Dosthill Colts 0 v 2 Boldmere St Michael’s Reserves
Boldmere Reserves kicked off their pre-season preparations with a good win at Bolehall Swifts Rene Road ground. Tenants Dosthill Colts of Midland Combination Division 1 provided a good test for the young Mikes side in a fast-paced game that must have been a good watch for the neutral.
On a bumpy pitch, both sides set about playing good football. An end-to-end first 15 minutes brought little in the way of goalmouth action. The Mikes began to get on top, Matty Lay’s quality of cross being the outstanding feature, but the strikers were unable to capitalise. The first half finished with both keepers pulling off a couple of decent saves to ensure it finished goalless.
The second half started scrappily thanks to the obligatory half-time substitutions. The game settled onto a pattern of Boldmere having more posession, with Dosthill’s greater pace and physical forward presence providing danger on the break. From one such attack, a teasing ball across the box was directed towards his own goal by the covering Sean Henry Williams. Rob Clarke reacted sharply to touch the ball onto the post and safety. This proved somewhat of a tuning point as the Mikes broke swiftly down the left and Luke Bradley’s inviting low cross was coolly steered home by Mark Mason.
The Mikes quickly doubled their lead thanks to neat link up play and a well-directed finish from Chris Francis, who steered a low shot past the onrushing keeper from just inside the box. Both strikers had been rewarded with goals that were fully deserved.
Further substitutions disrupted the flow of the game, as the Mikes largely stayed in control despite some heavy legs thanks to a very intensive work out on the previous night.
There was still time for Luke Bradley to rattle the bar with a superb 20 yard strike, but the scoring was over for the night. A win and a clean sheet represent a highly satisfactory start, with many positives and several young players taking the chance to impress the onlooking first-team manager Rob Mallaband.
First Half: Rob Clarke, Peter Gould, Andre Calder, Sean Henry-Williams, John Rutter, Matty Lay, Joe McGrath, Dominic Colson, Keiran Robinson, Chris Francis, Mark Mason.
Second Half: Rob Clarke, Peter Gould, Andre Calder, Sean Henry-Williams, Matt Lewis, Anton Tavernier, Scott Barker, Nathan Whittingham, Luke Bradley, Chris Francis, Mark Mason (several rolling substitutions).
