LYE TOWN 2 SPORTING KHALSA 1: Match Report by THE MOWDOG...

Khalsa Do Lye No Favours In Grim Battle

Lye Town 2 Sporting Khalsa 1

This was a physically exhausting game for Lye, who needed the victory to return to the top of the WMPL table and Sporting Khalsa, not there to make up the numbers, were driven forward by a fine defensive performance by Captain Dan Forward, surely a name for a new cartoon superhero. Their efforts featured a truly brilliant save by their ‘keeper Kisiel Mariusz, they looked dangerous on the break at times and were verbally aided by one of their directors in the grandstand, whose non-stop verbal berating of anybody not involved with his own club made him a more valuable resource than the Holte End at Villa Park, Villa’s ‘12^th Man’… That’s the kindest way I can describe the guy’s antics! Caught on the break to trail at the interval, Lye were unable to create much at all, other than long balls forward, often cut out by Forward at the back for Khalsa. Eventually, Ben Wilkins, obscurely wearing 19, equalised after half-time, Khalsa’s Scott Sandland, if he truly was the chap wearing 8, was dismissed for a second ‘bookable’ offence, leaving his director fuming in the grandstand and of course, Ricky Anslow then finally managed to remain onside to snatch the winning goal for the Flyers. Still Khalsa battled and Lye, often with players lying hurt, like random soldiers in No Man’s Land at the Somme, somehow survived the test.

The toss...

The game began scruffily and remained so, with Ben Wilkins’ early low shot scuffing across the penalty-box for Anslow to turn onto and with Forward getting across to challenge, Mariusz dropped bravely to parry the effort. A long kick by Lye goalie Sam Pearson was turned on by James Spray for Steve Weaver on the right but after initially looking threatening, the wide-player slammed a cross-cum-shot (?) behind the goal-frame, near post. Another miscued, scuffed Wilkins shot (was he doing this to confuse the Khalsa defenders?) fell perfectly for Scott Gennard but the curse of The Badger came upon him and he too miscued, straight into the rather surprised Mariusz’s gloves, who also saved from the marauding Stu Ward, whose effort rose from the inside-right channel. Scott Sandland was busy and scurrying for the visitors and looking likely to cause damage on the left on the break and after using his hand on one occasion, made ground on the flank, only to lose possession; Pearson the home goalie took an almighty swing of the boot at the ensuing back-pass but succeeded only in slicing it just wide of his own right upright, but the hosts survived the corner.

Nearly a sunset in Lye...

An Anslow drive was blocked by Khalsa’s tough defence and the mouthy chap in the grandstand became apoplectic when the Lye officials complained that the referee’s shirt was black, like the backs of the Khalsa shirts, prompting ‘Khalsaman’ to become even more cynical: “Can’t you see the numbers on the shirts? The ref hasn’t got a number; how can you not tell?” There might have been some other, maybe foreign words within those sentences too, but for the life of me, I cannot recall what they were… If the Lye supporters were not wound up before the game, they now surely were… Hilarious. I see Coalville regularly and their shirts are also black but numbered too, and other teams also complain; it’s what you do…

Damien Whitcombe launched a long shot beyond the rusting corrugated shed roof, following a Matt Johnson corner and the guests survived two more flag-kicks, with home skipper Ben Jevons and Whitcombe again, unable to capitalise. Then, a break by Sandland on the earth-land, left, led to a pass inside for Liam Hughes, wearing 16 and he nudged it right like you do in a game of ‘Pass the Parcel’ and the rangy John Cordy struck a low first-time shot past the oddly positioned Pearson and into the Lye net from 18 yards. The ball of course rammed against the brick-wall behind the net, rebounded out and Hughes, following in, slammed the ball rather strangely against the right upright in a rather unusual unrehearsed celebration. The goal brought a bout of high-pitched laughter from the Khalsa contingent and Cordy ran across to the loud guy in the grandstand, who had clambered over the surrounding barrier and was whooping like a hyena with toothache and the two of them performed an embarrassed kind of two-fisted high-five thing. Loved it.

Cordy wonders how embarrassing his celebration had been...

Spray sent a sudden low shot at goal from 18 yards but Mariusz fell right to nudge it wide for a corner, which was again wasted by Lye, for Khalsa’s defenders, especially Forward, never backward getting forward, and Craig Radford were superb aerially. Ian Boswell, stout and strong in midfield was also attracting the loose balls, like a magnet for iron filings and Lye were resorting to hopeful boots upfield, as tactics lost their meaning. Ben Jevons drove his team on though and Anslow just failed to get onto his skipper’s flick, before the voice in the crowd nearly lost it, when striker Sam Pearson barged into Whitcombe so late that the last bus to Stourbridge had already left. A booking followed as the bellowing blagger advised the officials in no uncertain terms and allowed his rather considerable feelings to show. Great stuff!

Cordy begs the official to allow him to do the surgery...

Sandland was then late in his challenge on Johnson and he too was cautioned, something he would rue later in the match but the visitors then put together the best move of the game so far, working the ball out of defence from right to left with neat passes and Pearson drove in a shot from 20 yards, inside-left channel, which was going a few yards wide but his namesake dived right and pushed it for a corner anyway. As the half wore down, poor and careless defending by Lye was corrected by two really fine Ward challenges and the right-back surged forward but Anslow was offside again when the ball was delivered towards him. Anslow was yet again offside as he moved onto a Wilkins pass and the half ended with Khalsa gleeful and Lye disgruntled. I fielded several wayward balls from the mound behind the goal, as the Khalsa substitutes warmed up with some wayward shooting and almost immediately after the break, Lye scored the goal they so desperately needed.

This was a decent move, if you ignore the punt forward by either Jevons or Gennard, for Wilkins nodded the ball inside from inside-left to Spray, who passed left for the overlapping Johnson; Wilkins had run towards goal and met his left-back’s fine centre with his head at the near post, just in front of Mariusz and Lye had regained parity. The move had involved passing and a triangle of colleagues: it’s what you really should be attempting, despite the uneven surfaces at this level, surely?

Gennard miscued from 18 yards for Lye, goalie Pearson’s weak kick wasn’t punished by Sandland, whose shot was off target then the diminutive midfielder slid in late on the dramatic Whitcombe and was rewarded with a flash of yellow, then a flash of red, resulting in a green light to go, dismissed from the field. This really helped the hosts’ cause and soon, Whitcombe’s downward header from Gennard’s corner was blocked in front of the goalkeeper, although Boswell did launch a shot well over the home crossbar, following a long throw by left-back Reece Cotterill, whose temper was up, even starting to yell at his own ‘keeper, whilst taking another throw-in about 40 yards away from his team-mate. Spray was fed by Ward but could find no real power in his shot and Mariusz collected easily, as Forward made three heroic interceptions for his team. Then a fine move by Lye occurred at last; Johnson and Wilkins combined on the left and Anslow freed Weaver, then after stepping inside, the forward drove a rising 16 yard angled cross-shot beyond the far upright.

We could see him sneaking out...
Sandland is on his way to the chip-shop...

Nicky Campbell, I believe, replaced Khalsa’s Pearson and added some pace to the visitors’ play but from a deep free-kick by Lye’s Pearson, Spray nodded the ball on and there was Anslow, onside this time, beating the challenge of impressive right-back Jordan Uppal, to nudge a typical poacher’s finish past the advancing Mariusz and just inside the left post.

The angry Cotterill then ploughed into Gennard on the touchline and received a caution but he managed a shot for Khalsa too, after breaking infield, although the effort was wide and he really ought to have done better from the position he had found himself in. Simon Williams replaced Weaver for the hosts and the substitute headed Spray’s decent right-wing centre straight at Mariusz, almost immediately. Gennard, inside the penalty-area, was denied by a fine Radford tackle, Kev Nickle replaced Anslow for Lye and Mark Habbershaw replaced Hughes for the visitors. A lob by Khalsa landed on the roof of the Lye net, before Mariusz covered himself in glory, following a short corner between Gennard and Wilkins on the right; great positioning by Whitcombe saw him alone just 4 yards out and he must have expected to score but Mariusz threw out a left hand to divert the Lye defender’s header over his left-angle of bar and upright. A superb reaction save.

Mariusz then beat Nickle to Spray’s feed into the penalty-box, as Lye attempted to settle their nerves with a third goal and Nickle was adjudged to have committed a foul on the escaping defender by a linesman, even though the referee was closer and hadn’t spotted any infringement. Mariusz then smothered at Nickle’s feet again, as the replacement chased another Spray pass into the inside-right channel, before Boswell was cautioned for a clumsy foul as the game jumbled to a frenetic finish of misplaced passes and humped punts.

Three points were necessary for the hosts, although the visitors had really competed well, with Mariusz, Uppal, Forward and Radford especially effective and I appreciated the chat I had with Khalsa’s Mark Habbershaw in the parking-lot, after the game, for he reckoned he wanted Lye to win the league and his honesty and good manners were refreshing. Hopefully, I’ll watch one of their home games sometime this year…

Another casualty 'Lyes' awaiting attention...

Teams: (if correct on the team-sheets! Apologies for any errors…)

Lye:  Sam Pearson, Stu Ward, Matt Johnson; Damien Whitcombe, Scott Moore, Ben Wilkins; Steve Weaver, Scott Gennard, James Spray, Ricky Anslow, Ben Jevons (Capt).

Subs: Kev Nickle, Simon Williams, Jake James, Kalum Evitts, Lee Dimmock.

Khalsa:  Kisiel Maruisz, Jordan Uppal, Reece Cotterill; Craig Radford, Dan Forward (Capt), Ian Boswell; John Cordy, Scott Sandland, Kieron Northwood, Sam Pearson, Liam Hughes.

Subs:  Rob Holdcroft, Hayden Williams, Nicky Campbell, Mark Habbershaw.