YELTZ BATTLE THROUGH
FAT Yeltz 3 Team Bath 2
04 November 2003
The mighty Yeltz are through to meet Hayes in the FA Trophy, after coming back from two down to beat Team Bath 3-2. After the experience of the weekend, I think it's a game that everyone really wanted to win, as well as wanting a decent run in the Trophy. Full details in DJ's match report .
On Saturday, Bedworth are the visitors to The Grove in a league game that we'll be looking for maximum points from.
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: Lowe; Small (Kavanagh 78), Charlton, Grocutt, Jones, Baker, Hollis (Skidmore 61), Ashby, Hallam (Mitchell 61), Steane, Spencer. Unused Subs: Smith, Sheils
Team Bath: Gibson; Otto, Watson, Nichols, Holland, Metitiri, Gillingham, Canham (Lock HT), Stocco, Blake (Lewis 61), Prince (Reeves 86). Unused Subs: Tisdale, Parkin
Referee: I. Hamilton (Cheltenham) Attendance: 245
Halesowen fought back to progress into the next round against Hayes after falling two goals behind at half-time in a pulsating replay.
The home side made a smart start and charged towards the Bath goal in the opening minutes. Ben Steane's 2nd minute lob was caught by Chris Gibson to earn an early corner. Mark Hallam swept the ball just over the bar in the 13th minute after Andy Spencer robbed Ali Otto on the left and Hallam's header struck the post on 20 minutes with goalkeeper Chris Gibson beaten from a deep Simon Hollis cross. Jason Ashby and Bryan Small fired high with Gibson in all sorts of trouble when he sliced the ball on 22 minutes and a Hollis screamer fell just wide a minute later. Steane then made a fine run from midfield only to see his 24th minute lob hit the crossbar.
But Bath took the lead against all the odds on 26 minutes with their first attempt when goalkeeper Matt Lowe punched away a Mike Gillingham cross under pressure from Tom Stocco and the ball fell for David BLAKE to side-step his marker and hit home from 15-yards. Marc Canham caned the Halesowen crossbar three minutes later before Team Bath added a clinical second goal in the 32nd minute when Blake crossed from the right for the unmarked CANHAM to rifle home from 18 yards. Halesowen forced three consecutive corners in the 40th minute but Ashby fired wide from 6 yards with Gibson flapping at the ball.
The Yeltz gave themselves a 50th minute lifeline when Hallam headed on a Hollis cross for Andy SPENCER to volley home his first goal of the season from close range. The game then went into a quiet spell until Luke Prince broke from midfield in the 66th minute but was denied by Lowe turning a goal-bound shot away for a corner. A minute later the visitors failed to make the game safe when centre-half Dan Jones gave away the ball to substitute Chris Lewis but Lowe produced another superb blocking save.
Ashby lobbed over the bar for the Yeltz on 73 minutes before substitute Leon MITCHELL turned to fire home Halesowen's equaliser in the 79th minute from 10 yards after latching onto Darren Grocutt's cross. In a strong finish, Mitchell then played a sweet ball through to Ashby but the leading marksman hit weakly at Gibson.
STEANE crowned a fine game to seal victory in the 85th minute with a cool 15-yard finish to notching his first goal for the club after Mitchell just failed to beat Gibson from close range. On 90 minutes Stocco lobbed just wide for the visitors and in injury time Halesowen's Spencer crossed for the unmarked Mitchell but he failed to beat Gibson.