UTTOXETER TOWN 1-1 BROMSGROVE SPORTING: match report by The Mowdog...

Uttoxeter On the Rails, As Sporting Manage Dead-Heat

Uttoxeter Town 1 Bromsgrove Sporting 1

This clash of two in-form teams was memorable for two missed penalties, a somewhat harsh dismissal, goalkeeping errors and excellent saves, a defensive stand that the Romans at Stramshall nearby would have been proud of by the hosts, a rainbow and a pouring forth of Bromsgrove attackers in an attempt to salvage at least one goal. They did so, in added time, bringing a degree of drama to the encounter too. I stood in fine rain for some of the first-half, minus a hat, a reminder that Samuel Johnson once did so in Uttoxeter too, as a penance, for when he was young he had refused to help out at his father’s bookstall in the town’s market. I felt an affinity with him at last, more so than when I was bored to death at school, having to read Boswell’s accounts of Johnson’s life. Uttoxeter also saw the final major surrender of Royalist troops in the Civil War, in 1648 and at the death in this match, Town surrendered to Bromsgrove too and parity was restored.

Standing on one leg catching flies seems easy @ Uttoxeter...

The kick-off was unusual, for the Rouslers’ Sam Wills hooked a long ball towards the speedy Aaron Daniels on the left flank, who forced goalie Alex Langridge to race right and head the ball into touch. Surely the earliest in a game that a goalie has ever headed the ball? Neat pressure by the visitors ended with a shot on the turn by Chris Conway from 15 yards, after Reece Hewitt had headed down Will Tibbetts’ right-side centre, but Langridge reacted well on his goal-line and dived low to turn the ball away. A clever free-kick trick by Wills and Tibbetts on the right ended with a melee in the home penalty-box, then a long Simon Fitter clearance found Tibbetts again, who passed inside to Hewitt but the attacker drove a decent opportunity high and wide from 19 yards. Daniels fed Hewitt from a left-wing corner and the resulting low delivery towards the near post nearly caught out the ‘keeper, who was forced to drop and smother the ball for another corner. Another long Fitter clearance caused Town more defensive consternation and it was fortunate that their central defenders, Lee Bagley and Doug Price were in belligerent moods on the day. Wills then blasted a 30 yard volley off target.

Simon 'Quick' Fitter's humour amuses James Curley but failed to impress the serious officials...

After another Wills shot flew wide from distance, I remembered that Uttoxeter too had forwards and on their first sortie forward, they scored, although credit for the assist should maybe go to Bromsgrove goalie Jake Bedford, wearing 13 and suffering ill-luck. The fairly aimless cross from the right he moved out to catch was so mundane that I didn’t even switch on the camera to video the incident but striker James Curley ran forward and jumped in front of the goalie as he raised a pair of gloves to make the simple catch. Curley’s nod lobbed the ball into the empty net and with the concession of that goal, Sporting’s ascendancy and confidence began to suffer.

Head down, Sowter has missed a penalty...

Matt Redshaw showed neat skills and pace for Town but dropped a centre over the goal-frame but the game could, and should have been over when Liam Sowter fell under a Bromsgrove challenge to earn a penalty, which he took himself. Bedford watched with interest as Sowter lifted a right-footed spot-kick beyond the upper part of the left upright. A bad miss. Conway was then shoved in the back by a home defender and that was the point when Sporting’s general attitude became less than er, sporting. Daniels was caught offside on the left flank and suddenly there was a little hustle and bustle between players, as if someone had been copying someone else’s homework and after the rather staid referee had finished pointing and beckoning, frowning and gesticulating, he cautioned both Langridge and Daniels, before awaiting the presence of Rousler Ryan Mahon, who had been rather vociferous in complaints since the goal had been shipped, and he too was offered a yellow card. No surprise there.

A little scuffle...

Wills and Conway combined, before Price was cautioned for the hosts and then Daniels’ bobbling shot bounced past the left stick. A long Price free-kick looked ominous for Bromsgrove again, for their defensive aerial prowess was proving to be poor on the day and Curley’s challenging header saw tall skipper Martin Gadsby rise for the loose ball but nod his attempt too high, beating the flailing Bedford to it, although the Uttoxeter man had already been flagged offside. Not a great Gadsby header… Tibbetts was then dispossessed a couple of times and credit must go to Uttoxeter for their pressing of their opponents and Olly Ritchie at left-back was sticking to his task well against the nippy winger. Fitter’s simple back-pass to Bedford led to a delay in clearing by the shaken goalie and his kick smacked against Redshaw but wide of the goal, fortunately. Bagley was launching himself into tackles like a demon infantryman, ignorant of German machine guns all around him in the trenches of the Somme but when Fitter blocked the path of Curley, 19 yards out, surely a booking was due? Even Fitter seemed abashed but again, Town wasted the free-kick opportunity, for Sowter shot against Hewitt in the Sporting defensive wall. Another fly-kick by Bedford struck an opponent and he was fortunate that the rebound flew away from goal, yet Bromsgrove were finding headed clearances tough to make against Curley, despite the fact that the striker was not a tall guy by any means.

No surprise to see the combative Ryan Mahon (6) involved in a skirmish...

Langridge rose to catch a right-side Bromsgrove corner but somehow dropped the ball and in the chaos which followed, Wills was felled by Gadsby, who had launched himself like a wrestler across a ring and the referee had no alternative but to offer Wills a penalty. Wills took it, side-booted a left-footer towards the left upright but Langridge redeemed himself, diving low to his right to make a good save, before Daniels’ rebound effort rose over the goal-frame. Finally, Uttoxeter put together a good offensive move and Kyle Elspin’s run from midfield ended with a neat threaded pass to Curley at inside-right but Bedford dived left superbly to keep out the striker’s accurate drive from 15 yards. Gadsby won a header from a right-wing centre but the effort was wayward and the half ended with a wild Tibbetts shot, which was a long way wide of the target. Bromsgrove had attacked fairly well early on, although Daniels could possibly have been more of a threat in a more central role but Uttoxeter’s excellent pressing work had nullified Tibbetts to an extent and Wills was again performing from very deep and only affected the game intermittently. Conway was unable to beat Bagley aerially but worked hard in attack. Town’s offensive play had been disappointing in truth, although Curley and Redshaw were threats, despite their team’s lack of midfield and wide creativity on the day. Goalkeeper Langridge was holding his own.

Tibbetts was penalised for pulling Bagley back, as he chased a long Fitter pass and even then rolled his weak shot wide but Wills exploded onto a headed clearance, took a touch left and drove a left-footer at goal from 21 yards but Langridge dived well to his left and beat the ball behind for a fruitless corner. Hewitt was too late to challenge home right-back Mark Springall fairly and hurt the defender, yet escaped a deserved caution, before the ensuing Langridge free-kick flew straight to Fitter, 60 yards out but the defender’s hopeful shot drifted a long way wide. A neat interchange between Daniels and Tibbetts ended with the latter’s centre from the left byeline but Conway, unmarked for once beyond the far post could only head the ball into the side-netting, although he claimed a corner. He didn’t get one. Springall was unable to continue and Harry Price replaced him, before Conway’s neat pass led to the more central Daniels rushing towards the 18 yard line, although his hurried shot rolled past the left upright. Out of the blue, Hewitt and Sowter went into a challenge and the Town man was instantly dismissed by the main official, although the decision was oddly emotional for rather a low-key referee.

Fitter (4) is probably smiling about not receiving a caution...

Sowter is dismissed and Fitter asks him: "Have a pee for me..."
Maybe.

Already on top, Sporting now went for the kill, but their best attempts constantly came to nought. Jack Wilson, who had replaced Chris Sockett at left-back in this game for the Rouslers, then delivered the first of four wasteful deliveries from the left; one went straight to Langridge and the next three, to his own annoyance, drifted over the goal-frame, despite being untroubled by a marker. Jozsef Jakab replaced Conway for the visitors, Langridge collected a low 25 yard effort from Daniels, Chris Duggan’s long shot was deflected by the home defence, then Wills fed Wilson, whose effort flew, as I mentioned earlier, too high. Lewis Clarke and Sean Brain were sent on in place of Wills and Hewitt, although I wondered whether Wills’ left boot deliveries might have been useful from left wingback, for Wilson’s inaccuracy was continuing. Brain, Clarke and Jakab worked the ball to Wilson for another wayward release, a 12 yard Tibbetts shot, following Clarke’s head-on, appeared to strike Jakab’s back and deflect across the goalmouth and then, as the drama increased, Bedford’s punt was mistakenly headed backwards by Gadsby into Jakab’s path at inside-right but from 10 yards, the not-too-cleanly struck volley beat Langridge but was brilliantly hacked away from the goal by the agile Doug Price, with Brain lurking just 2 yards out.

Wilson’s next off-target delivery preceded two home substitutions: Jon Littler for Ritchie and George Marshman for Olly Mellor, then Jakab’s poor centre led to a wild Fitter strike from 35 yards. Still Sporting laboured to score, still Uttoxeter battled to prevent them and Langridge went down to hold onto a 25 yard drive from Fitter well. Brain showed clever feet to cut inside from the left past two defenders but his shot was weak and wide, then Scott Smith glanced a header off-target from a Fitter cross and a Brain shot was deflected for the alert Langridge to fall upon and gather, lying on top of the ball like he’d recovered a fumble from an NFL quarterback. Just when it seemed that Town had weathered the worst of what the Rouslers could rustle up, Mahon fed Daniels to his left and the forward stuttered his step-overs to unsettle Doug Price en route to the left byeline, from whence the ensuing low centre was struck goalwards by Mahon from 6 yards, only for Langridge to block it really well. For once though, the rebound favoured the guests and Mahon bundled the ball into the left corner of the net from a yard or two, after continuing his forceful run. Cue delirious celebrations…

1-1, but why does Aaron Daniels (foreground) remind me of Darius Vassell so much?

The game ended immediately after the restart but Uttoxeter had defended so well and had even left two attackers upfield, meaning that Sporting were not able to add even more bodies to the attacking cause but credit must go to Langridge, Doug Price and the bandit-like Bagley for keeping their team alive for so long. I liked their strikers, although I’d like to see more of them but Daniels and Tibbetts for the Rouslers will prove handfuls for most defences at this level. Sporting’s defensive weaknesses aerially were not exploited at all after the interval and it really was a matter of time before Bromsgrove struck. Mahon loved the moment, Langridge jumped up and down like Dennis the Menace in a flap in The Beano and Wills, after his penalty-miss, would surely have breathed a sigh of relief in the dugout…

I drove home via Branston, avoiding the M6 pickle and later enjoyed those Saturday eggs and chips… It’s what I do. 

Teams:  

Uttoxeter:  Alex Langridge, Mark Springall, Olly Ritchie; Liam Sowter, Doug Price, Lee Bagley; Martin Gadsby (Capt), Kyle Elspin, James Curley, Matt Redshaw, Olly Mellor.

Subs: Jack Holley, George Marshman, Jon Littler, Harry Price, Ross Bould.

Bromsgrove:  Jake Bedford, Chris Duggan, Jack Wilson; Simon Fitter, Scott Smith (Capt), Ryan Mahon; Will Tibbetts, Reece Hewitt, Chris Conway, Sam Wills, Aaron Daniels.

Subs: Chris Sockett, Craig Jones, Lewis Clarke, Jozsef Jakab, Sean Brain.