Walsall Wood 2-1 Boldmere St.Michaels Res
It was a severe case of deja vu for the Mikes Reserves when they lost a game they should have won comfortably for the second Saturday in succession.
They created at least a dozen opportunities but were only able to convert one, while the home side scored from their only clear cut chances of the afternoon.
With the Oak Park pitch in good condition, the Mikes kicked down the slope in the first half. The game soon settled into the pattern of the Mikes being camped mostly in the Wood half. Andre Gonzales was prominent, and he combined well with Tom Clews, who delivered an excellent cross, but Johaine Thompson failed to get a clean connection with a free header from four yards. Thompson was causing all sorts of problems for the home defence with his pace and power.
He shrugged off the attention of his marker who was clearly fouling him, but managed to get a shot off which beat both the keeper and post. He didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoresheet though, when a through ball released him in a very similar position to his earlier chance. He again shrugged off his marker, and managed to force the ball home after the keeper half blocked his first effort.
Clews then had a great chance when the keeper mis-kicked an attempted clearance as the Mikes striker chased down another through ball, but he committed the cardinal sin of turning his back on the ball and the chance was lost.
Little was being seen of the home side as an attacking force, but Lewis Fenney was called upon to hold a drive from 20 yards just under his bar.
Play soon switched to the other end, with Sam Woodall and Jon Wylde linking up well down the right flank. The home defence blocked a driven cross at full stretch with two Mikes players waiting in the six-yard box.
The home side hacked clear from the goal line after a scramble following a corner, and then the visitors had a decent shout for a penalty turned down. Gonzales was caught late after delivering a cross, but the officials seemed to be following the ball. The home keeper then saved twice in quick succession as the Mikes looked to add to their lead, but they had to be content with a 1-0 lead at the break.
The lead was wiped out within minutes of the restart. Defending a set piece, Dunleavy pushed his man for what looked a clear penalty, but the Mikes complained that Francis had been pushed into Dunleavy’s back, which caused the contact. The referee took the former view, and the spot kick was despatched into the roof of the net as Dunleavy received treatment to his back.
The Mikes responded well to the setback, and were soon back on the offensive. Andy Lewis was set up on the edge of the box and his rising drive crashed back off the bar with the home keeper nowhere. The Mikes were laying siege to the home goal but were still unable to find a way through. A long cross to the far post was met at full stretch by Jon Wylde, but he was unable to direct it into goal. Wylde then turned provider and fizzed a great ball across the face of goal, but the bounce eluded Thompson with the goal at his mercy. Dunleavy met a free kick at the far post, but his goal bound header was headed off the line. Jack Brown then stormed into the box at pace before unleashing a drive that thudded back off the inside of the keeper’s near post and was cleared.
The home side was visibly flagging and the Mikes sensed blood. Winning the ball in the right back position, the Mikes broke at pace, pouring forward in numbers. This was to be their downfall, as the ball broke down with five Mikes players in the box. The ball was cleared to a home midfielder who was still making his way back from the previous attack. The home side exploited the gaps left in the Mikes back line and two passes later it was in the back of the net courtesy of a clinical finish, sparking wild celebrations from the somewhat densely populated home dugout.
The Mikes responded again, laying siege to the home goal. From looking dead on their feet moments earlier, the home side found renewed energy levels as they endeavoured to cling on to their lead. The Mikes needed to become direct and were throwing everything at the home side as they searched for the equaliser. The home side were content to break up play as tempers became frayed. The referee was struggling to keep control and removed a member of the home dugout for throwing a ball at the Assistant Referee.
The referee had two decisions left to make, and the Mikes didn’t get either in their favour. They strung a lovely move together down the left flank which released Jack Brown in the inside left channel. As The Mikes skipper prepared to shoot, he was clattered from behind. To the amazement of both camps, the referee waved away the Mikes appeals for a penalty. If that was absolutely clear cut, the Mikes also had another penalty appeal turned down in injury time. A long ball into the box was contested by sub Kallum Blake who jumped with a defender and the advancing keeper. The defender won the header cleanly, but the home keeper’s attempted punch only succeeded in flattening Blake, nowhere near the ball.
Tempers again boiled over when Blake bundled into the keeper as he collected a bouncing ball, but the referee rightly adjudged that the challenge was late, but not malicious. The incident meant that play was disrupted again, resulting in more stoppage time, much to the chagrin of the home contingent. Darrell Francis flashed a header over from a corner, before Cam Fowler’s ambitious attempt from distance signalled the end of their hopes.
The Mikes will wonder how they ever managed to lose a game they dominated completely, but it was another reminder that chances must be taken.
The Mikes:
1. Lewis Fenney; 2. Andy Lewis; 3. Jack Brown; 4. Darrell Francis; 5. Richard Dunleavy; 6. Sam Woodall; 7. Jon Wylde; 8. Cam Fowler; 9. Johaine Thompson; 10. Tom Clews; 11. Andre Gonzales.
Subs:
12. Kallum Blake (for Clews 55min); 14. Cam Fowler (not used); 15. Danny Jones (for Wylde 75min); 16. Adam Morton (not used); GK. Rob Clarke (not used) Scorer: Johaine Thompson.
Next Reserve Fixture:
Saturday 7th November – Midland Combination Reserve Division – HOME v Oadby Town (3:00pm)
