ONE OF THOSE DAYS
Northwood 3 Yeltz 0
10 December 2005
A disappointing result, but it really was one of those matches when we could have played all night and never got anything out of the game.
They were a big, hard-working side and the pitch was pretty poor which didn't help. The first half was dire, but they scored a pretty decent goal in the only piece of worthwhile action. Second-half we were much, much better, but when The Pope skyed a penalty about 10 feet over you could just tell what was going to happen. We were all over them but they caught us twice on the break and the day was summed up when Chris Smith's brilliant run and shot rebounded off the bar. Not a great day, but not half as bad as the result might suggest.
We've got a few cup games coming up - the big one is the FA Trophy game on Saturday at home to Tamworth, but before then we go to Kiddy in the Worcester Senior on Wednesday.
Match Report from DJ
Northwood: Watson; Nolan, Moore, O'Connor, Shipperley, Demetrious, Garrard (Shaw HT), Carter, Clark (Heselton 65), Dean (Ferdinand 85), Hart. Unused Subs: Meakin, Matthews
Halesowen Town: Coleman; Cooper, Haywood (C. Smith 80), Preston, Pope, Knight, Cowley (N. Smith 49), Lamey, Forinton, Amos (Strachan 65), Forsdick. Unused Subs: Skidmore, Pierpoint
Referee: A. Legg Attendance: 182 Booked: Preston (29), Pope (86), Knight (87)
Halesowen crashed to their worst defeat of the season at bottom-placed crisis club Northwood.
The battling home side took a narrow first-half lead in the first ever meeting between the two clubs as captain Luke Garrard ran the show from midfield. However, Halesowen made a storming start to the second-half but squandered a host of chances to find their way back with Steve Pope missing a penalty before the Woods added two late goals on the break.
Nathan Lamey surged down the right in the 6th minute but his cross was just too high for Howard Forinton. Gary Knight cleared Garrard's cross a minute later and in the 10th minute goalkeeper Dean Coleman easily collected James Shipperley's header from Dean Clark's free-kick.
Dave Haywood drove a 30-yard drive over the bar into the adjoining graveyard in the 11th minute but the hosts took a 22nd minute lead when Gavin Hart split the visiting defence to put Peter Dean free against Coleman and he crossed for CLARK to tap home in front of goal.
Five minutes later home goalkeeper Liam Watson did well to react to Forinton's back-header from Haywood's free-kick. In the next minute Garrard put Dean free again but he blasted wide from a good position ten yards out and on the half-hour Wayne Carter drilled wide of the Halesowen upright. For Halesowen, Ian Cooper volleyed over the bar and Alex Cowley's 39th minute cross was gathered by Watson. Four minutes before the break, Coleman saved after Dean was put through again and the rebound shot from Shayne Demetrious was then blocked.
Halesowen were much improved after the interval with Forinton just failing to get a strong enough header to Lamey's 46th minute cross before Watson saved from Lamey after 48 minutes. The visitors then missed a golden opportunity when Jason O'Connor pushed Forinton in the area but Steve Pope blasted the resulting penalty high over the bar. Simon Forsdick burst through in the 54th minute to set up Forinton but he struck wide from just ten yards and a minute later Lamey flashed another good chance wide. Forsdick's 63rd minute shot was then superbly blocked by Shipperley when a cross from Nick Amos was headed back across goal by Lamey. The visitors then forced two corners following a 70th minute shot from substitute Nick Smith.
But the Yeltz were then caught out on the break when Dean beat the offside trap and ran on 40 yards before rolling the ball across goal for substitute Alistair HESELTON to convert from close range. Worse followed in the 80th minute when Heselton headed on for DEAN to bury a low shot into the graveyard-end for a third goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Eight minutes from time home goalkeeper Watson was finally beaten by substitute Chris Smith but the ball cannoned off the crossbar and in the dying minutes both Pope and Knight were booked as their frustration grew.