BORROWASH VICTORIA 0-5 BROMSGROVE SPORTING: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Relentless Rouslers Hound Harassed Vics 

Borrowash Victoria 0-5 Bromsgrove Sporting

(FA Vase, Round 2, played @ South Normanton)

Marauding Bromsgrove midfielder Ryan Mahon epitomised the demon ‘Harry-ca-nab’, who once hunted the Lickey Hills for wild boar, which he killed with his bare hands. His monstrous hounds, his ‘Rouslers’, with their single hairs just visible on their mist-shrouded heads, did Mahon’s bidding in this encounter, ran amok during the final half-hour of this FA Vase match and basically, tore the Borrowash prey to shreds, leaving the Vics relieved that the scoreline wasn’t even more embarrassing. Already having been denied several times during the first period, Sporting lashed home three goals in four minutes on the hour and even then used two attacking substitutes to demoralise Borrowash further but of course excite and please their astounded and pleased followers, who had braved fog, the M42, the M1 and variable speed limits to get to South Normanton. Vics had been resolute for much of the game, with central defenders Kane Jellyman and Ben Rushby stubborn and stout, whilst goalie Gary Young made some good saves but Sean Brain’s impish attacking saw him snaffle a hat-trick to please his master: the frightening, fiendish and foul Ryan ‘Harry-ca-nab’ Mahon. 

Rousler...

The toss...

An early latch onto a loose ball by home striker Danny Briscoe ended with a hurried 21 yard volley, which flew over the right angle of bar and post but Sporting adhered to the warning, rarely allowing Briscoe to get free again. The central defensive Rousler hounds, alias Smith and Jones, Scott and Craig, were as solid as brick shit-houses for the visitors and ‘keeper Jake Bedford had only a couple of saves to make. Reece Hewitt reached the left byeline for Sporting but trundled his low centre straight to Young, before the goalie turned a low Brain effort wide for a corner. The game was even enough and the contest between Jellyman and Aaron Daniels was becoming keen, critical and callous, but home forward Lee Sutton did hit a long shot, which was deflected for a right-side corner and the flag-kick delivery struck Sutton’s skull before lobbing into Bedford’s gloves under the horizontal bar. Daniels threatened on the left for Bromsgrove but when his miscued cross was turned inside the left post by the lurking Brain, an assistant’s flag signalled an offside decision to nullify the strike.

Another dangerous run on the left by Daniels, past marker Jellyman, led to a fine low centre, which beat the shaken Young, but also the supporting, sliding shoes of Will Tibbetts at the far upright. Once more Daniels ran at the home defence and cut inside from left of centre to power a fine shot from 20 yards, which Young dived left to turn away spectacularly. Brain then pushed a low centre across the penalty-box from the right but Daniels was unable to capitalise, before Vics won a right-side corner and Jellyman slipped in towards the near post, only to turn Dave Moon’s smart corner wide. Home skipper and midfielder Sam Kellogg did so well to turn away a superb deep free-kick by visiting skipper Simon Fitter and Young made a reflex save from the corner, somehow throwing out a glove to stop Smith’s goal-bound header at the far stick. The ensuing melee saw Vics survive, with Brain unable to convert in the chaos.

Fitter prepares to take a free-kick, whilst Sam Wills practises his 'Tiger Feet' dance routine for the Sporting Christmas party...
So cool, Sam...

Three Bromsgrove corners brought no reward but from the second of them, hampered and hounded ‘keeper Young simply punched the ball over his goal-frame, like he was a boxer in a fairground attraction. An overlap by Fitter on the Sporting right ended with a hard delivery drifting behind the goal-frame and the interval was signalled by a plaintive whistle. The fog was drifting about aimlessly and with Kellogg on the field of play, with my camera and video function, I actually felt like what Paul Simon once wrote about in a song: “…a Kellogg’s Cornflake, floating in a bowl taking movies…” for the ground was like a bowl at one end and I was floating in damp mist throughout the game. Ah, such is life…

Certainly not enough had been seen of Vics’ left-winger Ryan Baker but skipper Kellogg had been strong, stolid and strapping in midfield, although the home forwards had effectively been stifled by the Bromsgrove defence, with Fitter and left-back Dan Morris looking as accomplished as Smith and Jones. Sam Wills was having a quiet game for the visitors but Hewitt always had that ability to cut inside dangerously from the left, with Tibbetts busy on the opposite flank. Fitter drove way too high from a 25 yard free-kick following a foul on Wills as the second period began, after Bedford had run left to tidy up a long Vics pass, despite the raised and dangling boot of an opponent getting in his way. Tibbetts then fed Fitter for a fine right-flank cross, which Hewitt rose to nod impressively downwards but his header bounced many metres wide of the right upright. A goal was imminent and it was Hewitt who provided it, cutting in from the left flank after Young had fumbled a simple delivery moments before. The wide-man struck a vicious 16 yard drive into the roof of the net, leaving Young helpless as the ball powered into goal.

'Misty' Hewitt celebrates...

Immediately, Daniels knocked the ball forward at inside-right and Brain was clear, which was surprising in the murky conditions and the nippy forward lobbed a confident shot over the advancing ‘keeper to offer Sporting comfort in their superiority. No more than a moment later and the lead was 0-3, for Brain made a run through the centre, ignored Daniels on his right but veered left and lost possession, only for Young and a defender to collide and mess up like they were featuring in a Mr Bean episode, which Brain watched and was amused by, before latching onto the loose ball and walking it into the empty net. Three goals ahead, Sporting kept up the pace, thankfully, instead of taking a more lax approach, which kept the game alive for both teams and thus Moon fired a fine 22 yard effort at goal for the hosts, which Bedford dived right for and saved well. Bedford also excelled to get a fist to the ensuing corner in a crowd, before Tibbetts took a rest, Jozsef Jakab replaced him and soon, Hewitt was cutting inside again, only for Young to get a vital touch to a lower curling shot this time and deflect the effort onto his left upright.

0-2 and Brain has scored...

Sean Brain: great evening for him...

0-3: Brain again...

A nasty foul on Fitter led to another free-kick for Sporting but it was Vics who threatened with a low 25 yard drive by replacement Joe Ilston, which Bedford fell left to save and smartly hold onto. Danny Lennon joined the action for Bromsgrove and he was soon to leave his mark on the game but first, following a short Sporting corner, Smith’s downward header allowed Wills to turn well but his 15 yard curling effort passed by the left upright. Fitter’s fine right-side clipped pass to Lennon allowed the replacement to cut inside from the left and he fired a low curling shot past the crestfallen Young and into the right corner of the net. 0-4 and by now, Borrowash probably wanted to go home.

0-4: game out of reach for the Vics...

Lennon then passed to Wills, whose shot was stopped by the sprawling Young, only for Jakab to be ruled offside as he tapped home the rebound. Charlie Wilson replaced Wills for the guests, before the final nail was hammered into Borrowash’s evening by Brain, who followed up, after Lennon had broken clear on the left and had seen his angled shot blocked heroically by Young. Brain poked the ball into goal off a defender’s boot near the left post. There was still time for Brain to shoot low at Young and for the ‘keeper to make a fine low diving save to his right from Jakab’s 20 yard free-kick after the striker himself had been fouled.

Hat-trick: 0-5...

Aaron Daniels: deserved a goal...

The game over, Bromsgrove’s fans were justifiably elated but that period of 4 minutes, when Borrowash caved in had changed the game shockingly, despite the visitors having looked the more likely winners throughout. Decent efforts by Vics’ two Daves, Leigh and Moon, supported the skipper Kellogg well but the offensive side of their game was lacking on the night and so it was that Ryan ‘Harry-ca-nab’ Mahon took the spoils of his Rousler hounds, frowned frumpily, failed to raise more than a grim demonic smile and set off back to the Lickeys.

Me? Raced home to Solihull along a foggy M42 and guzzled a mince-pie. Well, it’s what you do… 

Scenes at the end...

Teams:

Borrowash: Gary Young, Dave Leigh, Tom Gillott; Kane Jellyman, Ben Rushby, Dave Moon; Lee Stevenson, Sam Kellogg (Capt), Lee Sutton, Danny Briscoe, Ryan Baker.

Subs: James Rushby, Joe Ilston, Lee Barrow, Matt Pearce, Thom Kellogg.

Bromsgrove:  Jake Bedford, Simon Fitter (Capt), Dan Morris; Ryan ‘Harry-ca-nab’ Mahon, Scott Smith, Craig Jones; Will Tibbetts, Reece Hewitt, Aaron Daniels, Sam Wills, Sean Brain.

Subs: Chris Sockett, Chris Duggan, Charlie Wilson, Jozsef Jakab, Danny Lennon.