DISAPPOINTING
Yeltz 1 Mangotsfield 1
17 November 2001
We've got used to winning in the league recently - especially at home - so it's a bit disappointing only to draw 1-1 against Mangotsfield. We took the lead in the second half through a Michael Crawford goal, but couldn't hold on to the lead. We've slipped to 4th in the table , but still can go top if we win our games in hand.
Tuesday brings old rivals Hednesford to The Grove in the B'ham Senior Cup, but don't forget the meeting about the proposed supporters' fund on Monday (19th) in the clubhouse at 8pm.
Nice to see Canvey beating Wigan in the FA Cup, and also Barrow drawing at Oldham. Puts our performances in some sort of perspective, but it still would have been nice to win today :-)
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: Clarke; Colwell, Crawford, N. Smith, Burnham, Skidmore, Hall, Jones, Giddings (G. Smith 81), Taylor, Hines. Subs: Gray, R.Collins
Mangotsfield Utd: Dyson; Pendry, Hallett, Barlass, Russell, Loydon, Sims, Summers, Claridge (Allen 81), Edwards, Winter (Nicholls 81). Sub: Penny
Referee: M. Lever (Leicester) Attendance: 506 Booked: None
Halesowen had to wait until the 75th minute to break down plucky Mangotsfield, but then threw away their narrow lead just four minutes later.
Tim Clarke saved an 8th minute flick from Robert Claridge before Halesowen came strongly into the game. In the 9th minute Matty Hall made a tremendours run against the defence and put Andy Jones clear, but his effort rattled off the crossbar. A minute later Lee Barlass headed a cross by Les Hines over his own bar. From the resulting corner a cross from Hines drifted right across the goalmouth without gaining a final touch.
However, Mangotsfield were more than a match for Halesowen and had some good chances of their own. Clarke was fortunate when he was able to recover after Adam Sims had rounded him but then stumbled in the 18th minute. Kerry Giddings had a rasping shot saved by visiting goalkeeper Dave Dyson in the 23rd minute and Michael Crawford saw a free header easily cleared off the line five minutes later. Giddings then hit a 30th minute volley which was blocked by a packed Mangotsfield defence.
Halesowen had another let off in the 33rd minute when Clarke came out of his area and his clearance ricocheted off a forward into the path of Darren Edwards, but he volleyed wide of an empty net from the edge of the area.
Early in the second half a shot from Sims fell kindly to Lee Barlass but he hit high from 8 yards out. Halesowen made little impression at this stage although Dyson cleaned up when Giddings latched onto a poor defensive clearance in the 56th minute.
Michael Crawford finally broke the deadlock and seemed to have handed Halesowen three points in the 75th minute when he powerfully headed a freekick from Les Hines beyond Dyson. However, Mangotsfield claimed a deserved equaliser in the 79th minute with Andy Summers playing a neat one-two before driving past Clarke from 8 yards out.