Midland Football League Division One – Saturday 17th September – 3:00 p.m. kick-off
Coventry Copsewood 1 (1) Bromsgrove Sporting 3 (2) at The Pavilion
This was not a day for footballing gourmets as a scrappy and bad-tempered match was served up at the Pavilion, particularly in the second half.
Copsewood made the much better start surprising their opponents by scoring in the just the second minute when Dave Blenkinsopp received a long ball up field, dummied left-back Jack Wilson before driving an angled 14 yard shot past Chris Jay in the Bromsgrove goal.
Cue for Sporting to get organised and quickly and that they did getting the equaliser three minutes later. Jack Wilson started the move with a throw to Sean Brain well into the Copsewood half. He turned and sent an excellent shot past home keeper Dale O'Donnell only to see it ricochet off the far post but Robbie Bunn was on hand drive home the re-bound that O'Donnell got a hand to but could not make the stop.
Blenkinsop continued to make a nuisance of himself getting behind the Sporting back four and Craig Civzelis put a good free-kick just over the bar but gradually Sporting began to dominate helped in part by the succession of free-kicks given away by their opponents.
On 26 minutes Nathan Walker made good use of one of these set pieces chipping a delightful ball to an unmarked Sean Brain who really should have done better than head wide of the right hand post. Then on the 31st minute Sporting got the break they needed when Brain was fouled in the area before converting the resulting penalty for his seventh goal of the season.
Moments later Tony Clarke put his shot just over the bar whilst at the other end and just before the interval Blenkinsop should have done better than a weak shot that Jay put out for a corner.
Chrisi Conway came on for Brain 10 minutes into the second half and was immediately in action with a good shot that shaved the bar. Then Ahmed Ali will consider himself unlucky not to get on to the score sheet when his glancing header from a Robbie Bunn cross was well saved by O Donnell.
Football then appeared to take a back seat as a succession of petty fouls, bookings including a second yellow for Copsewood captain Craig Civzelis and substitutions destroyed any rhythm and tempo in the match but Sporting did manage to increase their lead on the 76th minute when Conways persistence paid off when his looping header from Aaron Roberts neat cross went over O'Donnell's head into the roof of the net.
Just before the 90 minutes were up Bunn put a good effort over the bar then with one added minute on the clock, Conway thought he had a second but O'Donnell had other ideas with an outstanding reflex save.
The drama though was not over as Copsewood staged a rare attack deep into added time. Alex Lock put an innocuous looking cross into the box that Roberts was adjudged to have handled and gained a second yellow card. Blenkinsopp took the spot kick but Jay guessed right diving to his right to make the save and that was the last kick of the match.
So Sporting get a deserved 3 points and reclaim second spot in the table but really the score line could have been greater had they converted more chances and taken more advantage of set pieces.
Copsewood: Dale O'Donnell, George Whitelaw, Stuart Adamson, Craig Civzelis (Capt.), Jack Rooney, Matty Burt, Jack Downes (Alex Lock 85 mins), Tom Dyke, Dave Akinuli (Laurence Rawlings 64 mins), Dave Blenkinsop, Dan Povey (Danny Fraser 74 mins).
Unused substitutes: Tommy Muldoon, Kyle Janes.
Goal: Dave Blenkinsopp (2 mins)
Yellows: George Whitelaw (31 mins), Tom Dyke (68 mins), Matty Burt (68 mins)
Red: Craig Civzelis (2 x yellows 57, 66 mins)
Sporting: Chris Jay, Aaron Roberts, Jack Wilson, Nathan Walker, Luke Edwards (Craig Jones 71 mins), Jake Willcox, Ahmed Ali, Robbie Bunn, Tony Clarke (Sam Wills 81 mins), Chris Lloyd, Sean Brain (Chrisi Conway 55 mins).
Scorers: Robbie Bunn (7 mins), Sean Brain (32 mins - penalty), Chrisi Conway (76 mins)
Subs not used: Keenen Meakin-Richards, Danny Ludlow.
Yellows: Sean Brain (4 mins), Jack Wilson (39 mins).
Red: Aaron Roberts (2 x yellows 38, 90+6 mins)
Referee: Mr P Crowe (Birmingham)
Assistants: Mr A Gopsill (Birmingham), Mr D Leary (Birmingham)
Weather: Warm, cloudy.
Crowd: ~ 93
Sporting MoM: Nathan Walker
Reporter: Phil Baker |