LICHFIELD CITY 0-2 BROMSGROVE SPORTING; light-hearted report by THE MOWDOG...

Rouslers Dominate, As Lichfield Flounder In Defeat

Lichfield City 0-2 Bromsgrove Sporting

Sporting, playing against an unpleasant wind during a strangely one-sided opening half, netted twice and with the midfield eagerness and ability of Nathan Walker and Liam Spink running things with little effective challenge, wide-players Reece Hewitt and Will Tibbetts ran at will at the beleaguered home defence. Rousler Sean Brain though, was the danger-man, constantly harassing defenders and using his nimble pace to threaten almost every time he was on the ball. Oddly, despite the Lichfield’s manager’s pre-match gee-up of his troops, mentioning how well his team had performed in the reverse fixture, his players somehow froze and pummelled long balls too often before the interval, affording strikers Dave Yonwin, Tyron Smith and Michael Taylor little in the way of useable service. After half-time, inexplicably they struggled again and Bromsgrove looked the more likely scorers in what proved to be a lack-lustre offering, although Sporting will point to their control of the game and the fact that they won three invaluable points, whilst their ‘keeper Chris Jay was only troubled once, when he beat away a late free-kick from frustrated home skipper Keena Richards. A poor refereeing performance also marred the evening for players, coaches and supporters alike but Bromsgrove will forget this match and move onto the next hurdle in their tussle with Coventry United for the league title.  

HERE WE GO...

...& IN THE GREEN CORNER, CRAIG 'KNUCKLES' JONES...

Bromsgrove’s central defence, with Craig ‘The Pugilist’ Jones skippering and Simon ‘Bluenose’ Fitter looking in good form, was solid throughout the evening and against the wind the visitors attacked first with Brain racing into the penalty-box, attempting to feed Jozsef Jakab, then receiving the ball back again but being unable to get his 10 yard shot on target. Jakab would do a strong holding-up job for his team throughout his time on the pitch and with Tibbetts running at home defender Joe Haines, Sporting won a couple of fruitless early corners. Certainly Lichfield were finding Bromsgrove an awkward foe, although they managed a wasted corner early on too. When Brain made a fast run at inside-right towards the byeline, his delivery led to both home centre-half Rich Robinson and right-back Lewis Bourne going to meet the ball, only for it to deflect horribly goalwards off one of them, probably Bourne, and past helpless ‘keeper Sheridan Martinez. 

AN OWN-GOAL...

...& IT'S 0-1...

Jakab tussled for a long throw on the right by Rousler Jake Willcox and Tibbetts powered a rasping and rising shot off target across the face of goal. The first of three excellent, superbly timed tackles by Fitter, this one on Tom Evans, relieved a little Lichfield pressure before Walker fed Hewitt for a shot from inside-left, which flew into the side-netting from 20 yards. Yonwin was left down and sore, following Fitter’s second powerful but fair challenge, although Taylor’s complaints brought him a pointless caution. Hewitt then did what he does so well, running at defenders through the inside-left channel and as Martinez advanced, only a fine challenge by wholehearted home defender Michael Briscoe prevented a goal. Jakab nodded the resulting flag-kick too high at the near stick. The hosts managed to win another corner on the right but Robinson volleyed too high from 16 yards, then Brain smashed and sliced a shot well wide, following a third challenge by Fitter and after Hewitt’s shot had been blocked. Home defender Bourne was then cautioned for an unnecessary wild foul in no-man’s-land.

The second goal was certainly on the cards and it came from a rush to the left byeline by left-back Aaron Roberts; his low cross was struck goalwards by Jakab but Haines threw himself to block the effort, only for Tibbetts to pick up the pieces, like a crow on carrion and at the second attempt, poked the loose ball into the net as Haines, Briscoe and Martinez slithered in the 6 yard box. 0-2 and not at all flattering to Sporting.

ROUSLERS LEAD 0-2...

...TIBBETTS HAS SCORED THROUGH PERSISTENCE...

The referee was already taking some verbal advice from the Lichfield dugout, like: “Gosh, ref, are you sure you got that right?” and “Oh, referee, I do not agree with that, my good chap…” So, when Tibbetts apparently miscued and the ball presumably rolled for a goal-kick to the hosts, a corner was awarded, to the amusement of everyone, except of course the fellows near the Lichfield dugout… The half ended with a shot by Andre Francis for City which, from 24 yards, rose far too high.

The weather became colder, which caused my mouth some harassment, for I’d had a molar removed with some difficulty at lunchtime and the barbed wind rapped at my jaw like it was a parchment scroll being pricked with a steel bodkin. Lichfield replaced Yonwin and Bourne with Martin Crawford and Tony Clarke at the interval but the second period began with a huge wind-aided punt by Jay, which Brain read magnificently, only for his volley from 8 yards to be smothered at his left upright by Martinez. A Jakab effort was blocked by Briscoe, but the half was providing little of note, as Bromsgrove grafted, remained in the ascendancy and offered little scope to their hosts. Spink and Walker were tremendous, whilst Jones and Fitter were like impregnable ramparts on a Roman fort, so that Jay simply remained alert with the wind on his back, rarely having to contribute at all, which surely he couldn’t have expected.

Brilliant play by Brain, when he picked up a loose ball, after Jakab was challenged in the penalty-area, saw him dance past a couple of defenders, reach the left byeline and knock a perfect, short pass to the edge of the 6 yard box past the beaten Martinez, but Jakab, stretching, somehow lifted the ball over the home crossbar. Phil McKerdy replaced the ineffective Taylor, so that the two cautioned City players had now been substituted, Jakab’s efforts were rewarded by applause from his fans and Connor Collins replaced him, before the referee’s evening became even more ludicrous. Offside, Brain still managed a shot too high and, egged on by the Lichfield manager, the official cautioned Brain for ‘kicking the ball away’, despite the fact that these days several balls await use, when the one being used goes astray. The manager stated gleefully that it was his intervention that had instigated the booking but literally moments later, one of his own players, Crawford, booted the ball quite a distance upfield, following an infringement and the referee ignored it… So did the Lichfield dugout. Neither booking was necessary with so many balls lying around, but if there was a referees’ assessor about, what on earth would he have made of those incidents?

BRAIN OUTWITS THE CITY DEFENCE...

A long throw by Willcox was cleared to the edge of the Lichfield 18 yard box, from whence Brain’s overhead volley flew too high, Ethan Hanks replaced Bromsgrove’s chief thorn in the bum Brain and Willcox received a caution, offering home skipper Richards a chance to work Jay. His 20 yard free-kick did so but Jay took off like he was flying from branch to branch in the woods of the Lickey Hills and beat the ball aside to his left. Finally, another home defender was cautioned for a foul, which brought the Sporting fans’ usual chant of: “EVERY time…” to the fore and the referee, with only 5 seconds remaining, decided to chat to an assistant for 45 seconds, as a third, unpleasant, freezing wintry shower blew horribly upon players, coaches, spectators and my aching jaw alike. Rather unnecessary, methinks.

BRAIN: ALWAYS INVOLVED...

Fine Brain, Spink, Walker, Jones and Fitter performances for the Rouslers, backed by the other team members, left Lichfield well beaten and their coaches must have been really frustrated and staring in disbelief at their team’s ineptness. Certainly Richards drove his team on but on offense they were as ineffective as toothless badgers foraging for scraps. Some strong tackles were served late on though, which showed no lack of commitment at least…

LICHFIELD: DISAPPOINTING ON THE NIGHT...

SMUDGER (RIGHT) MUST HAVE BEEN WELL PLEASED...

Bromsgrove had done what they needed to, which was to narrow the gap at the top of the league and with Coventry’s manager, secretary and other officials watching, the game between the two teams on March 12th looks like being a stunner. Me? Hopefully I’ll be watching Porthleven v Plymstock United, whilst in Cornwall…

THE BODGING KEEPS HIS JAW OUT OF THE WIND...

It’s what I do…

TEAMS:

LICHFIELD CITY:

Sheridan Martinez, Lewis Bourne, Joe Haines, Keena Richards (Capt), Rich Robinson, Michael Briscoe, Andre Francis, Dave Yonwin, Tyron Smith, Michael Taylor, Tom Evans.

SUBS:

Tony Clarke, Dexter Ravenhill, George Smith, Phil McKerdy, Martin Crawford.

BROMSGROVE SPORTING:

Chris Jay, Simon ‘Bluenose’ Fitter, Aaron Roberts, Nathan Walker, Craig ‘The Pugilist’ Jones (Capt), Jake Willcox, Will Tibbetts, Reece Hewitt, Jozsef Jakab, Liam Spink, Sean Brain.

SUBS:

Lucky Nwosu, Ethan Hanks, Connor Collins, Kyle Turner, Umit Eminoglu.