BOLDMERE ST MICHAELS 1-0 LONG EATON UNITED: MATCH REPORT...

Mikes Further Dampen Evening Out For Long Eaton…

Boldmere St Michaels 1-0 Long Eaton United

Awful traffic on the M6 and then especially on the A452, worsened by horrible rainy weather and the fact that Villa were playing at home against Bristol City, meant that Long Eaton’s players had probably endured a tough time reaching Church Road. The Mikes had won a couple of recent games and were doubtless really up for this one but yet again visitors Long Eaton had been forced into wholesale changes of personnel. None of their usual back-four of Josh Raven, Danny Brain, Rob McCormick or Paul Lister were available, nor were striker Alex Marshall, midfielders Andy Todd and Jermain Hollis, nor forward Scott Staniland, meaning a debut for Martin Ball in defence alongside Jak Kenworthy who had debuted at Highgate on Saturday. Manager Gary Hamson’s son Davy was on the bench for the first time after a couple of years of not playing at all and Boldmere therefore must have anticipated a great chance to plunder three more points, which they did and deservedly, despite a couple of late scares.

Welcomed kindly again by Alan ‘Parso’ Parsons, ex-Earlswood secretary Clive Faulker and also James Green, I was genuinely impressed by the Boldmere club’s new pitch and the general neatness of the ground. It must have been unpleasant for the players though for the breeze shoved driving fine rain towards the Church Road end of the stadium from start to finish. Both teams missed chances in truth but Mikes looked the more dangerous team throughout and United’s ‘keeper Matt Cottrell was forced to make more saves than his counterpart Lewis Fenney. Stuart Capaldi’s 72nd minute goal settled the contest with the Long Eaton defence hoping for an offside flag, although Cottrell’s advance towards the running-clear Mikes’ attacker appeared to show a slight hesitation, allowing the forward to veer left and strike. Boldmere’s width and wing-play by Cameron Shaw on the right and Ben Usher-Shipway on the left caused United’s full-backs Will Gordon and Brandon Gwinnutt real problems throughout, yet in contrast Long Eaton offered scant width and precious little attacking from wide positions. 

THE TOSS...

Two early corners for the guests amounted to nothing, due to the defensive cover of Mikes’ Harry Craven and Alex Forde although Ball did get a touch on the second flag-kick by United skipper Paolo Piliero who was prominent throughout for his team, displaying some quick footwork in tight situations at times. A Blair Anderson shot from the right was also blocked but it was home skipper Joe Smith, a crafty midfielder, who nearly scored a fine goal when his measured 28 yard chip dropped onto the back of the crossbar, with Cottrell perturbed. Usher-Shipway then fed the nippy, lean, evasive right-sider Shaw, who slipped a smart pass for his mate to chase at inside-right and although the winger’s low shot was on target, it lacked the power to beat the falling Cottrell. A 35 yard Tom Marshall effort flew off target for the visitors, following a weak kick by Fenney who then managed to reach Anderson’s flick-on before Romaine Graham’s loping legs could capitalise on the 18 yard line.

Graham turned on a volleyed cross from the right by Marshall but was unable to keep his own volley down and in truth, Graham would be well marshalled by the home defence for most of the game and was too often unable to win any useful aerial ball. Mikes’ Ali Brauns mugged Blues’ Kallum Keane, back in midfield after two defensive outings, but Cottrell raced from goal to grab Brauns’ pass before Capaldi could reach it. Kenworthy blocked Capaldi’s left-flank centre at the expense of a corner as each team appeared to take turns to attack, rather like an NFL game. Next it was the Blues who used some offense but after doing well initially, Marshall ran the ball out of play, then another Anderson shot from inside-right was saved low by Fenney and finally Forde defended a decent delivery by Anderson again.

Back to the other end went the action; Smith rose superbly for a left-side free-kick, despite not being as tall as Forde, Craven, Joe Lyng or Capaldi and glanced a fine header only just beyond the far upright. When Gwinnutt lost a challenge, Smith drove a low shot from 20 yards well wide and then the back of Forde’s head sent a good Shaw free-kick past the left stick. Gordon was having a tough time defending Shaw and he was deservedly booked for a heavy challenge but the hosts kept up some pressure until the interval. A fine left-wing corner by Shaw beat Cottrell but Forde could do nothing about it at the far post, Capaldi then scrambled a goal from headers by Lyng and Forde but was flagged offside and finally Cottrell’s rash punch on his goal-line from another fine Shaw corner from the left, reminiscent of Tony Bellew taking a swing at David Haye at a boxing press conference, caused panic but Gordon lashed the loose ball clear.

THE PLAYERS ENACT A SCENE FROM THE BIBLE...

It had been cold, the joints were stiffening, the Blues replacements ‘warmed up’ cheerfully in the wind-blown rain and I wondered whether anyone was capable of actually scoring a goal. Width lads, width… Never mind the inaccuracies, feel the WIDTH…

Long Eaton managed a left-side centre from Gordon after the break but the leaping Marshall was unable to keep his header anywhere near the goal-frame, yet hosts Boldmere really did go close to scoring on two occasions. First Cottrell moved to punch a free-kick clear but the ball fell onto Brauns’ right boot on the 18 yard line and although his volley wasn’t sweetly struck, Ball was forced to kick the shot from his goal-line at his defensive right upright. Soon Capaldi fed Smith for a 22 yard drive which the gloved fingers of Cottrell slightly deflected over his cross-beam, before Gwinnutt did really well at the near post to cut out a dangerous low centre by the even more menacing Shaw. Another bad Gordon foul went unpunished by the lenient referee and the Blues’ left-back was fortunate to escape a second yellow card. A couple of wild challenges, one by Usher-Shipway on Piliero, then by Capaldi on Marshall, left the official unmoved, although Capaldi hurt himself in the process. Shaw then collected the ball at inside-left, moved right but Cottrell was able to save the winger’s low drive from 20 yards.

PAOLO PILIERO WONDERS WHAT TIME IT IS...

Usher-Shipway was then replaced by Max Black but when a poor Brauns pass offered Anderson a chance to shoot low from the left side of the penalty-box, Fenny saved comfortably. Clever play by Marshall, beating an opponent cheekily and then clipping Graham clear at inside-right, offered the tall forward a good chance to work Fenney again but his lofted shot was very wayward. Jason Holmes replaced Brauns for the hosts, a one-two between Gordon and Piliero allowed the left-back to shoot but straight at Fenney then Boldmere grabbed the initiative, worked Cottrell twice then scored the important winning goal.

DAVY HAMSON, 2ND LEFT: FIRST APPEARANCE FOR LONG EATON...

First a flicked header by Capaldi was claimed with little difficulty by Cottrell then a fine cross from the right by Shaw was headed downwards by Lyng at the far post and Cottrell punched the ball off his own crossbar, sending it crashing down near the goal-line and United survived the subsequent scramble. Hamson replaced Marshall for the guests but the goal when it came was a strange one; Craven’s hack clear allowed Smith to chest the ball down, back to goal but a long way out and with the otherwise effective Kenworthy appealing for offside, the Mikes’ skipper turned and sent Capaldi clear through the middle, leaving the hesitant Kenworthy in his wake. Cottrell raced from his goal but as he neared Capaldi, the ‘keeper seemed to pause slightly and that allowed the forward to veer left at the penalty-spot and walk the ball into an empty net.

THE MIKES CELEBRATE...

A chance to regain parity was offered to the Blues from a left-side corner by Aaron Cole and it was Ball who reached the ball first with a glancing header at the near stick, but the effort drifted just wide of the far upright, leaving Ball with his hands to his face in disbelief. The eager home right-back Keenah Rosser, who like left-back Anthony Fitzmaurice had been positive for the hosts, mainly I guess due to the lack of marking needed against a mainly narrow attacking opposition, then set up Shaw for an angled shot from inside-right but Cottrell made a fine diving save, tipping the ball into the side-netting. As Long Eaton laboured for an equaliser, Keane saw a shot blocked and Cole drove a 25 yard rebound too high before Jack Skinner replaced Capaldi for The Mikes and he set up Shaw for a clipped shot from 22 yards which curled past the right upright.

Boldmere were then made to work hard by a suddenly more lively Long Eaton team which begged the question why their approach had been less offensive earlier in the match… Anderson ran at the Mikes’ defence on the left and fired a low cross-shot which Fenny mishandled but with Graham and Hamson lurking, somehow the ‘keeper leapt into the melee near his right post and the ball bounced off a Blue for a goal-kick. At the death however, a fine run on the United left by Piliero led to a good delivery into the 6 yard box but Gwinnutt couldn’t get in a shot, first being baulked by Black then being tackled superbly by Fitzmaurice. Boldmere held out and breathed a collective sigh of relief, although in all honesty they deserved the victory. 

The home wingers were dangerous, of that there was no doubt but Capaldi ran tirelessly in attack for his team too and Smith was inventive on occasions and went close to scoring on others. The central defensive pair did adequately well but the full-backs were very effective. Long Eaton’s skipper Piliero was consistent and decent throughout, Kenworthy defended strongly and Anderson fizzed on a few occasions but with Graham rarely looking dangerous, too much was expected of Tom Marshall, obviously missing his brother in the more advanced striking role. Gwinnutt stuck to his task against Usher-Shipway but Gordon knew that he’d been in a tough match, for Shaw shone in the Mikes’ attack…

19 miles to get home, 27 minutes it took me, compared to the 66 minutes it had taken me to reach the ground earlier in the evening… We just LOVE Brum traffic… Don’t we?

TEAMS:

BOLDMERE ST MICHAELS:

LEWIS FENNEY, KEENAH ROSSER, ANTHONY FITZMAURICE, JOE SMITH (CAPT), HARRY CRAVEN, ALEX FORDE, CAMERON SHAW, JOE LYNG, STUART CAPALDI, ALI BRAUNS, BEN USHER-SHIPWAY.  

SUBS:

REMI BELL, JOSH MORETON, MAX BLACK, JACK SKINNER.

LONG EATON UNITED:

MATT COTTRELL, BRANDON GWINNUTT, WILL GORDON, JAK KENWORTHY, MARTIN BALL, AARON COLE, KALLUM KEANE, PAOLO PILIERO (CAPT), ROMAINE GRAHAM, TOM MARSHALL, BLAIR ANDERSON.

SUBS:

JORDAN DAKIN, DAVY HAMSON, ANDY TODD, LEWIS WALKER.