KIRBY MUXLOE 1-3 LYE TOWN: match report by The Mowdog...

Lye Belie Roots By Shovelling Muxloe Aside At Ratby Lane

Kirby Muxloe 1 Lye Town 3

No-one likes Lye usually but the 60 or so spectators at Ratby Lane would have been impressed by their first-half performance against their hosts, who made a number of errors, failed to capitalise upon space on their offensive flanks and were then undone by two extremely fine left-booted strikes by the momentarily smiling Damien Whitcombe and the crafty Ricky Anslow, whose volley was stunning. The loss of central defender Stephen Lodge at the break meant visiting skipper Ben Jevons dropping into defence and Muxloe battled forward, more from embarrassment and desperation probably and although they certainly grasped more possession, confident new Lye ‘keeper Damien Stevens wasn’t really troubled, despite being beaten by Anthony Marriott’s low drive. Anslow should really have added to the scoreline and with the bustling James Spray being replaced by Steve Weaver, Lye’s offense changed, for Weaver’s play involves drifting off defenders, unlike Spray’s powerful physical confrontations, meaning a new challenge for the Kirby back-line. An opening day victory for the Flyers but home skipper Ryan Seal was unfortunate to be on the losing team.

Ben Jevons fails to display correctly formed knees at the toss...

Spray began the game with a venom like that of Luis Suarez, minus the incisors, and was spoken to twice by the referee, one time with Jevons in attendance, but no card was shown; then home striker Aaron Love appeared to hack at Lye’s Simon Williams, who was sporting a beard which could get him a spot on England’s cricket team as an off-spinner, and with Matt Johnson looking down at his injured comrade like a copper on Broad Street in Birmingham when the clubs turn out the drunks, a yellow card was shown to the Kirby forward, who certainly hadn’t displayed any obvious malice, like the drunks on Broad Street. Lye, and Whitcombe in particular, couldn’t have been offered a better gift of their own when they were awarded a free-kick 20 yards from the Muxloe goal and the Lye defender rubbed his hands, smirked a smirk and curled a left-footer round hefty Muxloe goalie Warren Butlin, whose afternoon would certainly be no holiday camp.

These might be congratulations for Whitcombe but more likely a few thumps for him, cuz he never stops moaning...

That was a fine strike by Whitcombe, reminding me somewhat of the Coalville left-back Cameron Stuart’s regularly successful free-kick shots, but after Spray skewed a centre across the goalmouth from inside-right, things got worse for the hosts when a clipped pass from Pugh towards Anslow saw Butlin charge from goal like an enraged bull but get baulked by the otherwise impressive defender Sam Surridge, who hooked the ball high; the yellow sphere fell to the lurking Spray, some 25 yards out and he clipped a measured finish into the left corner of the net, with Butlin struggling to get back and also across, to execute a save.

0-2 and Spray is in there somewhere...

A couple of fine challenges by Whitcombe, surely benefiting from the confidence of a decent ‘keeper behind him, were followed by a better effort from Spray from 25 yards, which Butlin fell right to save well, turning the ball aside for safety, which Stevens also did when home striker McIntosh, well prepared for the rain before the game, latched onto a pass at inside-left, only for the Lye ‘keeper’s faint touch to the low strike to divert it away for a right-wing corner. Stevens touched this flag-kick straight onto the glistening skull of Whitcombe, who was as cool as a skunk in a basket of grass snakes, as he allowed the ball to bounce from his head into the waiting arms of his smiling goalie.

The referee explains that he wants to use the striker's name to mark out where free-kicks should be taken and where defensive walls should line up.
James Spray seems unimpressed.

The clattered Williams searches in vain for three missing hairs from his voluminous beard...

Lye’s Matt Johnson was tucking in from left-back and without the support of Williams a couple of times, home full-back David Wesseldine caused a little concern on the overlap but on the opposite side of the field, winger Pradeep Bahrey was being fed by sweeping and accurate long passes from his skipper, Seal, although Bahrey failed to put the seal on his final deliveries too often. Dan Jones was actually marking the winger well and enjoyed a good game for Lye but Jevons was also threatening for the guests, making runs forward and nodding one Johnson corner too high. A smart Whitcombe free-kick to inside-left and Williams, led to a quick turn by the whiskered one but his shot was weak then Williams drove another shot, following a combination between Nicky Pugh, who was as busy as a workhorse turning a millwheel, and Anslow but Williams’ effort took a deflection and ricocheted off the left upright too, which led to a trademark Lye corner routine.

Bearded Worcestershire off-spinner & baseball pitcher Simon Williams of Lye...

After returning to the field of play, the referee caught Damien Whitcombe's leg too, resulting in another 24 minutes of moaning and yelling...

Johnson’s short corner found Whitcombe running towards the left edge of the penalty-box but his shot was blocked well; he then hooked the rebound into the middle, Spray failed to get a solid header on the ball, which flew towards the far post, where Anslow rehearsed a volley he would perfect a little later, only this practice-shot rose well over the crossbar. Butlin panicked and threw an unnecessary fist at a cross when no Lye or Muxloe player was near and Seal’s pass to McIntosh led to a fine Jevons tackle, from which Bahrey skied a hurried shot from 25 yards. With Wesseldine and Bahrey lively on the flanks, Seal directing traffic in midfield and Surridge defending with aplomb, Muxloe passed the ball promisingly on occasions but the harassment of Pugh and Jevons, plus Sheffield’s steel were keeping the Flyers in the ascendancy.

Jevons grits his teeth...

A fine move by Lye, which ended with Williams finding a pass for Johnson on the overlap, saw another Anslow volley deceive the home defenders into thinking that if he couldn’t find the target with his right foot, what price the left? And so, just to confound the hosts, after Williams had produced a shoulder-charge and been allowed to play on, leaving Wesseldine crumpled inside the Lye penalty-area like a distressed shirt, and Anslow and Spray had messed up the next opportunity on the break, Lye won the first of two right-flank corners. Johnson’s first delivery was nudged at by Whitcombe and Jevons, there was an appeal for hands used by a defender and Butlin chased the ball to prevent another corner, but in vain. Johnson’s next centre took a slight touch off Stephen Lodge’s head and dipped on beyond the far post, where Anslow simply volleyed the ball with a venomous left boot; the ball rose and fell like a javelin thrown by a Finnish athlete, smashed against the inside of the right upright and cannoned into the net. A brilliant goal to end the opening half.

0-3: Anslow...

Ricky Anslow, left, seems pleased with his goal...

The terrifying sight of a more than serious Scott Gennard appeared during the break, for he would replace Lodge, despite being in recovery from a calf injury himself but Muxloe had to engender some offense, or sink without trace and after Sheffield, bearded but not like Williams, who would walk into any baseball team as a pitcher with that facial hair, conceded a corner with a good tackle, Danny Eden, who played well after the interval for the home team, headed Seal’s corner over the bar. Spray and home defender Sam Wilson were about as friendly as Villa and Birmingham fans sharing a space shuttle, so when Wilson’s challenge on Spray, as the striker drove in a near post effort from 15 yards on the left side of the 18 yard box and Butlin fell to save, the pair might have said things like: “Gosh, my fine chap, you’re not hurt are you?” Or they might not have said that at all.

The scary Scott Gennard rolls up his sleeves...

...and gets his shorts caught on the mesh behind the goal.
Maybe.

McIntosh, a little lost in the sunshine, did manage a left-footer well off target but although Muxloe were securing more possession, they were still seemingly incapable of taxing Stevens in the Lye goal, until Love fastened onto the ball on the left, moved inside and passed smartly for Marriott to run onto his serve and the midfielder’s first-time low shot careered off Stevens’ lower limbs and whipped into the bottom right corner of the net.

At last, something to cheer about for Kirby Muxloe...

Steve Weaver replaced Spray at this juncture and offered a different aspect in attack and to be fair, he won a fair share of aerial balls too. A late challenge by McIntosh earned the Kirby striker a caution, then he piled a low delivery across the goalmouth, with no support in evidence. A deft Weaver flick sent Anslow clear at inside-left to finish the job but fair play to Butlin, he was off his goal-line quickly and managed to snuff out the chance. Another opportunity fell to the visitors, with Muxloe getting no real change from the Whitcombe-inspired Lye defence and this time a deflection allowed Anslow and Weaver to break with a single defender between them but Anslow’s pass, with all due respect, was horrendous, leaving Weaver as annoyed as a sea-bather who has trodden on a fish of the same name as the Lye substitute on a Cornish beach. Williams’ last action before he left the field to comb his whiskers, was to lose possession but Love hated his own finish, which sliced past the right angle of bar and post from 18 yards, inside-right channel. Kalum Evitts replaced the winger and stayed on the left-flank, as if he was rehearsing for an afternoon’s tightrope walking, Sheffield was cautioned for his lack of facial hair, or possibly a foul and Love drove another wild effort wide for Kirby.

Steve Weaver (15) brought a different aspect to the Lye offense...

Damien Whitcombe (4) tries to think of something to have a moan about...

The final chances fell to Lye, surprisingly, for the hosts, for all their better passing in the second period and with Marriott far more of an influence in midfield, had failed to grab a second goal to make the final stages interesting; first Evitts’ skills on the touchline carried on, despite a trip, then also on the byeline, for he was well into lines on the day and he was awarded the free-kick as he tumbled naturally, unlike Arjen Robben of 10 metre diving platform fame. Eventually, following the free-kick, Weaver drove high and wide. Butlin then allowed a back-pass to roll perilously towards that same byeline and in truth, I believe the ball rolled out, but his tardiness resulted in a hurried fly-kick travelling a short distance to Sheffield, some 30 yards out but the midfielder’s effort at goal dropped over the frame and the match yawned to a finish.

Lye celebrations...

Surridge, Wilson, Eden, Seal and Marriott kept the Muxloe flame alight, with less effective contributions from Wesseldine and Bahrey but the gang-tackling by Lye’s midfielders was critical, leaving the constantly complaining Whitcombe to lead his defence like a modern day Attila the Hun, knowing that behind him was a calm ‘keeper in Stevens. Brilliant goals were scored by Whitcombe and the inconsistent Anslow but the skipper Jevons did so well to inspire his team to a comfortable first-day victory.

Ricky Anslow, right:
what a goal!

I drove home to attend the engagement party of Chester manager Steve Burr’s son and I told Steve about Anslow’s goal; yet although he is never one to read about football, or go on websites, etc, on this occasion he reckoned he would take a peep at the video of it via my blog… I hope he does...  

Teams:

Kirby Muxloe:  Warren Butlin, David Wesseldine, Danny Eden; Sam Surridge, Dan Sheahan, Sam Wilson; Anthony Marriott, Ryan Seal (Capt), Aaron Love, Nathaniel McIntosh, Pradeep Bahrey.

Subs: Ash Allen, Luke Winfield, Lee Tyers.

Lye Town:  Damien Stevens, Dan Jones, Matt Johnson; Damien Whitcombe, Stephen Lodge, Nicky Pugh; Simon Williams, Robin Sheffield, James Spray, Ricky Anslow, Ben Jevons (Capt).

Subs: Scott Gennard, Kalum Evitts, Steve Weaver, Steve Bull, Andrew Wells.