Silhill were looking for a result yesterday against Castle Vale Town to keep up the pressure on Wake Green Amateur in the race for the top two. It’s been a brilliant season for the Solihull club so far with 13 wins from 17 matches to leave them in 3rd going into Boxing Day. Their home form at Sharmans Cross has been eye catching with seven wins from nine matches in the league. Castle Vale Town had some momentum going into yesterday with three consecutive wins to leave them in the top four. The Spitfires recorded an impressive 2-1 home win against Continental Star last weekend and had only conceded one goal from three matches. Manager Luke Evans is doing a good job, and the visitors are looking to challenge for a top six finish. The atmosphere at Sharmans Cross was friendly and welcoming with the people at the club doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make it a good matchday experience. The clubhouse was well presented and there’s a wide selection of drinks available at the bar. The weather conditions were mainly cold and foggy yesterday in Solihull. The match was able to go ahead, and the pitch looked brilliant given the circumstances. Sharmans Cross is one of the more accessible grounds to visit in division three by public transport. Supporters can get the 4A from Birmingham City Centre before getting off near Sharmans Cross Junior School. Starting line ups Silhill’s starting line-up included David Stratford starting in goal and Lewis Williams captaining the side from holding midfield. The formation looked like a 3-4-3 with a front two of Kyle Porter and Ben Davis being supported by Jon Myrie in the number ten role. There were four changes from their last league match against Meadow Park a month ago with Ben Davis coming back into the team and playing on the right-hand side of a front two. Castle Vale’s line up included Joel Chadwick starting in goal and Jordan McKenzie captaining the side up front. The formation looked like a 3-4-3 with Jordan McKenzie being supported by Owen Reynolds and Chris Tabberner from attacking midfield. There were two changes from their league match against Continental Star last weekend with Tamjir Malik coming back into the team and playing on the left of a back three. First Half Silhill got off to a fast start and took the lead inside the opening ten minutes. A brilliant run down the right-hand side by Ben Davis saw him square the ball to Jon Myrie who had his shot saved by Joel Chadwick. Kyle Porter was on hand to score the rebound to make it 1-0 in a well worked team goal. The Solihull side looked organised off the ball throughout the first half with Brandon Williams impressing at centre back and reading the danger well as part of a back three. Not long after the opener Silhill made it 2-0 thanks to a moment of quality from Ben Davis who ran into the box before producing a finish across Joel Chadwick into the bottom right corner. Kyle Porter played an inviting cross into the box from the right which found Ben Davis who couldn’t quite get it on target to make it three. Castle Vale gradually grew into the match as the first half went on and looked a threat going forward with Jordan McKenzie holding up the play well. They were causing Silhill a few problems, but Brandon Williams and Owen Fackrell were on hand to stop the danger. Silhill made it 3-0 after half an hour when Kyle Porter capitalised on a rebound in the box to finish into the top left corner. Castle Vale showed some character near the end of the first half and created a few notable chances in front of goal. Leadun Dunlevy found some space on the edge of the box before having a shot saved by David Stratford in the Silhill goal. A well worked free kick into the box found Daniel Wyatt who finished well to pull a goal back for Castle Vale near the end of the first half. The back three for the visitors were working hard off the ball to keep the Spitfires in the game going into half time. Daniel Wyatt was getting some good blocks in and Abdoullah Kchikech filled in well at left-back following Tamjir Malik going off with an injury. There was a late chance for Kyle Porter to make it 4-1 to Silhill when he had an effort hit the left-hand post. Not long after the referee blew for the half time whistle. Second Half Silhill got off to another fast start in the early stages of the second half and effectively sealed the match inside the opening five minutes. A well worked goal found Ben Davis in the box who produced a composed finish into the bottom left corner to make it 4-1. The Solihull side continued where they left off in the first half and looked well organised off the ball to stop any Castle Vale momentum. Lewis Williams was doing a good job of breaking up the play from holding midfield and Jamie O’Neil has that quality on the ball to cause Castle Vale problems at the back. The chances in the second half were more limited than the first with Castle Vale having a half chance when Jordan Evans had a shot from range saved by David Stratford. It was tighter in the second half with both teams cancelling each other out and Silhill having a control of the match following the early goal. Silhill were able to see the match out for a huge three points to keep up the pressure on Wake Green Amateur who won 6-1 at Continental Star in the race for that second promotion spot. Full Time Silhill played well yesterday and looked like a side full of quality both on and off the ball. They had a control of the match against a dangerous Castle Vale team and are capable of going on a run over the next month. Manager Leon Blake is doing an underrated job, and the Solihull side have been a welcome addition to division three since joining in the summer of 2023. It’s shaping up to be a close race between Silhill and Wake Green with just one point separating them and Wake Green currently holding that promotion place. Silhill’s upcoming fixtures include Meadow Park (Away), Gornal (Home and Away) before playing Kenilworth Sporting (Home) and AFC Birmingham (Away). Castle Vale worked hard in this match but were undone by moment of quality from Silhill. The Spitfires are having another good season under manager Luke Evans and a top half finish is a realistic aim going into the second half of the campaign. The visitors are a good side to watch when it all clicks in front of goal with Jordan McKenzie one of the best strikers in the division. Their upcoming fixtures include a run of home games against Solihull Sporting, Feckenham and Birmingham Tigers over the next few weeks. FT score: Silhill 4-1 Castle Vale Town Man of the Match: Ben Davis (Silhill) Attendance: 28 Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Comments are closed.
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February 2025
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