LYE TOWN 1-0 SHEPSHED DYNAMO: MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

Dynamo Pay Price Of Slow Start At Lye

Lye Town 1-0 Shepshed Dynamo

Lye Town’s first-half performance was positive and offensive, culminating in a headed goal by defender Alex Dallison but striker Ben Billingham saw a free-kick beaten away by Dynamo ‘keeper Rob Peet and left wingback Sam Tye clipped the guests’ crossbar with a curled effort too. Shepshed, following their fine FA Cup victory over Leek Town on Saturday fielded only five of that successful starting line-up at Lye. They began understandably hesitantly and barely threatened home goalie Charlie Price before the interval but after the break, with Dynamo attacking the cow-shed end, things changed so dramatically that the visitors ought to have claimed at least a point from their visit to The Lye. Only some desperate blocks by Town’s defenders but more importantly some really excellent saves by Price, preserved the Flyers’ lead. He saved a downward header by Niall Prenderville, made a startling double-save from the disbelieving Liam Read and then somehow flicked a half-volley by Liam Hurst which came through a crowd of players, over his crossbar.

YOU SEE, NOBODY LIKES THEM CUZ THEY ARE THE LYE...

NEARLY READY TO GO...

Price would take the handshakes of players from both teams at the end of the match but in truth, despite a late flurry of off target shots by the hosts, Dynamo would surely have left the Black Country extremely disappointed. 

GENNARD GROWLS AT THE TOSS...

Heavy rain around 6pm had made the lush Lye grass slick but no further bad weather interrupted the proceedings during the evening and indeed, the sky became a drama in its own right. Dallison, named home skipper on the team sheet, actually wasn’t the captain at all because the legendary but equally frightening Scott Gennard wore the leader’s armband until he was withdrawn to prowl the touchline in a scary warm-down activity… It’s what he does.

HOME DUGOUT...

AWAY DUGOUT...

Strong Dynamo play on the left flank by Alex Troke, whom I recall playing and scoring for Coalville Town not so long ago, resulted in a threat to Lye early on but Lye’s predatory chasing then allowed Simon Williams to benefit from a Gennard tackle and drive a shot too high. Although Karl Whymark shot over the home crossbar for the visitors, it was Lye who began to move the ball better and when Shepshed lost possession, Billingham attempted to lob Peet from around 40 yards but the effort dropped over the target. A couple of free-kick opportunities from the inside-left channel were wasted by the hosts, as were two corners, the second of which was clouted clear by Peet’s fist. Dynamo left-back Reiss McLean was by then too hurt to continue and he was subsequently replaced by Tom Carroll.

EVENING SKY...

DARKENING SKY...

ARTISTIC SKY...

Another loss of possession by Shepshed allowed home striker Connor Collins to switch play from right to left and a smart cut inside by Tye was followed by a curling shot which clipped the top of Peet’s crossbar. Billingham’s movement was causing the Dynamo defence some real problems around this time and after slapping a free-kick drive into Shepshed’s defensive wall, soon he rifled a right-side cross straight at Peet. Williams had a shot deflected for a left-wing corner and this led to the only goal of the game. Dallison rose well at the far post to head the ball downwards and despite Peet’s plunge, the ball bounced into the net.

BILLINGHAM (10) SHAPES TO TAKE A FREE-KICK...

1-0...

...& A GOAL FOR DALLISON...

Certainly the goal served to liven up Shepshed and only a fine defensive tackle by the generally immovable Sam Mills prevented Read from capitalising upon a long Dynamo pass. A foul on his defensive right by home skipper Gennard led to his defence having to deal with the free-kick and then two successive corners but survive they did and indeed, trolled off to the cow-shed end and so nearly increased their lead before the break. A free-kick on the right edge of the penalty-box saw Billingham shoot left-booted but Peet threw himself left towards the upright and beat the ball away for a corner which was taken short by Billingham but Williams’ eventual shot drifted badly wide of the target. 

RARE FIRST-HALF DYNAMO PRESSURE...

A LITTLE TROUBLE AT THE LYE...

The half ended and with Adam Meacham, Mills and Dallison defending Troke and Read like jailers on a work party, the visitors had been shackled well enough by Lye but things changed dramatically at the beginning of the second period, after Collins had driven a shot too high for Lye and a couple of stray, careless passes had prevented the home forwards from getting through on the break.

MAGICAL SKY...

EVIL SKY, AS PAINTED BY SCOTT GENNARD...

A fine cross from Hurst on the right was won by Prenderville at the near post, despite the presence of the taller Mills but Price dropped like he’d been shot by a sniper and made a fine save on his goal-line, flicking the ball aside. After Troke had lost possession, Tye drove a shot way too high for Lye but the guests pushed on again and Town were ultimately pushed back again. Price fell to smother the ball as Prenderville lurked, Whymark and Hurst twice had shots splendidly blocked by the defending Flyers, before Troke fed the ball from the right and there was Read alone at the left upright to surely equalise… But no, his first effort was stopped by the plunge of Price, who then rose like a viper to parry Read’s rebound effort and the striker would surely have been disappointed not to have scored. 

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO PLAY LEAP-FROG WITH YOU?"

REF: "MR GENNARD, I'VE SPOKEN TO MR COLLINS HERE BUT I DON'T THINK HE HAS TAKEN ME SERIOUSLY. PLEASE PRESS UPON HIM THE SERIOUSNESS OF MY COMMENTS..."
GENNARD: "EH?"

Lye had already lost attacking right wingback Jacob Wedderburn to injury and had replaced him with Kalum Evitts but then they refreshed things by replacing Gennard and Collins with Jack Pearlman and the speedy, lean Jack Till. Price saved his most spectacular stop until his last though, for after a set-piece on the Shepshed right was cleared by Town, Hurst struck a rebound shot from 20 yards on the half-volley but somehow Price reacted to sling out a left hand and turn the ball over the goal-frame, leaving Hurst with his hands on his head in frustration and shock.

LATE ATTACKING BY LYE...

Following that save, only a deflected Whymark drive, off Dallison’s outstretched leg really threatened Lye, despite the territorial advantage being maintained by the visitors but at least Till’s willingness to chase rapidly created an outlet for the tiring Flyers. He made one fine run but failed to get in a shot on his left foot, ran another couple of balls towards a corner-flag to waste time, before very late shots by Billingham and Tye flew off target, as the hosts attempted to keep their desperate opponents inside their own half before the final whistle sounded. 

PAUSE FOR SOME FIRST AID TRAINING ON REAL PEOPLE...

Lye thus held on with some really heroic defending, as Dynamo built their constant second period offense generally from the three centre-backs, Josh Hill, Sam Preston and Adam Hohn but despite the often busy prompting of Wymark, Hurst, Prenderville and Ben Harris, neither Troke nor Read could manage penetration and Price’s goal remained intact. 

COLLINS: BATTLED HARD...

Town’s Billingham never stopped worrying Dynamo in attack and he was well supported by Collins although in fairness, the Flyers’ success was mainly founded upon the sheer stubborn defending of Mills, Meacham and Dallison and the brilliant goalkeeping of Price, despite the midfield graft of Gennard, Williams and Reece Shilvock.  

PRICE LEAVES HIS CHARMED GOAL...

THE HANDSHAKES...

Once again The Sports Ground fascinated with its cow-shed end, its shabby-chic grandstand and the grassy bank where I stood mostly alone but I reckon placing bales of straw inside the cow-shed like a terrace, would bring in more souls to sample the view and then on summer Sundays local kids could pay to sample a working farm… Well, as long as the bullish Gennard was asked to remain at home, that is…   

TEAMS:

LYE TOWN:

CHARLIE PRICE, JACOB WEDDERBURN, SAM TYE, ADAM MEACHAM, SAM MILLS, ALEX DALLISON, REECE SHILVOCK, SCOTT GENNARD, CONNOR COLLINS, BEN BILLINGHAM, SIMON WILLIAMS.

SUBS:

LUKE PASKIN, JACK TILL, KALUM EVITTS, JACK PEARLMAN, BEN LOVE.

SHEPSHED DYNAMO:

ROB PEET, ADAM HOHN, REISS McLEAN, JOSH HILL, SAM PRESTON, NIALL PRENDERVILLE, LIAM HURST, ALEX TROKE, LIAM READ, BEN HARRIS.

SUBS:

TOM CARROLL, LUKE RICHARDS, SHAY BRENNAN, DAN BASTOCK.