WILLENHALL TOWN 3-1 WELLINGTON FC: MATCH REPORT...

Lockmen Rip Soles Off Wellington Boots…

WILLENHALL TOWN 3-1 WELLINGTON FC

I could have strolled round the corner to The Coppice and watched Westfields crumble 4-0 to Highgate United but instead I chose to battle to M5 north and some evil M6 traffic to reach Bilston’s Queen Street ground, where Willenhall’s Lockmen were apparently playing their last league game in the stadium which is so orange (Bilston Town’s main colour of course) that it looked out of place in the Black Country surroundings, despite a decent sunset nearby. Strangely, visitors Wellington from Hereford (a hell of a journey too) wore bright orange and home team Willenhall wore, er, red…

THE REF STROKES A LINESMAN'S CHIN...

Frank was there. He was clad not in Bilston orange like he’d been Tangoed all over, but in Willenhall red like he was embarrassed all over, which of course he never is… His background commentaries blend interestingly with mine on video clips and he received huge thanks for his incessant, unending, often annoying bellows at the players from those Lockmen lads at the end, who also sang their team song for him… Hilarious. Frank also met The Bodging: Frank’s soccer life is now complete, having placed a hand where Patrick Suffo’s, Scotty Gennard’s, Jordan Nadat’s and Edwin Greaves’ hands have also been… The Bodging was so scared that his fur is seen to be standing up… Or is that a tree?

THE BODGING REALLY DOES LOOK TERRIFIED...
I WOULD TOO, IF FRANK'S HAND WAS PROBING MY BUTTOCKS.

Anyway, the game was tentative at first, men spilled into offside positions several times and in truth there was little first-half action of note, bar some resolute defending by both teams. However, Boots’ striker Josh Hunt might have netted four times after the interval as the match opened up into a plethora of goal chances but The Lockmen had to come from behind against their higher placed opponents too. Fine performances by Lockmen Remie Birch and Liam Wilkinson drove their team to victory but to be fair they were assisted by some sloppiness by The Boots. Town’s wide player Chadd Birch had suffered a frustrating opening half on the right flank and so he decided to stay on my side of the pitch for the second period, the offensive left, probably so that he could feature more clearly on my video clips… (Only joking Chadd…) He really did do well on the left flank in fact and crowned his evening with the killer third goal although the Lockmen would also be indebted to ‘keeper Harry Radford (“There’s only one Harry Radford…”) who made good saves from Josh Hunt and Paul Jones.

BALL IN AIR, SMITH ON GROUND, YET HE WINS THE HEADER...
MAN IN GREEN VEST CLASHES BADLY WITH THE ORANGE...

Interesting looking at the two teams’ lists of players though, for Wellington have 3 Hunts, 3 Prices, 2 Pridays, 2 Pughs, 2 Thomases, 2 Williamses and 2 Winters (cold and not so cold, presumably); Willenhall in addition have 2 Barretts, 2 Ellises and 2 Birches… Not helpful if all had been on the team-sheet at the same time but thankfully they weren’t… There was merely a single Smith and one Jones? Hmm…

Will Perkins with either the side of his head or his shoulder knocked a cross from the right by Wellington’s Jones well wide in the early stages, before home manager and central striker Mark Habbershaw’s pass went astray and the ball was knocked quickly forward by the visitors to a player who wasn’t actually offside, Matt Williams, but his right-boot poked shot from inside left was stopped in hockey goaltender style by the calm, standing Radford’s shin pads. Another quick through-pass saw Josh Hunt striding away centrally but he was caught by the speedy, rapid covering of Remie Birch, forcing the Boots’ striker to pull the defender back. A foul was given at Queen St but when Jason Cowley did that to Pershore’s Walker on Monday, Bromsgrove were allowed to carry on and score. Ah, the inconsistencies of officialdom… 

ELLIS DOES A BIT OF SHIELDING...

A linesman then awarded a throw when it really did seem that the ball had not crossed the touchline either off or on the ground but it gave home right-back Curtis Ellis a laugh anyway… Jones’ centre saw Harrison Barrett block a shot by Boots’ Adam Newbury, whose involvement was usually thoughtful for his team, before the hosts managed a couple of attacks themselves with Barrett prominent and Habbershaw reminding me of a stage act, wearing a leather belt with ropes attached so he could swing several people round off the ground at the same time. When he forced up some steam, he ran like a particularly angry rhinoceros, pounding, bounding and grunting through the grasslands and this style really did cause the Boots’ defenders some concern on occasions.

THE SKIPPER MUST HAVE PERKED UP WITH THE WIN...

REMIE BIRCH HAS DEFENDED JOSH HUNT REALLY WELL...

In Wellington’s third not-offside break Jones got away at inside-left but his shot under pressure went into the side netting then Barrett nearly connected with a low left-wing centre by Jamal Pinnock, who was apparently so good that he wore 9 twice on his shirt (18…) The final action of the half was when a good slippery run by Jones the Boot to the left byeline saw him unleash a tight angled cross-shot which maybe frustrated his colleagues but the effort must have deflected off goalie Radford for a corner which home defenders Dominic Smith and Clayton Peddie dealt with. 

HOOPED SOCKS: SO UNCOOL...

The spectators who had ignored Juventus at Barcelona and Dortmund at Monaco on TV could not have anticipated such a lively second-half at Queen St and it began when Peddie’s error let in Josh Hunt for a run at goal but the advancing Radford did enough and the forward’s trickled shot rolled agonisingly against the foot of the right upright to safety, whereupon the thankful Peddie subsequently cleared any further danger. The referee soon awarded a free-kick on the right to Town but the inimitable Wilkinson was forced to take it twice to satisfy the official’s selfish delectation and the second delivery was met beyond the far stick by Smith whose header looked sure to beat ‘keeper Matt Apperley but it bounced off covering defender Joe Davies for a left-side corner which was wasted. The Boots’ escape soon proved costly for the hosts when Jones crafted a goal…

"HONEST REF, I DIDN'T MEAN IT. ASK THE MOWDOG, CUZ HE KNOWS I'M NOT THAT SORT..."
YEAH, RIGHT, MR BARRETT...

Jones moved inside from the right, whereby Josh Hunt was involved centrally and as the ball rolled right, Dave Price clipped a 16 yard left-footer into the right corner of the net, leaving Radford unable to react.

GOAL FOR DAVE PRICE: 0-1...

Habbershaw belted a shot way off target in response but in all honesty Wellington could and should have killed off the contest after their first goal. First Josh Hunt got away again and Radford’s boot managed to concede a corner, before both Perks and Barrett got in headed clearances from the resulting flag-kick only for Jones to volley the rebound just too high from 18 yards. Another Habbershaw lay-off was then nicked by the Boots and Will Perkins fed Josh Hunt on the left, who cut inside but saw his shot beaten away by Radford towards Jones, right side of the penalty-box. Jones looked sure to score but fair play to Radford, who got back onto his goal-line to boot the winger’s low shot clear. And then the hosts equalised…

NEWBURY: ATTEMPTED CREATIVITY ON A BUMPY PITCH...

Chadd Birch cleverly flicked Smith’s forward pass towards Remie Birch, left flank and the defender made ground, slipped a return pass inside towards Chadd, whose touch allowed Pinnock to steam in and convert from 10 yards. What was remarkable about the goal, was that the Wellington lads were like basketball players being duped by the Harlem Globetrotters, for they resembled orange cones as the Birches smartly moved the ball about.

1-1: PINNOCK FROM CLOSE RANGE...

More neat approach work by the Birches allowed a fine cross from Remie to reach manager Habbershaw at the far stick but he was unable to get in a telling header, even with his horn extended. Apperley just about held onto a low pass from the right by Pinnock and the hosts were stretching the guests, as Frank launched again into his: “WHO’S GOT WHO? WHO’S GOT WHO? WHO’S GOT WHO?’ and then: “DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE…” Apperley was forced to ground to smother a shot from near his left upright by the marauding Habbershaw, whose rebound effort was deflected for a corner and then the boss knocked in a fine byeline centre from the right, forcing Apperley to tip the ball over the goal-frame, although the nearby linesman was flagging that the ball had in fact rolled out of play.

The beguiling Chadd Birch fed Pinnock for a low drive straight at Apperley, before the visitors at least got themselves together a little more and Williams swung in a right-side cross from which Radford reacted well to parry Josh Hunt’s drive into Smith’s path, who cleared hastily. More Birch work on the left-wing saw the pair combine neatly again and Chadd crossed long this time but the clearing Boots’ header found only Barrett. The midfielder’s byeline centre from the right deflected slightly off Luke Winter’s head which took the ball over Habbershaw and marker Davies, whereby Perks ran in to knock the ball, maybe with an upper thigh, a hip, a groin or a scrotum towards the right post, where he followed in and made sure it rolled into goal, although Apperley made no apparent attempt to dive or smother the effort…

THE BIRCHES APPLAUD THEMSELVES...

PERKS REALLY DOES LIKE THAT...

Josh Hunt, still gamely working the offensive line for the Boots, set up Perkins for a shot which drifted a long way off target, before Habbershaw released steam from his buttocks and ploughed forward towards the Wellington penalty-area but he was unable to get in a shot. However, the hosts snapped in a third goal which went to Chadd the Wizard, who picked up a right-side delivery from Ellis which had drifted over Davies and he nudged the ball, keepy-uppy style three times to caress it past the surprised Apperley, who again didn’t throw himself into a challenge, something which appeared to frustrate the crestfallen Davies…

THE BIRCHES HAVE AGAIN CREATED SOMETHING...

CHADD HAS JUGGLED A GOAL...

Alex Hunt and Charles Greenhouse replaced Matt Williams and Perkins for the guests, before Habbershaw seemed unwilling to be replaced by Tony Russon for the Lockmen, until it dawned on him that he could get a fag on in the dugout… Russon was soon in the action, not quite being able to convert when a low pass from the left byeline by Chadd Birch, following good work by Remie, had beaten Apperley. Then trouble flared, for although Barrett had previously been cautioned, something occurred off the ball but as the playground scrap ensued and then calmed down, the officials chatted and decided that Alex Hunt and Perks should be introduced to something yellow. Pinnock and Perks took breaks and Town’s Jamal Wakeman and Reece Chambers entered the fray but with little offensive stuff coming from the beaten visitors, Willenhall dominated the closing minutes.

SCRAP 1...

SCRAP 2...

SCRAP 3...

THE CAUTIONS...

MAKING FRIENDS...

First Chadd Birch struck an audacious rabona cross from the left, then took a pass from Chambers and forced a fine left boot save by Apperley from an angle and finally, Russon’s clip into the Boots’ 6 yard box saw Peddie unable to get any purchase on his 3 yard back-header and Apperley grabbed the effort. The game over, Wellington looked appalled at their lot but to their credit, shook hands with their victors, who then celebrated their win in front of the grandstand, before the worshipping of Frank ended the evening…

THE END...

SMITH PRODUCES A STYLISH 'HANDSHAKE'...

APPLAUSE FOR THE CROWD FROM MORE PLAYERS THAN THERE WERE ACTUALLY SPECTATORS IN THE CROWD...

The keys for the Lockmen were Wilkinson’s creativity, Remie Birch’s skills on the ball and the awesome second-half performance of the enigmatic Chadd Birch on the left-flank. Perks and Barrett were unflappable in midfield and the central defenders, plus Ellis were effective on the night, despite one error by Peddie. Radford kept goal well and Pinnock was a threat with his pace and unpredictability. 

For the guests, one could not fault Josh Hunt’s shift, bar maybe his finishing, although to have four efforts saved and another strike a post probably makes my comment seem harsh. Certainly the Boots’ defence looked unsettled too often and although Perkins and Newbury tried so hard to create and Jones made the odd telling run, Willenhall’s tenacity had won out on the night…

Me? Well Mark Habbershaw waved and yelled a ‘thanks for coming, Mowdog’ parting comment and I sank into my car seat. An easy journey back to Solihull followed, a hot cross bun and very, very strong tea were consumed, whilst The Bodging recovered from his frightening encounter with the rasp-throated Frank… 

TO BE FRANK, HE NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER SHUTS UP...

HABBA RECKONS THE ONLY WAY TO SHUT FRANK UP IS TO DROWN HIM OUT...

...THEN MAKE LOUD CLAPPING NOISES AND HOPE HE'LL GO AWAY...

TEAMS:

WILLENHALL TOWN:

HARRY RADFORD, CURTIS ELLIS, REMIE BIRCH, BEN PERKS (CAPT), CLAYTON PEDDIE, DOMINIC SMITH, HARRISON BARRETT, LIAM WILKINSON, JAMAL PINNOCK, MARK HABBERSHAW, CHADD BIRCH.

SUBS:

TONY RUSSON, JAMAL JAKEMAN, REECE CHAMBERS, IAN DELL.

WELLINGTON FC:

MATT APPERLEY, NICK WILLIAMS, LUKE WINTER, ANDY PRICE (CAPT), JOE DAVIES, DAVE PRICE, WILL PERKINS, ADAM NEWBURY, JOSH HUNT, MATT WILLIAMS, PAUL JONES.

SUBS:

ALEX HUNT, CHARLES GREENHOUSE, MARC PRIDAY.