FOUR NIL AGAIN
Yeltz 4 Solihull 0
12 February 2005
In the match that REALLY mattered, the indomitable Yeltz put on a fine display to beat Solihull 4-0 and avenge their defeat earlier in the season. Goals from Jimmy, Alex, Fozzy and Lamey kept us in 3rd place in the table.
Next Saturday we travel to Stamford in another important game. They are really struggling at the moment, so we need to get three points if we are going to keep in with a chance of the title.
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: C. Taylor; Jones, Haywood, Preston, Pope, Skidmore, Cowley, Haarhoff (Moore 69), Lamey (Danks 79), Amos, Forsdick. Unused Subs: Baker, Cooper
Solihull Borough: Sheils (Johnson 66); Smith, Hier, Adams, Farmer, Peer (Faulds 59), Jackson, Titterton, Voice (Curtis 59), Hawker, R. Taylor. Unused Subs: Shepherd, Barry
Referee: C. Banks (Bicester) Attendance: 401 Booked: Peer (20), Preston (31), Skidmore (80) Sponsors' Man of the Match: Nick Amos
Halesowen made Paul Holleran a happy manager by earning a convincing victory against his former club Solihull to erase the memory of the New Years Day defeat.
But it was an unhappy return to the Grove for former Halesowen goalkeeper Mark Sheils who came under early siege before being carried off after a nasty second half injury.
Nick Amos battled away in midfield on the heavy pitch and was rewarded by being named as Halesowen's Man of the Match by sponsors West Midlands Fasteners Ltd.
In a determined start, Simon Forsdick cut in from the left in the 6th minute but Sheils pushed the ball away into safety. Halesowen then took a 9th minute lead when Nathan Lamey drew the defence down the left and brought a fine one-handed save from Sheils. Skidmore hit the rebound towards goal and Sheils recovered to make a double save but could not stop Jimmy HAARHOFF converting his first goal since October with his 10th of the season from 10 yards out.
With the Yeltz in control, Sheils came under continued pressure and made a super reflex save near the post from Forsdick who cleverly flicked past Steve Farmer before beating a further two defenders. Shell-shocked Sheils then saved a free header from Steve Pope low down from the resulting corner in a muddy penalty area.
Halesowen increased their lead in the 18th minute when Lamey beat the last defender and Sheils could only parry his shot away for Alex COWLEY to follow up and score into an empty net from 6 yards.
Home goalkeeper Chris Taylor had a quiet afternoon but was called on to save Solihull's first shot in the 21st minute from Morton Titterton. Haarhoff and Lamey combined well on the half-hour, with Haarhoff just failing to find the final touch before the visitors enjoyed a better spell and forced two 33rd minute corners. Two minutes before the interval Lamey drove forward and unleashed a 25 yard shot that was deflected away for a corner.
The strong wind continued to make playing conditions difficult in the second half and play became scrappy for a period after Pope hit a direct 47th minute free-kick inches over the bar.
FORSDICK made the points safe with a spectacular solo strike in the 60th minute when he surged forward from midfield and buried the ball into the top corner of the net from 20 yards in a clinical finish. Sheils was in the wars in the 66th minute in a collision with Halesowen's Dave Haywood and had to be taken off with a head injury.
Halesowen cruised into a 4-0 lead in the 68th minute when Haarhoff laid the ball back for Forsdick to drive the ball across the face of goal but LAMEY was on hand to hit the net from an acute angle to beat substitute goalkeeper Craig Johnson.
In the dying minutes Solihull's Farmer headed a Rob Taylor free-kick wide and in injury time Cowley almost added a fifth Halesowen goal when he burst through the visiting defence but his effort was blocked in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Johnson.