THURNBY NIRVANA 2-1 BROMSGROVE SPORTING: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Bromsgrove Falter On Flinders’ Field

Thurnby Nirvana 2-1 Bromsgrove Sporting

(FA Vase Round 3)

Liam Canavan proves that with his hairstyle, one can make a dramatic entrance to a game without the need for a parachute...

Friends at the moment...

This week-end has celebrated the World War One Christmas Truce football match, so it was fitting that a goalkeeper, a glabrous (shaven haired), dark-bearded, Tim-Howard-of-Everton-lookalike fellow called Flinders, not quite Flanders, should save the day for higher-ranked Thurnby Nirvana against the Rouslers from Bromsgrove. This was a strange game to watch, almost like the undulating flight of a Redpoll in my garden. Both teams dominated for short periods, then almost like during a fencing duel between a pair of Musketeers, backed off too. Sporting will feel hard done by, for they overcame a poor start to force their hosts to switch off, looking every bit a worthy opponent but after equalising following the interval, misses by Sean Brain, Chris Conway and Reece Hewitt, courtesy of James Flinders’ saves, offered Nirvana the chance to sneak a winner, which they did, via a deflection, although to be fair, the irrepressible Reece Morris had struck the crossbar for Thurnby and Bromsgrove goalie Jake Bedford had palmed down a shot by the marvellously named Person Mwanyonga. It wasn’t to be for Sporting and their large contingent of noisy fans left in dismay.

The toss...

Is there something that the others don't want 'keeper Jake Bedford to know?

Goalie James Flinders keeps his beard out of the hug...

Sam Wills was well involved for the visitors early on and one fine pass along the left flank ended in a throw for his team, from which Hewitt reached the left byeline but the Rousler was only able to shove a short delivery to Flinders. Bromsgrove’s central defenders looked static, as Reece Morris and home skipper Matt Melbourne began to make quick, determined movements and the Rouslers really struggled to contain the pair and also the speedy wide-player Ash Day. Melbourne fed Morris but after leaving Smith grounded, Chris Duggan managed to deflect the diminutive, feisty striker’s effort for a corner. More neat play by the hosts, leaving the visitors staring like cinema-goers watching a horror movie, led to Morris’ lay-off and a shot by Day into the side-netting, right-side. Another overlap on the right led to problems for Sporting but they quashed Morris’ threat. At last, Bromsgrove got forward but Sean Brain’s pace wasn’t enough to beat the excellent Sean Phillips, who defended with resolution and anticipation, probably due to his fine pair of magic black gloves. Wills curled a 22 yard free-kick just past the right upright but just when it seemed that the Rouslers had awoken (to rouse in Worcestershire is to awaken), Nirvana scored. A quickly-taken free-kick looked safe enough for Craig Jones of Sporting to defend but he slipped on a patch of icy surface and allowed Melbourne to wrestle possession at the right byeline and he passed back for the motoring Day to strike left-booted from 16 yards. The shot wasn’t clean and bobbled all the way into the bottom right corner of the net, with the diving Bedford unable to save.

A deserved lead for Thurnby...

Melbourne and William Gonga were involved, as Thurnby attacked again but Day’s delivery struck the side-netting on the right but then, it was like someone had ‘blown out’ (a.k.a. nirvana) the Christmas lights, for Thurnby switched off and Bromsgrove got their measure, pushing forward with aplomb. A left-side Will Tibbetts’ corner simply bounced against a surprised defender in front of goal, almost in slow-motion, then neat left-side play allowed Brain a low shot, which rolled to Flinders. A magnificent tackle in midfield by Wills resulted in Hewitt setting Conway running at inside-right but his eventual clipped left-footer was held under his crossbar by the alert Flinders. Wills fed Brain for a 20 yard shot which soared too high, more threat came to nought and then as Wills swung a boot to volley a shot, a defender got in the way. The two players collided, quite accidentally but the referee cautioned the injured Wills, which seemed rather harsh even to the Thurnby players. Flinders beat away a Wills drive, like he was shoving a particularly unpleasant ‘trick or treater’ out of his porch on October 31st but an offside flag appeared during the following chaos but the dependable Phillips had addressed the problem anyway. Recovering from their trauma, Nirvana made two late sorties on the visitors’ goal and finally, Mwanyonga drew himself away from his loneliness wide on the flanks, rising for a Melbourne centre but winning a corner off defender Dan Morris of Sporting. A fine run to the right byeline by Reece Morris ended with Melbourne’s shot being deflected over the crossbar and then the half-time whistle was heard.

The finger of a lurking deity pokes the ball off Chris Duggan's head...

General shock at Wills' caution...

Bromsgrove’s fans strolled to the other end of the ground, away from the bird-hides, er, shelters, from where they had witnessed the undulating Redpolls, no doubt and everybody’s hands began to hurt, as the dusk descended. After the resumption, the strong and combative Thurnby defender Lynas King, who played well in the second period, slid through Brain to earn a caution but after a lively beginning to the half, Tibbetts, who found wing-play tough against two, often three markers, managed to cut inside Sean Doy, I believe and pushed a pass towards Conway, who struck the ball first-time from 15 yards and the visitors were overjoyed to see the ball go inside the left upright. 1-1 and the game was there for the taking. 

Reece Hewitt watches a peanut fly past the two skippers...

Equaliser and group-chaos on the cold grass...

Conway won a great tackle on the half-way line, Hewitt switched the ball right and Brain cut between two defenders, only to be denied by the advancing Flinders, who saved the low shot and held onto it like a precious surprise from a Christmas cracker, although not one of those curling fish things… Bromsgrove then managed to mess up in defence again, for the skipper Scott Smith and side-kick Craig Jones never really relaxed with the impish Reece Morris irritating them like a louse in the seams of a World War One uniform; the forward latched onto the ball, cut inside stylishly from the right and clipped the top of the crossbar with a left-foot shot. Mwanyonga then cut inside too and fired a left-footer but straight at Bedford, who kind of patted it down like he was kneading dough but his defender helped him out and cleared the danger. Wills clipped a free-kick from inside-right straight to Flinders, on the bounce, leaving fans scratching cold heads as to why he hadn’t attempted a shot, then Melbourne attacked for Nirvana but instead of a pass to the supporting Reece Morris, he saw an angled shot deflected to Bedford at the near post.

The light fades...

Sadly for Bromsgrove, Thurnby took a quick free-kick from 30 yards, releasing Reece Morris, always buzzing and looking to find crevices, at inside-left; he turned from the byeline, fed the supporting Day and his low drive deflected off tall, wild-haired midfielder Liam Canavan past Bedford to give Nirvana their winning goal. Canavan’s good start to the game had quietened down but whether Day will claim the goal is another matter.

Flinders held onto a low Tibbetts centre, then Conway so nearly regained parity again for his team. Hewitt’s shot was blocked but in the second phase of attack, Hewitt’s nudge from 27 yards freed Conway past King at inside-left, on the 18 yard line but the advancing Flinders did really well to deflect the striker’s low left-footer upwards and away from goal, allowing Phillips, inevitably, to take the ball to safety. Melbourne was cautioned for the hosts, then Hewitt so nearly grabbed a goal for Sporting. A defender headed on a right-side centre straight to Hewitt and he was free to shoot but his low effort lacked pace, although Flinders was again off his goal-line to save really smartly. Hewitt fastened onto the rebound, spun round but this time King blocked his left-footer. Substitutions then calmed the game down, probably not to Bromsgrove’s advantage, for they were humming and Thurnby holding on rather, but the introduction of Danny Lennon and Joe Jakab for the quicker Brain and Tibbetts never really added a new dimension.

Bromsgrove in turmoil: even the sky reflected it...

The splendidly named Shaquille O’Neill-Brooks and also Celson Patrocini replaced Nirvana’s Canavan and the hurt Reece Morris, then Charlie Wilson replaced Hewitt for the visitors. Conway was booked for baulking the goalkeeper, Lennon’s centre was headed upwards and over his crossbar by a defender, before Mwanyonga was suitably roused to get himself booked. A Conway volley dipped not too far over the crossbar from 20 yards, as Bromsgrove slugged on in the darkness, before a Flinders punt struck the leech-like Conway on the back, causing Lennon to shoot at the near post, only for a deflection to be grabbed by the angry custodian, who took part in a shoving session with one of his defenders. The referee calmed it all down and allowed the ‘keeper to resume, when maybe a dropped-ball between the teams would have been a more just ‘punishment’. More Bromsgrove attacking was repelled by Nirvana, who were desperately seeking, not Susan, but corners to hide the ball in, although the final action of any note involved a pass from Gonga to Day, who drove a shot too high.  

Bromsgrove, missing the experience and knowhow of the suspended Simon Fitter in defence, whose dismissal of course was in an abandoned game, also minus the pace and trickery of the absent Aaron Daniels in attack, gave this game a real go and certainly stretched their opponents, who always seemed to have an extra yard of pace when it mattered though. Wills appeared to slow, following a knock, then the clash which resulted in his booking but Ryan Mahon battled manfully, as ever, although too many long balls from defence drifted aimlessly, way ahead of the forwards. Phillips, Flinders and Reece Morris excelled for the hosts for much of the game and despite the conditions, the match provided some interesting, often absorbing viewing. So for Sporting it’s back to the main trenches of league football and Thurnby now live to fight on in the Vase…

Chilli garlic chicken tikka, Madras hot, awaited me at Cafe Saffron in Knowle… Well worth a visit… It’s what I do.

Teams: 

Thurnby Nirvana:  James Flinders, Sean Phillips, Sean Doy; Lynas King, Alex Biggs, William Gonga; Ash Day, Liam Canavan, Reece Morris, Matt Melbourne (Capt), Person Mwanyonga.

Subs: Jaudach Taylor, Jouel Potter, Celson Patrocini, Shaquille O’Neill-Brooks, Alpher Kallon.

Bromsgrove Sporting:  Jake Bedford, Chris Duggan, Dan Morris; Ryan Mahon, Craig Jones, Scott Smith (Capt); Will Tibbetts, Reece Hewitt, Chris Conway, Sam Wills, Sean Brain.

Subs: Dan Butler, Chris Sockett, Charlie Wilson, Joe Jakab, Danny Lennon.