BROMSGROVE SPORTING 0-0 PERSHORE TOWN: light-hearted match report by The Mowdog...

Blunt Bromsgrove Baulked By Plucky Pershore and Posts…

Bromsgrove Sporting 0-0 Pershore Town

This was a frustrating encounter to witness, for Sporting, despite their lofty league position, found Pershore in stubborn form and the visitors certainly passed the ball better on occasions, although home ‘keeper Jake Bedford was rarely troubled. Interestingly, neither was visiting goalie Andrew Yarnold, who made a couple of routine saves but was rather better served by his goal-frame, which stopped both Simon Fitter and Reece Hewitt from scoring. Lacking striker Chris Conway, Sporting were unable to serve forwards Sam Wills and Sean Brain well enough and really, neither looked even vaguely threatening to a physically small Town defence, in which Matt Mitchell and Dave Williams were outstanding. There was too often no width, and no Rousler was able to create as much as guests Craig Conner and celebrity Joe Walsh, who had probably left his guitar and the other Eagles lounging in Hotel California for the afternoon. Lovely weather, but hardly a Tequila Sunrise, greeted the players on this January afternoon but poor losses of possession plagued Bromsgrove throughout the match and only during the final 25 minutes did they force their guests into a few desperate clearances and two valuable points were thus surprisingly lost in the quest to keep pace with Highgate United.  

Time to go, then...

A corner and a free-kick came to nought for Sporting early on, then after a positive run at inside-left by the influential Town skipper Craig Conner, Steve Roche drove in a wayward shot. Williams escaped a caution for a bad challenge on Hewitt but Fitter’s 28 yard free-kick dipped far too late and crashed into the terracing. A rare run by Brain fizzled out inside the penalty-box, before home debutant Leavi Oshungbere passed to the overlapping and dependable Dan Morris on the Bromsgrove right but Conner intercepted the right-back’s low delivery. An astute pass by Fitter to Wills ended with a shot by the forward and a good block by the visitors’ defence, then Walsh’s long free-kick bounced for Bedford to collect easily at the other end. Fitter was then cautioned for his first foul, a challenge on Walsh, which had been no worse than Williams’ on Hewitt but this time the official brandished the first of several yellow cards. No consistency at all, as usual…

Players wonder what the round thing passing by is...

If you can't jump, get a lift...

The referee offers his business card to a disgruntled Fitter...

Jack Wilson was having a tough time at left-back for the hosts and lost possession a few times, including the one which allowed Town defender Steve Webb to hack a cross-shot way over the goal-frame. Conner pulled back Wills and was booked, Oshungbere was then able to reach the right byeline for Bromsgrove but Brain’s shot from the midfielder’s pass inside was charged down again by the strong Pershore defence. Town’s Jake Donnelly was cautioned for a foul, colleague George Coley appeared to be too but soon, Wills’ free-kick from the right corner of the penalty-box was caught, just about, above his head by Yarnold. And that was that for the opening half. Pershore’s defence wasn’t tall but it had contained the monotonous long balls lumped forward by Bromsgrove, who seemed happy enough to by-pass midfield, forcing Wills, in particular to drop embarrassingly deep to attempt to gain some possession of the ball. It was no surprise then, that the unhappy Wilson was replaced at the break by a bigger physical ‘centre-forward’ in Joe Jakab, who at least gave the long-ball game a target. Little else had occurred in truth but from Pershore’s point of view, parity was probably acceptable. They also fielded Webb and Blood, surely publishers of horror books… 

Nice, huh?

Yarnold kicks out...

Morris did so well to dive and head behind a fine centre from the left by Pershore, then Conner, following some nifty footwork, saw his low cross well cut out by the falling Bedford, who was getting really irritated by some of his team-mates carelessness, so much so that he too would soon err and slam a fly-kick against an opponent but he would prove alert enough to correct his mistake. A low drive from the inside-left channel by the keen Jakab was spilled then grabbed by Yarnold at his near post, before a deep Walsh free-kick by the visitors looked interesting when midfielder Mark Hands used not his hands nor his feet but his head, although an offside flag was raised by a linesman who probably had little idea of which shirt belonged to which team, in truth… Somebody was shown a yellow card, as Hewitt slid into a challenge, possibly him, although the resulting free-kick was awarded to Sporting, which Fitter launched forward to instigate a goalmouth melee, reminding me of a Curry’s store on Black Friday.

Soon, Fitter’s often excellent right boot was in action again, shooting yet another free-kick from about 27 yards, inside-left channel, although Wills’ left boot was hovering nearby too. Fitter’s fine attempt at goal clipped the underside of the crossbar however and the rebound basically bounced from Scott Smith’s forehead into the grateful arms of Yarnold. The really impressive Williams, feeling that he too would like to see yellow, rather than the proliferating reds and blues of the two sets of kit all around him, pulled back Wills and indeed received a caution, possibly to appease Rousler Fitter. Williams headed out a right-side centre by Jakab, then Jones lofted a second cross towards the far post, Yarnold was under pressure but the ball was knocked down for Oshungbere to fire across goal towards Jakab and only a brilliant challenge almost on his own goal-line by Mitchell saved the day for Town. The Bromsgrove skipper’s next free-kick was flicked on by Wills but Smith’s far post attempt to capitalise was in vain, as a glance took the ball wide. Gavin Mahon, as rumbustious as always, had already been warned by the official from Coalville, a place I know well and the serious midfielder soon committed a venomous scything foul, like he was hacking at long grass on a Victorian farm, to earn his inevitable caution. Hewitt by fouled by Hands, well, not by Hands’ hands, but by the person called Hands and the referee fingered the Town man, held him in the palm of his hand and booked him too.

Williams gets noticed...

Dan Carter and Will Tibbetts relieved Wills and Brain, who sound like a firm of probate lawyers, but their exclusion spoke volumes for the lack of offensive threat amassed by the home team. Hewitt, becoming rash with his challenges, managed a really strong run from midfield and he succeeded in entering the 18 yard box before poking the ball with the end of his right boot, like he was rolling a solidified dog turd from his lawn but the ball bounced off the base of the near post to Mahon, who looked as unbalanced as a camel on a tightrope as the ball rebounded from him, before Pershore’s defenders made appeals and a referee’s whistle prevented Bromsgrove from capitalising upon the ensuing chaos. A smart back-heel by Jakab was hacked clear by the increasingly intense Pershore defence, in which Mitchell was a martyr, then Coley was replaced by Joe Robinson for the visitors and Yarnold tipped a shot over his crossbar but this was nullified by a linesman’s flag, which had been lifted several months before the referee saw it.

Zach Blood curdled the home defence in a late sally forward by the guests, which turned Fitter’s pallor anaemic, but Mahon deflected the winger’s low centre with some part of his flailing self and Bromsgrove survived. There was still enough time for Brad Jones (not actually Liverpool’s Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones though) to replace the creative Walsh and for Steve Webb to be cautioned, before the game ended and we all went home. Looking at the logistics and statistics of the game, there seemed more activity involving cautions and substitutions than actual goalmouth incidents but what had been certain is that Walsh’s men would Take It To the Limit, but I Can’t Tell You Why the Rouslers had no Peaceful Easy Feeling: maybe a Witchy Woman had put a spell on them, or did they Take It Easy? This was certainly not Life In the Fast Lane by the hosts and Fitter would no doubt suffer Heartache Tonight, as he prepared his team-mates for The Long Run to catch Highgate and thwart other lurking title chasers. The New Kid In Town, Oshungbere, remained on the fringes of the game for the hosts but one could not but be impressed by the excellent attitude of the Town defenders, for whom their supporters saved The Best of (Their) Love…

I drove home thinking that I’d seen Hands, Blood and Brain all over the pitch today and I listened not to The Eagles, strangely, but to OneRepublic, for after all, I’m the original Desperado and it’s what I do…        

Teams:  

Bromsgrove Sporting:  Jake Bedford, Dan Morris, Jack Wilson; Simon Fitter (Capt), Craig Jones, Scott Smith; Leavi Oshungbere, Reece Hewitt, Sean Brain, Sam Wills, Ryan Mahon.

Subs: Charlie Wilson, Will Tibbetts, Danny Lennon, Dan Carter, Jozsef Jakab.

Pershore Town:  Andrew Yarnold, Steve Webb, Jake Donnelly; Matt Mitchell, Dave Williams, Joe Walsh; Craig Conner (Capt), Mark Hands, George Coley, Steve Roche, Zach Blood.

Subs: Brad Jones, Joe Robinson, Adam Blake, Scott Walsh.