GOOD START
Cinderford 1 Yeltz 2
16 March 2004
An eventful day. After the surprise appointment of Paul Holleran as new Yeltz manager, we won 2-1 at Cinderford to make an excellent start under the new regime. We led 2-0 at half-time through Forsdick and Hollis, before struggling in the second-half and conceding a late goal. Full details in Dave's match report .
Mr Holleran was previously manager at Solihull, and wasn't one of the candidates mentioned in most reports. However, he's clearly done very well at Solihull on limited resources, and all of our most successful managers in the past have come from smaller clubs. In any case, I'm sure everyone will join me in welcoming Paul to the club, and wishing him every success in his new position.
He's not exactly got the easiest of starts, with our next two games against the top two in the division. On Saturday we travel to Cirencester, before hosting leaders Redditch a week later at The Grove. It's not going to be easy, although we have beaten both teams already this season, so we must be hopeful of getting something out of both games.
Match Report from DJ
Cinderford Town: Fisher; Carns, Gioia, Townsend, Steadman, Hammonds, C. Addis, Hook, Joyce, D. Addis, Truman (Belfitt 68). Unused Subs: Foxwell, Ranford, Davies, Clark
Halesowen Town: Sheils; Colwell, Charlton, Skidmore, Jones, Baker, Hollis, Moore (Hemmings HT), Lamey, Forsdick, Carter. Unused Subs: Strachan, Gallieri, Grocutt, Mason
Referee: M. Bryant (Bristol) Attendance: 200 Booked: Hammonds (19), Steadman (56), C. Addis (57), Joyce (75), Baker (83), Skidmore (90).
Paul Holleran celebrated his first game in charge of Halesowen with two first half goals in a minute to set up victory but then had goalkeeper Mark Sheils to thank for surviving a second-half battering from rock-bottom Cinderford.
Uncompromising Cinderford made the early running in a frantic start and delivered a number of deep crosses in the opening minutes with a Jamie Hammonds free-kick cleared in the 11th minute. Two minutes later a Wesley Joyce free-kick from the edge of the penalty area was turned away at full stretch by Halesowen goalkeeper Sheils. New signing Nathan Lamey headed a Simon Hollis corner wide on 16 minutes but it was Sheils again who rescued the visitors by parrying away a Hammonds drive following a right-wing cross.
The Yeltz eventually settled and looked lively going forward with Dan Jones rising on 19 minutes to head a Hollis free-kick but the ball rebounded off the inside of the stanchion and the apparent goal was not given. Home goalkeeper Andy Fisher then made a flying save to keep out a Lewis Baker header from another Hollis corner in the 22nd minute.
Simon FORSDICK gave Halesowen the lead by dispossessing Dave Carns in the 25th minute and produced a tremendous finish to lob Fisher from 16 yards. A minute later HOLLIS picked up the ball in midfield and his shot took a cruel deflection off Antonio Goioa to loop over Fisher for the second goal. Baker's overhead kick in the 32nd minute fell inches wide of the far post and Hollis was denied twice before the interval after being used as a dangerous outlet on the break from the right.
Hard-working Cinderford belied their lowly position to come out in the second half with all guns blazing and put Halesowen under a barrage of pressure.
Sheils turned away a Daryl Addis shot on 47 minutes before Forsdick hit a 20-yard drive at Fisher four minutes later at the other end. A Forsdick cross then found Hollis but Cinderford blocked for a corner and Hollis then delayed too long in front of goal on 55 minutes from Baker's pass.
Cinderford found the net on 63 minutes from a free-kick on the edge of the area but the assistant referee spotted that a hand put the ball in the net rather than a header and the goal was rightly disallowed. Joyce then beat Sheils to the ball but the goalkeeper and his defence recovered to clear in the 65th minute. Joyce then made a crude challenge on Sheils as he raced off his line in the 75th minute and the assistant referee again remained alert to signal the incident to his referee. After receiving treatment, Sheils stood up to make an acrobatic save to deny a Joyce header a minute later and in constant pressure Baker cleared off the line in the 78th minute. Sheils made another flying save from a 25-yard Chris Addis shot in the 79th minute and Joyce struck wide at the far post on 86 minutes from a Daryl Addis cross for the tough home side.
The home pressure finally paid off in the 87th minute when HAMMONDS drove home a loose ball for a consolation goal from 15 yards but the Yeltz weathered the storm to gain all three points and move back up to fifth position in the league.