5-4-3
FAC 1Q Yeltz 5 South Normanton Athletic 3
10 September 2005
Now that's exciting. The mighty Yeltz started off on another FA Cup campaign with a 5-3 victory at home to South Normanton, with 4 goals from Howard Forinton - his first for the club. However, once again we didn't make it easy for ourselves after blowing an early 3-0 lead and letting the visitors come back to 3-3. Nathan got the other goal, and that puts us into the draw (which I assume is on Monday).
Next Saturday league leaders Salisbury City are the visitors to The Grove. They're slightly surprising (to me anyway) leaders at this stage but they are unbeaten so it's not going to be easy. A victory would be very nice and keep up right up there at this early stage of the season.
Match Report from DJ
Halesowen Town: Coleman; Cooper, Haywood, Preston, Pope, Farmer (Pierpoint 90), Cowley (Johnson 85), Lamey, Forinton, N. Smith, Forsdick (Strachan 89). Unused Subs: Baker, Amos
South Normanton Athletic: Boot; M. Smith (Cox 84), Jago, Peel, Atkinson, Walker, Robinson, Martt, Thorpe, Bedward (Augustus 55), Lewis. Unused Subs: Warden, Morrell, Roome
Referee: D. Handley (Wigan) Attendance: 279 Booked: Cox (90) Sponsors' Man of the Match: Howard Forinton
Howard Forinton notched a hat-trick in seven minutes during the first-half but Halesowen were given a huge fright in progressing to the next round after squandering a three-goal lead to Northern Counties East Division 1 outfit, South Normanton Athletic.
Halesowen piled on the early pressure with Alex Cowley shooting across goal in the 3rd minute after goalkeeper Steve Boot failed to clear a corner. After winning a series of corners, Dave Haywood then played an incisive 13th minute pass to Nathan Lamey, but his shot squirted wide and on 17 minutes Cowley struck the side-netting as a gulf in class started to look apparent.
FORINTON inevitably opened the scoring in the 19th minute by touching the ball into the roof of the net from close range to record his first goal in Halesowen colours after Steve Pope was given a free header from a corner.
Two minutes later Simon Forsdick made a great run down the left wing and set up FORINTON to increase the lead by striking the top corner of the net from the edge of the area.
FORINTON completed his hat-trick with a simple tap-in after 26 minutes when Boot could only parry a shot from Nick Smith into his path.
Pope and Lamey then wasted two free-kicks by blasting high and wide and in the 43rd minute Forsdick ballooned another good chance over the bar.
With the floodgates looking ready to open, not even the most pessimistic Yeltz fan believed Halesowen could then throw away their comfortable three goal lead to a side languishing bottom of a league three rungs lower in the football pyramid.
However, the Shiners were given at lifeline seconds before the interval when Nathan Robinson exposed Halesowen's weakness down the left wing and crossed for hard-working Anthony BEDWARD to convert an open goal from close range in their first real chance of the afternoon.
Halesowen were given a further warning at the start of the second half when Nicki Preston made an important clearance and in the 59th minute the home defence was almost caught out when a long free-kick from John Peel was flicked over goalkeeper Dean Coleman by Carl Lewis but the ball fell just wide.
The plucky visitors scored a second goal after 61 minutes when Lewis swung in a free-kick and captain PEEL buried a free header beyond Coleman amidst more woeful defending.
Unbelievably, heartened South Normanton equalised in the 66th minute when Nick THORPE latched onto another long ball and held off two defenders before beating Coleman with an excellent finish from 12 yards to the delight of the travelling contingent.
Halesowen redeemed themselves and reduced the tension with two further goals in the final minutes. LAMEY regained the lead with a low strike from 20 yards after Forinton laid the ball off in the 70th minute.
Man-of-the-match FORINTON then planted home a 77th minute header from Haywood's deep cross to record his 4th goal of the game.