the opening fifteen minutes of the match excellently and took the game to Silhill. The Falcons were linking up well around midfield and in the final third and were passing the ball around with a sense of confidence.

They caused Silhill a lot of problems defensively and took the lead in the 6th minute. A brilliant ball into the box evaded the defence and found Ryan McFadden who finished well into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0.

​The momentum was fully with Boldmere throughout the early stages of the first half with Silhill gradually growing into the match as it went on.

Another brilliant passing move by the Falcons was finished off by Mouhamadou Kandiaye in the box to make it 2-0 in the 15th minute. He accelerated through the final third before scoring past Matt Pickford to give the visitors a two-goal lead against one of the top teams in the division.        

Silhill gradually started to build some momentum as the first half went on and were starting to link up well from the 25th minute onwards. They had an excellent chance to make it 2-1 in the 26th minute when Alfie Merriman had a header well saved by Jimmy Griffiths at the back post. It was the first real chance of note for Silhill and they started to really threaten the Falcons goal from then on.

Tom Hudson also made a good run down the left flank and played an excellent ball on the edge of the box to Jon Myrie who shoot wide from a good position near the end of the first half.

Silhill were getting into the match, but it was not quite clicking in the final third for the Solihull club in the opening 45 minutes.

Second half

Silhill took the initiative at the start of the second half and asserted themselves more than they did in the opening 45 minutes.

Alex Spencer was substituted at half time for Boldmere due to an injury. He was excellent in the first half and was replaced by Joe George who filled in admirably at the back. However, he did concede an unfortunate penalty at the start of the second half when the Falcons were reduced to ten men with Ryan McFadden being sin binned for ten minutes.

A foul on Jon Myrie in the box gave Silhill a penalty which Tom Hudson stepped up to take. He had an effort on target brilliantly saved by Jimmy Griffiths in the Falcons goal to keep the score at 2-0 in the 50th minute.  

The momentum was firmly with Silhill in the second half with Boldmere playing on the counterattack and looking to break with pace.

The hosts found an opening goal in the 55th minute to make it 2-1 with substitute Gilad Grant placing an excellent header into the net at the back post. The goal was a moment of genuine quality rather than any defensive mistake at the back from the Falcons.

Gilad Grant was having a significant impact on the game as the second half went on and was looking the most likely to get Silhill back into the match. He had a shot well saved by Jimmy Griffiths who made an instinctive save to prevent the equaliser.

The hosts did manage to find an equaliser in the final twenty-five minutes, and it came from a corner delivered into the box. Boldmere cleared the ball which fell to Gilad Grant on the edge of the box who finished excellently into the bottom left corner to make it 2-2 in the 70th minute.

Despite Boldmere putting in a resilient effort at the back, they did have chances to get a late winner on the counterattack. The best one fell to new signing Dale Huckfield on the edge of the box who shot narrowly wide of the post from a good position.

Silhill had a couple of good chances to win it late on and take home the three points. Gilad Grant had an effort go narrowly wide in the 90th minute before Jon Myrie headed marginally wide from a well delivered corner into the box deep into injury time.  

Not long after, the referee blew for the full-time whistle, and it finished 2-2 in an entertaining match at Sharmans Cross yesterday afternoon.     

​Full Time

Despite probably being disappointed not to get the three points, Silhill battled back well in this match to get something out of it against a resilient Boldmere Falcons side. They showed a lot of character in the second half in tough conditions to get a point and they played well from the middle of the first half onwards.

Substitute Gilad Grant was excellent and made a notable impact in the second half for Silhill. He has that quality both on and off the ball to unlock defences and cause problems in the final third such as making clever runs into the box.

Owen Fackrell played well at the back and read the game well defensively. Jamie O’Neil also had an underrated game from holding midfield and gave the team that composure to build attacks in the second half.

Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons were excellent in this match and deserved a point based on their effort and performance level.

Their main strength was undoubtedly their back three which was excellent throughout the 90 minutes and withstood the Silhill pressure. Dean Rea had an underrated game as part of the back three. He was excellent in the second half and constantly cleared balls away from danger.

Jimmy Griffiths had an excellent game in goal and made some brilliant saves to keep the Falcons in it late on. Ryan McFadden and Dale Huckfield looked promising up front and offered the Falcons an attacking outlet when given the opportunity. Mouhamadou Kandiaye also looked good on the ball from attacking midfield, especially in the first half.

Overall, it was an encouraging performance from the Falcons yesterday that showed their capable of competing against the quality teams.            

FT Score: Silhill 2-2 Boldmere Sports and Social Falcons

Attendance: 35

Man of the Match: Gilad Grant (Silhill)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League