Biddulph Victoria 2 - 1 Boldmere St. Michaels
Boldmere’s superb 16 match unbeaten league run came to an end on a hugely disappointing afternoon in Stoke-on-Trent, as they lost an Aspire MFA fixture for the first time since September.
In blustery conditions, the Mikes kicked down the slope with the wind at their backs. The home side, who have been in impressive goal scoring form recently, started the brighter. The Mikes struggled to get into their stride, seeming unusually subdued after their recent lack of match action.
The game settled it a pattern of the Mikes pressing and looking very dangerous from set pieces. Two Lyndon Weller corners flashed across the face of goal, while Will Smith in the home goal was kept busy dealing with a succession of balls into the box. Biddulph looked very dangerous on the break, particularly the lively Tristran Hendrix-Hamilton who was at the heart of their best play.
Hendrix-Hamilton was denied a clear chance by some alert goalkeeping from Adam Jenkins, who raced from his box to nick the ball away from the onrushing striker as he chased a long through ball.
The reprieve was short-lived, when Jenkins made a smart save, but the rebound fell to Geoff McGaw, who gleefully smashed the ball home from eight yards.
The goal stung the Mikes into action. Juxon saw a stinging shot blocked, before twice firing well wide from similar positions. Mark Mason raced clear of the defence. He controlled the awkward bouncing ball superbly, before firing a goalbound volley, only to be denied by a superb one-handed block by Smith. A covering defender completed the clearance before Mason could get to the loose ball
The home keeper again denied the Mikes moments later, albeit somewhat unconventianally. As Lyndon Weller came in at the far post, Smith scooped the low ball up into the air, but it landed on top of the bar and bounced behind.
It was all Boldmere now. Ricky Baker, returning to the side after injury, left his marker for dead and cut in towards goal. As the keeper advanced, he elected to pull the ball to the edge of the box where the chance was lost, when a shot or ball across the face of goal was surely the better option.
Mason left the field with a knock and was replaced by recent signing Danny Dubidat, who has joined from local rivals Romulus.
Boldmere’s set pieces continued to cause havoc, two further corners flashing across goal untouched, much to the frustration of the Mikes bench.
In the final minute of the half, there was still time for Biddulph to threaten. A corner was cleared just outside the box and Aaron Hamilton raced to charge down a shot. The referee gave a free kick to the surprise of most in the ground, then amazingly proceeded to book the Hamilton for the challenge.
Faced with a 22-yard free kick in an awkward central position, Jenkins was unfazed and made a fine save low to his left to keep the half-time deficit to one.
Half Time: Biddulph Victoria 1 v 0 The Mikes
Manager Rob Mallaband’s half time roasting had the desired effect, with The Mikes playing at a much higher tempo at the start of the second half. The impressive Dubidat and Weller were combining well and carved out a decent chance for Jason Holmes, who turned superbly 8 yards out, only to fire well over.
The Mikes were dominant now, and deservedly drew level on 52 minutes. Dubidat and Weller combined well again, with the new signing releasing Weller on goal with a delightful ball. The keeper again scooped Weller’s initial effort into the air, only this time the bar didn’t come to his rescue as Weller continued his run to head the loose ball home from a yard out.
The Mikes sensed blood and continued to threaten. Weller again got the better of his marker and delivered a great ball to find the unmarked Holmes, who couldn’t quite get over the ball and his header cleared the bar.
Little had been seen of Biddulph as an attacking force, but on 71 minutes the Vics regained the lead against the run of play. There was a large slice of luck about the goal. A totally miscued shot from the edge of the box fell to Nick Aitken. He made the most of the good fortune and finished well from 12 yards, giving Jenkins no chance.
The Mikes threw on Andy Lewis and Kieran Robinson as they went for the equaliser. Although they enjoyed the lions share of possession, they carved out little in terms of clear-cut chances as the game slipped away. The game became ill tempered as the home side fought to hang on to their lead. It boiled over in stoppage time, with home substitute Shaun Mould deservedly seeing red for a wild hack at Andy Lewis after losing the ball. This served only to galvanise the home side, who comfortably saw out the remaining couple of minutes.
The Mikes were bitterly disappointed to see their run ended on a ground where they have a fine MFA record. Their recent inactivity was certainly a factor in their first half performance, but they will look to the chances in an impressive 25-minute spell after half time as their opportunity to have won the game. On the day, both sides had enough chances to win, but credit to Biddulph who took theirs.
The Mikes travel to Stourbridge FC on Tuesday to face Causeway United, as they look to keep their title challenge on track.
The busy itinerary continues. On Thursday night the Mikes look to progress in the Polymac Services League Cup, visting Oadby Town for the rearranged Quarter Final tie, which must be decided on the night. The Mikes then return to home league action, entertaining Alvechurch on Saturday 28th Feb and Westfields on Tue 3rd march (7.30).
Boldmere: Adam Jenkins; Adam Swain; Matthew Jackson; Aaron Hamilton; Adam Wood, Anthony Juxon, Lyndon Weller, Stuart McNaught, Jason Holmes, Mark Mason, Ricky Baker.
Subs: Danny Dubidat (Mason); Andy Lewis (Holmes); Keiran Robinson (Baker); Tom Stevenson; Sean Butler.
Match Stats
Biddulph Boldmere
1 Corners 12
7 Free Kicks 12
0 Yellow Cards 0
1 Red Cards 0
