BALL EARNS POINT
Yeltz 2 Stourport 2
27 December 2003
Brief news (and late) as I'm away on holiday I'm afraid.
The mighty Yeltz came back from 2-0 down to gain a point at home to Stourport Swifts, although we were disappointed not to gain all three points. Poor marking led to us being two down after not very long, but we got one back after Dominic Reece was allowed to nudge their keeper into the net. New bloke Richard Ball came on to mark an impressive debut with an equaliser, but we couldn't get a winner.
Our next games are against the two teams directly below us in the table - Bromsgrove away on New Year's Day and then Sutton Coldfield at home on Saturday.
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: Lowe; Reece (Small 72), Charlton, Grocutt (Ball 59), Jones, Baker, Hollis, Ashby, Piearce, Steane, Spencer. Unused Subs: Colwell, Skidmore, Sheils
Stourport Swifts: Evans; Mark Jones, Ulfig, Powell, Davies, Jukes, Cotterill, Sayer (Giddings 48), Kavanagh, Dunn, Wright (Webb 72). Unused Subs: Mark A. Jones, Harris, Price
Referee: C. D. Nock (Stourbridge) Attendance: 584 Booked: Hollis (87), Giddings (87)
Richard Ball rescued under-performing Halesowen with a second-half debut goal after ex-Halesowen midfielder Richard Kavanagh put the Swifts in the driving-seat by setting up two early goals from set pieces.
Dan Jones hit wide for Halesowen from 20-yards in the 4th minute before the Swifts raced into a two-goal lead. Kavanagh hit a twice-taken low free-kick into the Halesowen area and Ronnie SAYER was first to react to clip the ball into the top-corner from 6-yards in the 14th minute. The misfiring Yeltz failed to defend another dead-ball kick when Kavanagh delivered a right-wing corner in the 25th minute allowing Nathan JUKES to head home directly on his debut to stun the home crowd.
With Halesowen gradually waking up, a 26th minute header from Dominic Reece found Jason Ashby in front of goal but goalkeeper Lee Evans was able to make a close range save. Stourport played Andrew Wright as a sole front-runner and were always going to be difficult to break down, so it was somewhat out-of-the-blue when Halesowen pulled a goal back in the 29th minute. Simon Hollis miscued a right-wing cross and REECE rose with goalkeeper Evans appearing to push the ball into his own net under pressure before being bundled over by Reece, with furious calls from the visitors for a foul.
At the other end, home goalkeeper Matt Lowe spilt a 30-yard drive from Sayer but Charlton tidied up to concede a 38th minute corner. Halesowen were then fortunate to escape a penalty appeal seconds before half-time when Wright pounced on confusion between Darren Grocutt and Lowe and appeared to be brought down - although the referee waved play on.
Ashby almost equalised for the Yeltz two minutes after the re-start when he controlled a long kick from Lowe but put the ball wide of the net from eight yards. Evans then held onto a 53rd minute drive from Asa Charlton.
Substitute Richard BALL, signed only a few days earlier from Stourport on a two-year contract, was introduced in the 59th minute and made an immediate impact to level the scores six minutes later by latching onto a bad back-header and calmly slotting past Evans from 12-yards.
Kerry Giddings and Jukes struck just wide for Stourport after 67 and 70 minutes, but it was Halesowen who peppered the visiting goal in the latter stages with their enviable forward line of Ball, Ashby and Steve Piearce all going close. Ben Steane hit just over the bar in the 75th minute and two minutes later Hollis beat two defenders before striking his shot inches high from 30-yards out.
In the final two minutes Charlton hit over the bar from a Lewis Baker header and Piearce struck wide but without any real structure or pattern to Halesowen's play, the Swifts were able to hold out for a draw.