Wellingborough Town V Shifnal Town (FA cup)

Wellingborough Town were looking for a result in the FA cup yesterday to continue their positive start to the season. The Doughboys have adapted well to step four following promotion from the UCL Premier Division South last season. It’s been encouraging so far with eight points from five matches in the NPL Midlands Division under manager Jake Stone with just one loss in the league.  
 
Shifnal Town were looking to cause an upset yesterday against the Northampton side. It’s been a brilliant run in the FA cup with home wins against Belper United and Sutton Coldfield Town going into yesterday. The Shropshire side are building under manager Connor Patterson and looking to challenge for the play offs this season in the MFL Premier.

The atmosphere around the Dog and Duck was friendly and welcoming prior to kick off. The people at the club were helpful with any queries raised yesterday and do a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make it such a good match day experience for the supporters. The programme on offer was informative and included a recap of Wellingborough’s season so far and a history of Shifnal Town.

​The Dog and Duck is a brilliant ground and well worth a visit for non-league supporters across the Northampton area. It can be visited by getting on the X46 or X47 from Northampton where the bus stops directly outside the ground at the Dog and Duck PH stop. With the NPL Midlands Division being expanded to 22 teams there’s plenty of opportunities to catch a home game there this season.

​Starting line ups

The starting line up for Wellingborough Town included Adam North starting in goal and Jack O’Connor captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Neo Richard-Noel playing as the main striker up front and being supported by Tom Wakley and Tom Iaciofano on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Corby Town on bank holiday Monday with Pradeep Bahrey coming into the team and playing at left-back.

Shifnal Town’s starting line-up included George Scott starting in goal and Kyle Bennett captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 3-4-3 with Joe Thomas playing up front as the main striker and being supported by Kevin Monteiro and Nathan Oyemade from attacking midfield.

There were three changes from the team that started against Whitchurch Alport on bank holiday Monday with Lewis Jarman coming into the team and playing on the right side of midfield. 

​First Half

Wellingborough got off to a nervy start in the opening twenty minutes with Shifnal starting the match on the front foot and looking to score an early goal. The Doughboys struggled to build momentum in the opening half an hour and were looking to weather the storm by Shifnal going into half time.

The visitors had a lot of the ball throughout the first half and stuck to their possession-based style under manager Connor Patterson. Wellingborough were mainly looking to draw Shifnal on to them so they could catch them out on the counterattack.    

Shifnal had a guilt edged chance in the 14th minute when Dan Beddows was free in the box and had acres of space to get a shot off. His effort was well saved by Adam North who managed to tip it round the post for a corner. The chances kept coming for the MFL side with Nathan Oyemade cutting inside from the right and getting a shot off that just went wide of the left-hand post.  

​The visitors managed to take the lead in the 18th minute to make it 1-0. Joe Thomas produced a composed finish into the top left corner following a bit of chaos in the box. This was huge and helped Shifnal settle into the cup tie and capitalise on their positive start to get a lead.

It was a disappointing goal to concede from a Wellingborough perspective who were unbeaten at home in the league going into yesterday.      

The best chance for the Doughboys in the first half came when George Barnell had a header go wide of the left-hand post following a good free kick into the box in the 28th minute.

​Wellingborough were gradually growing into the match as the first half went on and were threatening for an equaliser in the last fifteen minutes. They had more of the ball in the closing stages of the half and were able to link up the play more effectively to build attacks. Jack O’Connor played well at the back and helped them get through the early stages to keep them in the match.

Tom Iaciofano was their main attacking threat in the first half and showed that quality on the ball to create chances in the final third. Another attacking strength for Wellingborough was set pieces and they came close to finding an equaliser from well worked corners into the box.

Shifnal were resolute at the back with Jack Rowley and Bradley Maslen-Jones reading the game well at the back. They looked composed off the ball and were heading balls away from danger to take the pressure off the visitors. Dan Beddows was also having an underrated game from holding midfield and constantly breaking up the play.

​Second Half

The pattern of the second half was reversed from the early stages of the match with Wellingborough looking to break down a well organised Shifnal defence. The visitors were playing a bit deeper and looked to catch the hosts out on the counterattack.

Despite Wellingborough having more of an influence on the match, Shifnal looked fairly comfortable off the ball against the step four side. Joe Thomas was brilliant yesterday and regularly helped them get up the pitch with his hold up play and runs off the ball.

The Shropshire side made it 2-0 on the hour mark. Bradley Maslen-Jones had an inspired run down the left-hand side before a good ball was played to Lewis Jarman on the edge of the box who produced a quality finish into the top left corner. It was a moment of genuine quality from the visitors with the game plan working well yesterday from the step five side.

​Wellingborough had a chance to get back into the match in the final twenty minutes. Brilliant attacking play from substitute Jessie Obeng down the left-hand side resulted in Will Jones being fouled in the box by Jack Rowley for a spot kick. Neo Richard-Noel had an effort well saved by George Scott to keep it at 2-0.

This was a key moment, and the goal would have given Wellingborough the momentum to push for an equaliser. They showed character and kept going despite the scoreline. The Doughboys worked hard but it was just not clicking in the final third. Neo Richard-Noel had a good game despite the missed penalty. He was making some good runs and linking up the play well.

A player who impressed in the second half for Shifnal was substitute Macauley Taylor who was helping them get up the pitch and taking the pressure off the defence. He held up the play well and served as a focal point up front. Kyle Bennett and Kevin Monteiro were also brilliant from midfield and helped them get on the ball to build attacks.   

The visitors did well to see the match out and get a huge win in the FA cup.

Full Time

Wellingborough competed well in this match and looked to get back into it in the second half. It was just an off day in front of goal, and it was not quite happening in the final third. It’s still been a good start to the season despite yesterday and they will be looking to bounce back in the FA trophy next Saturday against Corby Town.

Shifnal were brilliant in this game and produced a vintage away performance to get a memorable win in the FA cup. To win three matches that includes two NPL Midlands Division sides is an excellent achievement, and they will be looking forward to the second qualifying round draw tomorrow afternoon.                  

FT score: Wellingborough Town 0-2 Shifnal Town

Man of the match: Joe Thomas (Shifnal Town)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League