BROMSGROVE SPORTING 2-1 HINCKLEY AFC: full match report by THE MOWDOG...

Knitters Undone By Turner,  As Rouslers Rustle In the Wind…

Bromsgrove Sporting 2-1 Hinckley AFC

Grey clouds rush across the Victoria Ground...

I like a quick game of Scrabble before the game starts...

Sean Brain looks like he's ready for a bobsleigh event...

No chance of a smile here...

Reading the lips:
"Congratulations, Craig, but lose this game and I'm having it back..." 

A reasonably even opening half at the Victoria Ground, despite the strong wind and the Sporting slope, saw the visitors take a lead as a result of a pummelled goalie’s clearance but Bromsgrove too had opportunities in an uninspiring 45 minutes. The Rouslers, roused after the interval, took the game to their guests in the second period and several times shots went close, usually from one of Sam Wills’ boots, or as a result of Reece Hewitt’s deft footwork. The replacement of the speedy Dale Edwards and Sean Brain, seemed surprising on the hour but one of the substitutes, Kyle Turner, netted twice in the succeeding ten minutes to haul the Rouslers into the ascendancy. Hinckley, barely a threat since half-time, then managed to haul themselves into contention again but first dangerous wide-man Javier Roberts, then skipper Luke Richards, three times, might have snatched an undeserved equaliser for the visitors. Home ‘keeper Chris Jay was thankful that Richards’ target appeared to be his belly, as the ‘keeper held on to the forward’s three attempts. The surprise was that Marco Adaggio was not a goal threat, although his approach play and hold-up ability were never in question. 

The ref tells Craig Jones how large his overflow pipe is...

Home skipper Craig Jones received a salver to mark his 100th appearance for the club and would have been pleased to be on the winning team in such an important victory and his central striker Connor Collins was the first to threaten, delicately lifting an effort over the crossbar from the right byeline after a partial tackle, following a pass by Hewitt. Brain was unable to get purchase on a low shot, which came as a result of a Collins flick from a long Bromsgrove punt forward, leaving Hinckley’s ‘keeper Tom Cross with an easy pick-up. Wills had endured a quiet beginning for Sporting but his neat pass sent Brain scurrying towards the left byeline, only for his release to pass behind the goal-frame. Mountainous AFC central defender Alex Morris blocked a Hewitt drive but the above attacks by Sporting were spread over the opening 25 minutes or so, with AFC unable to mount any serious offense, until they won three successive corners.

Richards on offense for Hinckley...

Spink shrugs clear...

The first was nodded perilously close to his own right post by home defender Brendan Kelly and the second, from the left by Richards, appeared to be touched onto the crossbar by Jay. The third flag-kick came to nought. A Bromsgrove corner led to a huge defensive boot away by Hinckley but Richards, having latched onto the ball, left-side, was unable to get any power into his shot at Jay. Nathan Walker, ex-Knitter and a live-wire midfielder for Bromsgrove, was warned for an over exuberant tackle, before a Collins centre from the left was plucked from the air by the taller Cross from the smaller Brain. After Brain and Collins combined for the hosts, the latter’s delivery was cleared by the guests and they won two more corners at the opposite end, neither of which brought a reward. Edwards’ nifty moves were causing Hinckley some worries and he evaded a second challenge by Morris to cross dangerously from the right but Brain was not able to capitalise at the far post, with Cross beaten and ever so cross.

Smudger Smith, the Bromsgrove manager, writes his Christmas cards during the first-half.
Can I have one with a badger on please?

Dale Edwards (11): always threatening...

Knitter right-back Sean Williams had taken a knock earlier and he limped out of the game to be replaced by Rico Taylor but after Collins tumbled in the penalty-box and no penalty was awarded, unsurprisingly, Bromsgrove pushed forward again in the 37th minute and Cross lashed the ball away to carried by the wind. Striker Ryan Seal fastened onto the ball, left edge of the penalty-area and his superb right-foot centre landed on the poorly marked Roberts’ head far post and his header, across Jay, bounced neatly into the net via the left upright. Roberts had anticipated well, leaving defender Josh Wilson trailing in his wake. Following a foul on Wills, Kelly’s free-kick ended with a lobbed volley by Hewitt off target, as Sporting fought back and then Wills fed Collins for a 23 yard shot, which Cross sprawled left for and pushed away from the base of his left post. As the half ended, a wild Wills shot soared into the darkening skies and Hinckley held an important lead. 

0-1 to Hinckley...

...& goalscorer Javier Roberts...

...is mobbed...

The dark clouds gather over the Rouslers...

Excellent to see substitutes actually warming up properly at the interval, instead of having a fag, or attempting a crossbar challenge...

Sadly for visiting manager Carl Abbott, one of his defenders, Jean Kalenda apparently refused to reappear after the break and that caused distress to the other players and anger for the boss, which was obvious in the emotional post-match interview given. Replacement Oli Basham had but little time to prepare himself before being catapulted into the Knitters’ defence.  Visiting midfielder Marcus Jackson had been influential during the first-half but eventually he was forced to cover at right-back, allowing Taylor to forage in attack with his favoured left foot. It did seem odd that AFC were immediately shoved onto the back foot by Bromsgrove and really Brain might have benefitted from a quick look to his right, when he was confronted by three defenders 23 yards out and Edwards lurked alone just 10 yards to his right. Brain didn’t feed his colleague but saw his ambitious shot blocked.

Reece Hewitt: doing what he does...

Marcus Jackson is spoken to...

After a visiting defender misjudged a long Sporting punt, Collins’ drive from 20 yards was well defended for a left-wing corner by the long legs of Morris but Cross missed the ensuing corner and Jones’ stretch at the far post was unable to turn the ball into the net, as the effort rose too high and wide. Edwards used some trickery on the right and his dangerously swinging right-boot cross dropped only just wide of the far post before Edwards and Collins worked a shot for Wills from 30 yards but the well struck effort fizzed past Cross’ right stick. Hewitt’s run on the left and Edwards’ challenge led to a shooting opportunity for Walker but his 24 yarder rose much too high and it was beginning to look as if Sporting’s efforts would be in vain. 

The sky darkens now for Hinckley too...

Brain retrieved another Bromsgrove left-side corner beyond the far post and when his pass towards the edge of the penalty-box fell for Collins, the striker managed to get the ball onto his left foot but his powerful rising effort flew past the left post.  Jackson was cautioned for a wild challenge on Hewitt and from the deep free-kick Collins’ flick-on found Wills, left side of the edge of the 18 yard area and his curling right-footer dropped only just over Cross’ bar. When rampaging home right-back Liam Spink was fouled, Wills’ 23 yard free-kick from inside-right flew wide of the near post then Turner, along with Ethan Hanks, appeared on the pitch and this pair of substitutions changed the game, by clever tactics, or maybe by sheer luck…

Hewitt made ground on the left onto Collins’ lobbed pass, reached the byeline, took the ‘keeper out of the equation with his low delivery and the ball was converted from a yard by the surprised Turner. 1-1 and a real shock for Hinckley.

Turner has equalised...

A good substitution then...

A very late challenge by Richards earned him a caution and the free-kick, smashed by Jay, drifted over everyone into the Knitters’ penalty-area, bar Turner, who somehow hacked a volley but the ball sliced wide of the right upright. That would have been a spectacular goal… However, Wills soon won a right-side corner and Turner moved away from marker JJ Melligan, who dropped to the goal-line as Cross went for but didn’t get to the flight of the ball and the replacement nodded the near post delivery deep into the AFC net, to score what proved to be the winner. 20 minutes left and still Sporting bossed the affair.

Bad foul by Richards...

Playground scuffles...

2-1 to Bromsgrove...

Kyle has Turnered the game in the Rouslers' favour...

Jones dived to head a low Adaggio cross away for a flag-kick but at the other end Hewitt forced himself into a shooting position at 18 yards but his low drive looped up off Turner’s boot and dropped just over the crossbar, although an offside flag was ripping in the wind anyway. Wills’ next effort at goal, a 25 yard free-kick from inside-right, might have clinched the victory for the Rouslers but his fine shot smacked against the goal-fame near the right angle of bar and post. Seal was replaced by Jason Wood for the guests and Luke Corbett replaced Collins for Sporting, who was afforded warm applause by many of the 401 in the crowd. I wondered whether I was the ‘1’…

Turner defends...

Turner harasses Jackson...

And then Hinckley began to believe. First, the quieter Roberts and the still foraging Adaggio fashioned a shooting chance for Richards but Jay swooped to gather the low, not very powerful effort, then superb play on the right by the visitors led to a cross by Richards and a first-time slam by Roberts, from a central position, 17 yards out but his well struck effort rose too high. Bromsgrove were panicking. They committed a needless foul 25 yards out but Richards could only clip his right-footer into Jay’s midriff and the ‘keeper fell with the ball to waste seconds like he’d been floored by Tyson Fury. Which reminds me; the referee told the two Secretaries before the match that he would be happy to speak to either of the two managers after the game, as long as they were accompanied; I suggested Tyson Fury… 

Game over...

Finally, with Hinckley desperate and Bromsgrove despairing, a left-wing centre by AFC fell onto Richards’ head in front of goal and Jay, magpie-like, clutched it into his belly and fell like he’d been struck by a sniper’s bullet at the Somme. Can’t blame him for that, for the final seconds were calmly seen out and Bromsgrove celebrated a victory with some gusto. 

Certainly JJ Melligan and Jackson were decent performers in midfield for Hinckley but Roberts was sparingly involved in the second-half and Richards’ finishing deserted him at the death. Morris and Cross were solid enough for the visitors but Adaggio’s best work, as I have noted, was done too deep to affect Jones and fellow defenders too grievously. For Bromsgrove, Josh Wilson and Spink were willing runners from the full-back positions, the former slamming one second-half shot wide after a darting rush forward and all of the midfielders and forwards contributed in some positive way for the hosts. Wills’ shooting, Hewitt’s dribbling, Brain’s persistence, Collins’ sensible centre-forward play but Edwards’ linking ability on the ball was a constant danger to AFC and one of his acute first-half deliveries was only just deflected to safety by the Hinckley’s close-kinit defence.  Lucky Nwosu? Unlucky not to get a game for the Rouslers, I guess…

So, it was Down-the-slope-against-the-wind 0-3 Up-the-slope-with-the-wind… 

Me? Curry the night before, so wind-assisted on the M42 home for chips and eggs… 

It’s what I do.

The Bodging warms up with a little basket-ball...

TEAMS:

BROMSGROVE SPORTING:

Chris Jay, Liam Spink, Jack Wilson, Nathan Walker, Craig Jones (Capt), Brendan Kelly, Sean Brain, Reece Hewitt, Connor Collins, Sam Wills, Dale Edwards.

SUBS:

Sam Horton, Lucky Nwosu, Ethan Hanks, Kyle Turner, Luke Corbett. 

HINCKLEY AFC:

Tom Cross, Sean Williams, Lee Thomas, Jean Kalenda, Alex Morris, JJ Melligan, Javier Roberts, Marcus Jackson, Ryan Seal, Marco Adaggio, Luke Richards.

SUBS:

Oli Basham, Rico Taylor, Jason Wood, Elikem Amenku. Sam Arnold.