LOWEST EVER?
Yeltz 0 Weymouth 1
25 February 2003
Two crucial games and two awful defeats. In what was probably a must win game, the mighty Yeltz lost 1-0 to Weymouth through a goal just before half-time. Full details in Dave's match report .
I can't remember being more depressed - even two years ago when we went down we could kid ourselves it was an aberration and we really are a Premier Division team, but at this moment in time it's hard to convince anyone that's true.
Still onwards and upwards. We're at bottom-placed Ilkeston on Saturday so we can hope we can still turn the corner and get out of the bottom four. Three points really are essential this time.
Positive vibes (if you can)
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: Clarke; Colwell, Hines, Bauress (Trainer 78), Collins, Stone, Williams, Ashby, Master (Dunkley 61), McHugh, Skidmore. Unused Subs: Smith, Charlton, Leadbeater
Weymouth: Matthews, Tully, S. Browne, A. Browne, Kenway, Bailey, Robinson, Hutchinson, Sullivan, Laws, Phillips. Unused Subs: Ashford, Whiteman, Sajic, Hale
Referee: A. Henley (Cradley) Attendance: 294 Booked: Skidmore (7)
Halesowen's season continued to deteriorate into a haunting re-run of their relegation two years ago as they failed to score for the 10th time in 15 home league games.
A poor advert for Dr Martens Premier football saw Weymouth bounce back from a 4-1 thrashing at bottom side Ilkeston to jump out of the relegation zone in a must-win game for the two relegation threatened teams.
Stuart Skidmore received a 7th minute booking for an over-eager challenge but with much-changed Halesowen continuing where they left off the previous Saturday against Chelmsford, it wasn't until the half hour that the Weymouth defence was troubled in a five-minute spell of pressure.
On 28 minutes Mark Kenway headed over his own bar and from the corner Lee Collins saw his effort grabbed at the second attempt by goalkeeper Jason Matthews at the base of the post. A minute later Jason Ashby broke and crossed from the left but Kirk Master's header was off-target and Lee Williams hit the loose ball over the bar in what proved to be Halesowen's best chance of the night. A Collins header was then cleared off the goal-line by Danny Bailey from a Williams corner.
Weymouth then went on to enjoy their own best spell with a Lee Phillips header bouncing just over the bar from Steve Tully's cross on 33 minutes. Martyn Sullivan weaved into the Halesowen area after 38 minutes but missed the goal and recently-returned favourite striker David Laws put the loose ball wide. A minute later Sullivan's 15-yard shot forced a one-handed reflex save from Tim Clarke. Almost inevitably, Weymouth grabbed the decisive goal in the 40th minute when PHILLIPS took advantage of sloppy defending to fire home from the edge of the box.
As in recent performances, Halesowen heads dropped after falling behind in a second half bereft of entertainment. Williams curled a 55th minute shot straight at Matthews but it was the Terras who could have increased the lead on 65 minutes when Ian Hutchison set up Laws, but he blasted high from a good position. Three minutes from full-time Matthews made a fine blocking save from substitute Phil Trainer after a Les Hines corner with the final whistle being greeted with silence from the lowest ever Grove attendance in the Southern Premier League.