The Athium Midland Football Combination Division 1
10th September 2011 3 p.m.
Bromsgrove Sporting 4 (1) v (0) 1 Stretton Eagles
Bromsgrove Sporting bounced back from their midweek defeat with a win by a convincing scoreline against high flying Stretton Eagles. After their midweek defeat coach Stuart Brighton shuffled his resources and brought in Neil Cooksey and Richard Griffiths as his centre back partnership, moving Martin Keight to a holding midfield role. Also missing after Tuesday were Kevin Banner, Danny Lismore and the unlucky Adam Humphries with skipper Jamie Rogers also dropped to the bench with Lismore. Sporting set about their task well and looked solid against a quite physical Stretton outfit. Sporting had a golden opportunity to open the scoring on 18 minutes as Zac Blood centred from the left but the unmarked Odane Barnes contrived to head over an open goal. Shortly after, Chris Bright fired just over the angle as he found half a yard of space inside the area.
On 38 minutes Sporting went ahead after some quick thinking as Jon Rogers was fouled on half way and Joe Brookes swept a great ball across the field for Chris Bright who knocked a cross to the far post for Jon Rogers to pick his spot with a header past the despairing keeper Beeston.
Sporting's defence remained solid for the rest of the half except for a moment on 44 minutes when Griffiths was caught on the ball and earned himself a booking trying to retrieve possession as he pulled back the Stretton forward who had just robbed him.
Half-time Bromsgrove Sporting 1 v 0 Stretton Eagles
Stretton came out for the second half determined to get back on terms and with two substitutions at the interval, started to dominate possession although a tame Zac Blood shot was cleared off the Stretton goalline. Stretton then came close as Sporting keeper Biddle blundered in his area and was dispossessed but fortunately the ball ran out of play before Stretton could take advantage. The equaliser came on 72 minutes as Sporting's backline were manoeuvred out of position and Phil Weldon ran through to side foot past Biddle. Stretton looked the more likely to go on and win but Sporting rang the changes as Siviter came on for Jon Rogers who had taken a knock and Danny Lismore replaced Chris Bright. In the end it was Sporting who went on to win as Stretton hadn't reckoned on the pace of Barnes as he first of all nipped in to take a Joe Brookes through ball round the hesitant Beeston to put Sporting 2-1 up on 83 minutes. Then he took another through ball into the channel from Brookes to the goal line before looking up and playing a perfectly weighted pass for Nick Harris to tap home.
Finally, on 90 minutes he dispossessed a Stretton defender on the edge of the box and hit a rasping shot which came back to him off the cross bar and he volleyed his second and Sporting's fourth. After a couple of minutes injury time the referee blew for time and saved the now dispirited Eagles any further punishment.
Sporting Team; Biddle, Keight (Rogers Jamie 83) , Rogers G, Cooksey, Griffiths, Bright (Lismore 75), Brookes, Harris, Barnes, Rogers Jon (Siviter 72), Blood. Subs not used; Allen, Molesworth. Booked: Griffiths 44
Stretton Eagles; Beeston, Crowe, Mander, Freeman (Shepherd A 46), Watson, Easton, Ellerton (Walkman 80), Shepherd M (Pickering 46), Chadfield, Wayte, Wheildon. Booked: Wayte 45. Sporting Man of the Match: Odane Barnes |