The season finally got into gear for Bromsgrove Sporting on Saturday when they chalked up their first league win against a useful looking Chelmsley Town side. The visitors had the better of the play in the first 45 minutes but wilted on a warm September afternoon as the second half went on.
Presumably after seeing the usefulness of an early goal scored by England the night before, Chelmsley started at a brisk pace keeping the home side well in their own half for the first few minutes. However once Sporting had got into a rhythm and started moving the ball around, it was the blue and white team chasing shadows in their own half but Sporting could not convert their advantage into goals. Shaun Maynard will be disappointed to miss a couple of reasonable chances.
After 25 minutes, the play swung in Chelmsley's favour when Sporting 'keeper Chris Mole had to save from a poor back pass. This seems to give the home defence the jitters and they still looked nervous a couple of minutes later when Chelmsley's Scott Hewitt had plenty of time to control the ball from a corner and pull it back to Jason Powell who calmly threaded a good shot though a crowded goal area into the back of Sporting's net.
Cue for Sporting to get organised and push forward with Zach Blood and Ryan Molesworth creating the most problems for the away defence.
For the first 10 minutes after the interval, there was little between the two sides but on 55 minutes, Jamie Rogers was alleged to have been bundled over just in front of the box. Aaron Roberts stepped up to take the kick and hit it superbly to the right of Craig Blaxland for Sporting's equaliser.
A mere five minutes later and Roberts was again called into action to take a free kick on the right side of the penalty area. This time instead of going for goal, he curved it into the box to the waiting Sporting forwards and it was Shaun Maynard who got a glance into the top left hand corner.
From then onwards, legs on both sides were beginning to tire and the game got somewhat scrappy, not the least on 75 minutes when there appeared to be an 'off the ball incident' that resulted in a yellow cards for both sides.
For the last 15 minutes, Sporting had the better of the play and looked a bit fitter but despite efforts from Roberts, Blood and Woolman, the scoreline remained unchanged.
Across the 90 minutes this was a fair result. Manager Myles Day will be pleased with the outcome but will no doubt want to build on the performance and improve each department of the side.
Sporting (green & white shirts, white shorts, green socks, 4-4-2) - Chris Mole; Gareth Rogers (Sander Milicev 85 mins), Nick Allen, Richard Griffiths (capt), Chris Bright; Zach Blood, Jamie Rogers, Aaron Roberts (Neil Cooksey 90+4 mins), Ryan Molesworth (James McKeon 86 mins); Shaun Maynard, Michael Woolman. Substitutes not used: James Bradley, Stewart James
Chelmsley (sky blue/white shirts, black shorts and socks, 4-4-1-1) - Craig Blaxland; Tonn Adcock (Curtis Walters 90+1 mins), Warren Perks, Darryl Harris, Scott Parker; Mark Foster, Scott Hewitt (Reiss Francis 77 mins), James Sawyer, Phillip Wright (Michael Berry 61 mins); Jason Powell; Junior Brown.
Substitutes not used: Grant Humphries, Oliver Barton. |