FAIRFIELD VILLA 1-5 REDDITCH BOROUGH: REPORT & IMAGES...

Villa Slump In Evening Sunshine, As Borough Take Their Chances

Fairfield Villa 1-5 Redditch Borough

Redditch Borough beat Pelsall Villa 1-3 away last Saturday, then Fairfield Villa 1-5 away in this game, so it makes sense that if they were to play the languishing, out of form Aston Villa away next, the score could possibly be 1-7… The scoreline at Fairfield maybe flattered Boro’ slightly but they certainly created more clear-cut chances overall, despite the fact that forwards Billy Garvey and Steve Joynes failed to score themselves, although to be fair they would claim the assists. Players were late arriving for the 6.30 kick-off which wasn’t surprising after a day of work, then travelling through heavy traffic and so late changes had been made to the expected starting line-ups. The guests netted two of their four opportunities before the break, whilst the hosts forced visiting ‘keeper Lee Garghan into just one save of note in the first-half but the Boro’ goalie erred to gift a goal to Villa after the interval and with substitutes Sean May and Ollie Booth (both listed as original starters) looking lively for Fairfield it seemed just a matter of time before parity might be achieved. Until that is, Boro’ overwhelmed their hosts with three late and devastating goals…

Until midfielder Dave Phelan rapped in the first Boro’ goal there had been no real sign that the visitors were in an offensive mood, for the hosts had threatened a few times on the right flank where winger Ellis Blakemore and right-back Ryan Molesworth looked rather dangerous. They combined for Blakemore to swerve deep into the penalty-box but he didn't get in an effort at goal, which brought the angry bellow of: “…f******’ shoot…” from the Villa dugout. A couple of corners were won too but only a wayward header by defender Reuben Wilson stemmed from those and Boro’ soon responded with a 35 yard free-kick by Garvey which dropped over the home crossbar. And then Redditch struck…

A SERIOUS MOMENT...

VILLA KICK OFF...

INTERESTING BACK-DROP...

Garvey battled for possession and released Phelan on the right who was not flagged offside despite a few hopeful waves by Villa’s defenders. Phelan moved inside and seeing ‘keeper Aaron Collins not racing out towards him, closed in on goal and fired a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Almost immediately Joynes’ clever pass released Garvey on the left and he moved in from an acute angle to shoot against the base of the front post, with the ball nicking off Villa defender James Finn for the hosts to clear.

"HEY, REUBEN, LOOK! A RARE BUTTERFLY HAS LANDED ON THE GRASS OVER HERE..."

"I SEE NO SHIPS..."

A COUPLE OF PLAYERS LEAP TO BE THE FIRST TO GET A FALLING FLAGPOLE THROUGH THEIR SKULLS... 

0-1...

PHELAN HAS SCORED...

True, Fairfield reacted with some zeal but subsequently would be caught by another Garvey break on the right. However, Dan Wilkes was proving increasingly useful on the Villa left and after Wilson’s pass had set up Stuart Hall for a close range shot which was blocked by Garghan’s legs and Hall was unable to connect with Molesworth’s delivery from the right, Wilkes took a pass from Loz Martin, cut inside but drove his shot across the face of the Boro’ goal. When Wilkes was fouled, Hall’s 22 yard free-kick clipped the wall, looped upwards and Garghan held onto the falling ball. 

695: NOT THE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF MY BANK CARD...

BORO'S DEFENSIVE WALL PREPARES TO DEFLECT HALL'S FREE-KICK...

LOZ MARTIN (5): PLAYED UP FRONT FOR SHENLEY RADFORD AS A KID, WHILST MY SON JAMIE WAS THE GOALKEEPER...

HATFIELD'S BEARD OFFERS MORE BALANCE TO THE DEFENDER...

MOLESWORTH (9) WATCHES AN AERIAL CLASH...

Eventually though, an astute Joynes pass freed the onside Garvey on the Redditch right and his low pass towards the deep lying Matt Fearon allowed the number 10 to strike a falling shot from 12 yards which appeared to enter the net near the right upright off the goalie’s shins. Wilkes was hurting and was thus replaced by Ollie Booth, who became influential for Villa and would have a few goal attempts after the break but the opening half ended after Garvey had raced clear for Boro’ again, beating Finn in the process but was foiled by the advancing Collins who saved with his body. 

0-2 NOW...

FEARON IS THE SCORER...

The half had been littered by scruffy passes, surrenders of possession by both teams and on a hard pitch with low sunlight affecting players’ vision, the match had been frenetic and lacking any real rhythm. But as I wrote above, the combatants had been working all day, many had dashed to the match straight from work and I guess it was no surprise that the fayre had often been untidy…

Sean May had replaced Molesworth for Villa at the break and the hosts began the second period with a pair of headed opportunities from Blakemore’s deliveries. Finn nodded a corner past a post and Booth’s glancing effort was too fine and drifted towards the left flank. Garvey and Joynes combined to set up Phelan again for Redditch but his low shot was weak to Collins, before Craig Maillins rose well for a right-wing Garvey corner but his downward header bounced up like a kid on a seafront trampoline at Swanage and flew over the right angle of bar and post. Soon though, Villa received a pre-September Christmas gift from Garghan…

MID-EVENING SKY...

The ‘keeper was fed a back-pass by Gareth Parfitt and decided to fool May, in August, which he did, veering right on the 18 yard line but Hall was lurking on the offensive left and whipped the ball away from the goalie, clad in purple like a plum, leaving the striker a simple task to steady himself and roll the ball into an empty net. Phelan gave way to Ash Woodfield for the guests, Garvey threatened twice, the second time following a sliced Collins kick, but suddenly, with the game finely poised, Booth became a factor for Fairfield.

1-2...

...& HALL BLESSES HIS RIGHT BOOT...

He took a Blakemore pass and his 25 yard drive was deflected wide, his corner was bundled wide by Finn and then his low 23 yarder was pushed behind for another corner by Garghan, falling left. Despite this, the clinical Redditch team replied with a settling third goal when Garvey’s pass from the left struck Wilson and fell for the unmarked Tom Trow-Poole, whose volley from 25 yards passed the statuesque Collins and bounced into the net, left of centre…   

TURNER HARASSES MARTIN...

1-3...

10 BORO' PLAYERS CELEBRATE...

TROW-POOLE THE SCORER...

Villa tried to respond with May’s running but only managed a Scott Holiday pass to Hall whose low shot was diverted for a corner by Garghan’s feet and after Dan Price had been replaced by DJ Pitt, another Booth effort from 25 yards bounced up for Garghan to claim. Typically, the visitors simply won a left-side corner, Garvey took it and Maillins left marker Wilson standing to power a standing header past Collins on the goal-line who was, er, standing…

GARGHAN CHECKS OUT THE LIFE-LINE OF HIS RIGHT GLOVE...

OMG: 1-4...

MAILLINS THIS TIME...

Before one could comprehend a 1-4 scoreline, Garvey slipped Woodfield in on the left and his angled shot beat Collins at the near post to engineer a joyous ending for the Redditch contingent. It remained only for Pitt to clip a shot from the left side of the penalty-box over the target at the near angle of crossbar and upright and the game was done in the shadows, as the sun began to set in a neat sky…

WOODFIELD HAS NETTED GOAL 5...

WOODFIELD'S EXPRESSION READS: "SEE THAT, BOSS?"

Joynes and Garvey must have been wondering at their inability to score on the night but their creativity actually won the game for their team. Jamie Hatfield, the skipper, all beard and no nonsense, kept his team switched on, Matt Turner, in late at right-back, played a sound match and despite his mistake ‘keeper Garghan made important saves at important times.

Villa were disrupted, yes, but Martin slipped the odd neat passes about, Finn was generally strong in defence and Holiday made the occasional swift run, although Blakemore’s trickery was the hosts’ main weapon, especially after Wilkes retired. Skipper James McKeon grafted manfully, often switching play with long passes but in fairness, the visitors took five of their chances, suggesting a clinical approach on the road and they have now netted eight and conceded only two goals in two away games to start the season… 

And Boro’ replacement Robert (the) Bruce kept on trying and trying to get on… It’s what he does…   

TEAMS:

FAIRFIELD VILLA:

AARON COLLINS, REUBEN WILSON, DAN PRICE, JAMES FINN, LOZ MARTIN, SCOTT HOLIDAY, ELLIS BLAKEMORE, JAMES McKEON (CAPT), RYAN MOLESWORTH, STUART HALL, DAN WILKES.

SUBS:

MAX BEVIS, BRAD TALBOT, DJ PITT, OLLIE BOOTH, SEAN MAY.

REDDITCH BOROUGH:

LEE GARGHAN, MATT TURNER, COURTNEY SOWE, TOM TROW-POOLE, JAMIE HATFIELD (CAPT), GARETH PARFITT, CRAIG MAILLINS, DAVE PHELAN, STEVE JOYNES, MATT FEARON, BILLY GARVEY.

SUBS:

ASH WOODFIELD, DEAN HAY, ROB BRUCE, ALEX BIRCH.