STOURPORT SWIFTS 2-2 LONG EATON UNITED: FULL MATCH REPORT...

United Swiftly Slither To Parity At Stourport

Stourport Swifts 2-2 Long Eaton United

Long Eaton fought back from a 0-2 deficit to grab a point at Walshes Meadow, despite a sluggish start against the competent Swifts. The pitch was not only heavy but really slippery too, especially at the bottom end near the clubhouse which contributed to some hectic defending by the Blues later in the second period, after they had looked the more dominant team from 25 minutes in until around 65 minutes of a hard fought encounter. Both teams were denied second-half goals but Long Eaton striker Romaine Graham, like Swifts’ Andy Hudson earlier in the period, would have rued two misses to snatch an extra two points. A draw might have been a fair reflection of the game I guess although Swifts possessed Aaron Lloyd, a strong, bullish forward, aerially adept and decent at holding up the ball but United had no such player and I was thus reminded of the physical presence of the legendary Mick Godber who used to do just such a job for Retford United in 2008-9. His shoved-butt-into-defenders ethic, his wide elbows-out stance and sheer bullying of markers was sorely lacking in the Long Eaton attack where Romello Nangle and Graham, despite their best efforts, were too infrequently dangerous.

PILIERO & BEASLEY PREPARE FOR THE THROWING AWAY OF MONEY...

Long Eaton took quite a while to settle to the pudding-like conditions and Lloyd’s bright start threatened to dampen the visitors’ day further. Either side of a low Joe Robinson cross from the left, which Blues’ goalie Chris Dodsley held onto safely, the burly Swifts’ forward headed a free-kick downwards so that guest defender Josh Raven was forced to concede a corner and then Lloyd drifted another header off target, causing Long Eaton’s Rob McCormick and Paul Lister not a little consternation. After visiting winger Scott Staniland fell under a challenge inside the home 18 yard box, the hosts took the lead with a simple but smart goal, initiated by Hudson and unsurprisingly finished by Lloyd’s lusty forehead. Hudson played a clever one-two with Lloyd on the right touchline then attacked McCormick and the Blues’ defender was outsmarted to the byeline, from whence Hudson’s accurate near post centre was headed easily past Dodsley by the unmarked Lloyd.

A BLUE BURSTS INTO TEARS...

1-0...

LLOYD IS MOBBED...

Lloyd then nudged on a Swifts’ clearance for Rion Francis-Mills whose surge took him into the penalty-area, only for the advancing Dodsley to save at his feet at the expense of a left-side corner, which brought goal two. The near post corner was delivered nowhere near any Stourport players but no matter, Raven moved away from the upright, the ball struck Blues’ skipper Paulo Piliero’s head, deflected off a diving Dodsley’s glove and rebounded inside the post where Raven had previously been on guard. This concession would have been galling for manager Gary Hamson but shortly after Francis-Mills benefited from an ice-rink kind of slip-over by Raven and crossed low for McCormick to boot away, Mr Hamson’s team began to take more initiative, with Andy Todd taking some real responsibility for his team’s offense and it was Todd who finally threatened the home goal and he really ought to have worked goalie Dominic Richards…

WILL FRANCIS-MILLS CLAIM THE GOAL?

2-0 NOW...

...BUT IT WAS SURELY A PILIERO OWN GOAL...

A tricky flick by Staniland freed Todd on the left side of the penalty-box but his finish, although apparently measured, lacked accuracy and drifted over the right angle of bar and upright, with Richards stranded like a commuter with no train due. However, the Blues did produce a killer goal, right on 45 minutes and typically, for all the huff and puff of the forwards, it would be the enterprising left-back Danny Brain who scored it. He won back the ball some 30 yards out and played a neat one-two with the astute Todd, veered past a defender and from 15 yards, left of centre, slipped a low drive past Richards. 

BRAIN'S CELEBRATORY SOLO JOG...

Half-time arrived, the sunset looked decent, Long Eaton had finally begun to appear like they could be incisive, whilst Stourport’s defence, in which vociferous skipper Sam Beasley and the taller Matt Fulloway had restrained Graham and Nangle with some comfort, had continued to look firm. Alex Perry had been a lively chappie on offense for the hosts, despite taking a knock which would prevent him returning after the interval. He would be replaced by Ben Priest.

A SWIFT HEARS A DRONE.
THEN HE REALISES IT'S ONE OF THE COACHES...

INJURY, BUT NO CHAMPAGNE FOR PERRY...

Stourport, with the slope in their favour and attacking the slippery end, soon nearly capitalised upon a catastrophe of errors by Long Eaton who had possession just inside their hosts’ half and yet somehow ended up being backed into an uncomfortable defensive situation but Lloyd’s eventual shot was really weak. Indeed three more weak efforts from around 18 yards plagued the Swifts attackers during the second-half and when they did strike the ball well enough, Dodsley responded skilfully. He reacted to beat away a Jim Hanson drive but Hudson’s tight-angled rebound attempt was superbly cleared from the goal-line by a swooping, sliding Raven and this miss seemed to switch on Long Eaton like a searchlight in a blitz.

Richards fell at the lurking Nangle’s feet to grab Staniland’s low pass, Todd lost the ball, won it back and passed to Staniland whose shot lacked any power, Brain shot weakly at Richards, following smart build-up play but then the visitors regained parity, with a goal more splendid in its creativity than in its actual scoring. A keen and rapid chase by Nangle on the right-wing then a really smart pass for Todd to storm stealthily onto, the reaching of the byeline and finally a stretch then a slight connection of ball to boot and the gentle rising of a few strands of netting by the long-legged Graham’s scrambled shot from 3 yards… 

GRAHAM RETRIEVES THE BALL...

2-2...

...BUT THE CELEBRATIONS ARE RATHER MUTED...

HMM...

Long Eaton seemed about to dominate further and Todd won a corner but errors in midfield allowed the Swifts to fashion a few opportunities of their own. Dodsley raced from goal to block the shot by the freed Hudson with his legs then the goaltender grabbed the loose ball and after Todd’s close range finish at the opposite end following Piliero’s free-kick had been nullified by an offside flag, a Long Eaton clearance was smacked beautifully on the half-volley by Lloyd from 19 yards but Dodsley plunged right to turn away the rising drive and make the save of the game. Brain’s shot flew too high, the too quiet Nangle was replaced for the Blues by Aaron Cole, Hanson received a caution, Graham’s poked and stretched effort rolled to Richards from 16 yards, although Todd was in a better position to shoot just behind him and a dangerous clipped free-kick by Cole was headed away for a corner late on, although it was a surprise that Cole hadn’t attempted a shot from 23 yards. Finally, after Hanson, I think, curled a shot beyond the right angle of bar and upright at the opposite end, Graham would subsequently finish the match frustrated. He was sent scurrying clear in the final minute but his low right footer from inside-left was stopped by Richards’ legs and then the Blues’ forward rose well for the resulting corner but from 4 yards, headed the ball vertically. And that was that… 

10 YARDS ARE MARKED OUT...

COLE DIDN'T SHOOT...

Home left-back Reece Wager, you can bet on it, worked hard and his left-boot deliveries were decent, Robinson was often creative and Hanson competitive but although Hudson might have won the game for Swifts, Lloyd was the real handful for Long Eaton to contain. The visitors somehow lacked cohesion at times and seemed indecisive and despite Todd’s full involvement, the talented Jermain Hollis was conspicuous either by his wrestling control of the game on occasions, or on others by his absence. There was some flimsy defending on offer at times too but Piliero worked hard as the anchor and Staniland showed glimpses of promise. The lack of danger from Graham and Nangle was evident though and the suspended Blair Anderson might just add more service for the aforementioned pair when he returns to the line-up…

ROMELLO NANGLE: LITTLE SERVICE IN ATTACK...

TEAMS:

STOURPORT SWIFTS:

DOMINIC RICHARDS, PAUL HURRELL, REECE WAGER, JOE ROBINSON, SAM BEASLEY (CAPT), MATT FULLOWAY, RION FRANCIS-MILLS, JIM HANSON, AARON LLOYD, ALEX PERRY, ANDY HUDSON.

SUBS:

BEN PRIEST, HARRY BEAUMONT, ALEX SMITH, CALLUM GRANT.

LONG EATON UNITED:

CHRIS DODSLEY, JOSH RAVEN, DANNY BRAIN, PAUL LISTER, ROB McCORMICK, JERMAIN HOLLIS, ANDY TODD, PAOLO PILIERO (CAPT), ROMELLO NANGLE, ROMAINE GRAHAM, SCOTT STANILAND.

SUBS:

AARON COLE, ADAM KEMP, SHAUN RICKFORD.