MATCH PREVIEW: GLADES FC v CLAVERDON FC...

 Preview: Glades FC v Claverdon FC…

25th April 2024…

Setting the scene…

This Birmingham & District Football League Division 1 clash might well decide which team finishes as champions, with league leaders Glades in a strong position, needing only a point to pip second placed visitors Claverdon to the title.

Each team plays 14 matches during the season and this contest is Glades’ last, having won 10 of 13 games so far. A pair of draws and a loss means a total of 32 points and a goal-difference of +34.

Claverdon have won 8 of 12 games, so they have to beat Glades to stand any chance of snatching the title. A pair of draws and 2 losses have helped them to amass 26 points but their goal difference is their real problem, even if they win at Glades. It stands at +23 at present and so the target for them this week must be two wins and a glut of goals…

However, Claverdon won the Senior Cup on Tuesday evening, beating Kingston Alliance 0-1 at Boldmere St Michaels, courtesy of a Tommy Williams goal.

League form…  

Both teams have won their last three league matches but in the previous game between the two clubs on 16th September they drew 3-3 at Claverdon’s ground.

On 30th March Glades won 2-5 at Hall Green Sports Club with a brace of goals by Brad Barclay and a Cam Ford hat-trick, before visiting Kingshurst Pavilions on April 6th, where they were successful by 3-5. Another Ford hat-trick, a goal for Barclay and an 89th minute strike by Josh Parkinson did the trick.  

Last time out on 20th April saw a 2-0 home win v Benson Cresconians, where once again Barclay and Ford netted. 

According to the Full-Time website, Ford currently leads the scorers with 23 for the season, whilst Barclay has notched 17.

Claverdon won 2-4 at Hall Green Sports Club on 23rd March, where the team’s MVP Harry Bedford netted a brace, added to by goals from Jamie Robinson and Dan Sill. Next came a 4-0 home success v Village B on 13th April, the goals being notched by Owen Bennett, Alex Litwinko, Rory Nicholson and Sill, whilst Josh Farr was nominated the team’s MVP.

Their most recent league outing on 20th April was the return fixture at Village B, where Claverdon won 1-3, courtesy of goals by Farr, Nicholson and substitute Williams.

Leading goalscorer according to the FullTime website is currently Sill with 17, followed by Jamie Robinson with 10.

Returning to Glades…

Having watched matches involving Hampton FC and Leamington Hibs in Field Lane, Solihull during past seasons, I always wondered whether I would make a return to Glades…

The only time I have seen Glades play at their Lugtrout Lane base was as ‘FC Glades Sporting' in the MCL Division 1 in April 2013, a 1-4 loss to Alvis Sporting Club. However I did see FC Glades Sporting lose 0-6 to Coventry United in 2015, a match played at Earlswood Town’s ground. 

The image shows Rowe scoring a consolation headed goal for Glades v Alvis…

I saw Claverdon win a cup-tie 1-4 at Kingshurst Pavilions in February this year and the image below shows Sill netting his team’s third goal from a Jamie Robinson assist.

The Glades view…

Glades Chairman & Manager Paul Donlon jotted a few words down about the club and has given me permission to reproduce them here. He and Secretary Mark Finnegan have been at the club for 16 years…

“I’m expecting and hoping for a tight game (that goes in our favour of course!)

This is our second season since we committed to Saturdays and we won Division 4 last season. We were then promoted to Division 1 and next season it will be the Premier Division for us, so I’m proud of the players. 

I’m the Manager of the open-age team, and the Chairman of the club (a case of sticking my hand up years ago when we formed the committee.) We have teams from the under 7s age group upwards, with around 300 players in all.”  

Images below are from my 2013 visit...

The final words…

The encounter should be a decent watch this evening and coverage, as ever, will be found on my blog at themowdog.blogspot.com from tomorrow morning…

Pete Ray...

ALCESTER TOWN 0-1 AFC COVENTRY RANGERS: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT REPORT + A DOZEN SCREENSHOTS...

 Romans Held Off By Rangers’ Defensive Wall…

Alcester Town 0-1 AFC Coventry Rangers

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

This was a physical encounter won by a single and rather early goal by visiting skipper Jordan Powell. The guests also lost two starters early on, for Charlie Hynam left the field not long after the start, then left-back Toby Curran was scythed down by home defender Brad Hendry, a foul which left the Ranger unable to continue. Interestingly, both Rangers’ replacements, Phil Chesters and Ryan Alexander contributed hugely to the stubborn performance by their team and prevented Town taking even one point from the match.

CURRAN GOES DOWN...

...& LOOKS PAINFUL...

The hosts were well served by their number 10, the scheming Chris Dyson, whose performance was one of the highlights of the contest and he was ably assisted by Adam Bourne on offense and skipper Dan Sutton in midfield. The Romans certainly had more attempts at goal but their finishing wasn’t accurate enough on several occasions and AFC goalminder Declyn Duggan made a few goal-line saves. 

Coventry were reliant upon a powerful four-man defence, made up of the calm Chesters, the defiant James Ritson, the uncompromising George Swain and the busy Owen Suddick. Skipper Powell was always prominent in midfield however and also aerially, whilst Alexander pounded the trenches with a hugely influential showing. Striker Connoll Farrell held the ball up well on offense and was able to make a few smart turns to get to the left byeline during the opening 45. 

Rangers were actually denied two more goals. The first incident brought a fine save from a Powell header by home gloveman George Harris, then in the final moments, a free-kick from downtown by substitute Harry Wilson smacked against the home goal-frame.

The good Rangers start & Alcester’s eventual response…

A move on the left by Andy Matthews led to a short pass inside to Farrell who turned defender Tristan Roberts and shoved a dangerous low delivery across the home goalmouth from the byeline. Aaron Xavier hurried to clear left-footed for Town which caused him to slice the ball straight to the unmarked Powell, 15 yards out. The Coventry skipper’s low shot was deflected slightly upwards, I reckon by Roman Luke Wyatt, causing the ball to rise past Harris then Hendry on the goal-line and fly high into the left side of the net. 0-1 and the only goal of the match had been scored…

FARRELL'S LOW ASSIST...

...POWELL'S SHOT...

...& THE BALL HITS THE ALCESTER NET...

The response from Alcester was due mainly to the efforts of Dyson and Sutton, whilst Bourne also became more active but before Ranger Pete Bailey shot into the side-netting, Hendry shoved Swain in the back at the right stick and looped a header across goal which nudged against the far angle of crossbar and upright before the ball was cleared. No infringement was spotted by the main official and as the ball was cleared by Rangers, Hendry then fouled Curran, as described above.

HENDRY'S HEADER (2ND FROM RIGHT) HAS NUDGED THE FAR ANGLE...

An awkward near post leaning header by Dan Wood caused a problem for Duggan but he was able to smother it out for a corner, a James Ward shot was well blocked and hence deflected over the target, a centre by Xavier nearly caught Duggan out and he was forced to turn the ball away, before another leaning near post header, this time by Ward was smuggled past the upright by Duggan’s smart reactive save. 

DUGGAN TIPS AWAY XAVIER'S CROSS...

DUGGAN SAVES FROM WARD...

...& WOOD...

Powell’s header was then saved by Harris and the half ended with Rangers unwilling to surrender an equaliser.

POWELL'S HEADER WOULD BE TIPPED OVER THE CROSSBAR BY HARRIS...

Bookends… 

The bookends were two AFC attacks, whereby Bailey dipped a volley too high from 20 yards and the lively Wilson’s fine free-kick from 25 yards curled against the left angle of crossbeam and vertical pole.

WILSON PREPARES TO SMASH A FREE-KICK AGAINST THE LEFT ANGLE...

In between the bookends, Alcester battled on and really ought to have made some of the pressure exerted count but in truth, Ritson, Swain, Suddick and Chesters held firm for AFC, often helped out by the spirited efforts of Alexander and the heading ability of Powell. 

Chances were made by the Romans however and after a 25 yard free-kick by Ward had flown too high, Bourne missed a good chance, firing over the target from 6 yards, before Sutton drove too high, Duggan smothered a shot from distance by Dyson past his left stick and Wood bent forth to nod an effort well over the crossbar.

BOURNE HAS LIFTED A FINE CHANCE OVER THE TARGET...

The final words…

The Romans will feel that losing this contest was very unfortunate, for it was a tough game throughout which kept up its intensity until the final moments. Certainly Swain, Powell and Alexander shone for the visitors, although when Alpha Wurie joined the fray, his left boot seemed overheated, as a couple of shots and a cross were launched into a virtual orbit of the Rivers Arrow and Alne…

Despite all of the impressive approach work, engineered by Dyson, Bourne and Sutton in particular, it proved to be not enough for Alcester to dent Rangers’ obstinacy.

Thus the Romans were unable to breach their adversary’s defensive lines… Maybe time to catapult the attackers Ballista, Onager and Scorpion into their final matches…

Thanks for the welcome, Alcester…

ALCESTER TOWN 0-1 AFC COVENTRY RANGERS: 23 IMAGES WITH CAPTIONS FROM THE GAME... (ALL IMAGES IN VIDEO FORM + MUSIC + THE GOAL CLIP, NOW AT MY FB PAGE, Peter Ray...)

 

NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY LEAP-FROG...

POWELL IS POISED FOR ANOTHER MIDFIELD HEADING DUEL...

DUGGAN IS ABOUT TO BE CAUTIONED FOR TIME-WASTING LATE ON...

CUTTS (LEFT): A LATE REPLACEMENT, HAD A GOAL DISALLOWED FOR OFFSIDE THEN WAS FLATTENED BY TOWN GOALIE HARRIS...

A THOUGHTFUL TOWN BENCH...

RANGERS CELEBRATE THE ONLY GOAL...

HARRIS & HIS PINK APPAREL...

DYSON, LEFT: A FINE GAME FOR HIS TEAM...

POWELL (10): INSTRUMENTAL IN RANGERS' VICTORY...

SUTTON (4 IN RED) WAS INDUSTRIOUS & EFFECTIVE FOR THE ROMANS...

HENDRY WAS BOOKED FOR A WILD CHALLENGE ON RANGERS' CURRAN, WHO WOULD BE HELPED FROM THE FIELD INJURED...

POWELL, LEFT, SCORED WITH AN EARLY DEFLECTED DRIVE... 

DUGGAN PERHAPS WONDERS WHICH SET OF GOALS HE'S DEFENDING IN THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT...

CURRAN REALLY WAS HURT...

CURRAN (FOREGROUND) WAS ONE OF TWO EARLY DEPARTURES FOR COVENTRY, FOR HYNAM HAD ALREADY BEEN SUBSTITUTED... 

FARRELL (BLUE): HELD UP THE BALL WELL AND MADE SEVERAL SMART TURNS IN POSSESSION...

MATTHEWS (11) SET UP FARRELL TO ASSIST POWELL FOR THE ONLY GOAL...

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING POWELL...

CUTTS CUT DOWN...

'KEEPER DUGGAN: NEAT WARDROBE...

ROBERTS & FARRELL...

DO I REALLY SEE A PORTALOO?

BOURNE: LIVELY ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS FOR THE ROMANS...