IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SO EASY
Dunstable 4 Yeltz 2
28 August 2004
After our pretty good start we headed to Dunstable with high hopes, but unfortunately we put in a poor display away from home for the second week running.
We were 3-1 down at half-time despite Steve Pope equalising their early goal, and then when Richard Burgess scored his first for the club it looked like we might have a chance. However they scored once again and we came away with nothing.
We've slipped back to 6th in the table but still only 4 points of the top despite letting in 7 goals in our last two away games.
We're back at Fortress Grove on Monday, when Tiverton are the visitors. They've started reasonably well, but let's hope we can get back to winning ways to continue to stay in touch at the top.
Match Report from DJ
Dunstable Town: Taylor; Walker, Turner, Frater, Kefford, Kean, Pugh, Fontenelle, Carney, Spring (George 75), Mills (Francis 61). Unused Sub: Issott
Halesowen Town: Sheils; Cooper, Forsdick, Preston, Pope, Charlton, Cowley (Strachan 82), Moore, Burgess (Haarhoff 77), Baker, Skidmore (Steane 71). Unused Subs: Jones, Haywood
Referee: M. Darlow (Cambridge) Attendance: 160 Bookings: Kefford (38), Spring (56), Skidmore (56), Fontenelle (60), Baker (60). Sent Off: Charlton (90)
Halesowen were their own worst enemy as their away-day blues continued as a result of some sloppy defending. Mark Sheils suffered an indecisive and torrid afternoon in goal for Halesowen but was given no help by his shaky defence.
With the visitors were slow off the mark, it took Dunstable just four minutes to take the lead when Karl SPRING outpaced Nick Preston down the centre and slammed the ball past Sheils from 12 yards. A 9th minute cross from Anthony Fontenelle then fell just wide and Grant Carney flicked a header just wide on 16 minutes after beating Preston in the air.
Halesowen equalised with their first attack on 24 minutes when the referee pulled back play after Jason Moore's shot was blocked by the legs of home goalkeeper Paul Taylor and Steve POPE cracked home the resulting 20-yard free-kick low into the bottom corner.
But the Yeltz failed to seize the initiative and the hosts were allowed to regain the lead within a minute when Sheils slipped and flapped at a right-wing corner allowing SPRING to scoop the ball into the roof of the net from 8 yards out. A 29th minute lob from Richard Burgess was then cleared off the line by home defender Marc Kefford.
Dunstable increased their lead in the 35th minute with another simple goal when Rob Kean slotted the ball through for CARNEY to lift the ball over Sheils from six yards out.
BURGESS gave Halesowen brief hope by notching his first goal for the club five minutes into the second half as he finished well from 20-yards after shrugging off his defender. In a better spell for the visitors Lewis Baker struck just wide three minutes later from an Alex Cowley cross and Dunstable's Ryan Frater smashed the ball off his own defender into the side-netting on the hour. However, the start of the second half was marred by series of scuffles and niggly fouls resulting in four bookings.
The home side added their fourth goal in the 74th minute with Halesowen's defence all at sea again when CARNEY looped a header over the head of Sheils from Dean Walker's right-wing cross.