ALCESTER TOWN 6-0 ENVILLE ATHLETIC: THE MATCH REPORT...

Romans Build Road To League 2…

Alcester Town 6-0 Enville Athletic

One point was needed for the Romans to clinch the league title at Stratford Road but in actuality, Continental Star would have needed so many goals in beating rivals Coventry Plumbing on the day that even an Alcester defeat to Enville would have handed Town the trophy anyway. However, when Lewis Marston lashed in goal one, the hosts were never seriously troubled, bar one save by Luis Sone from a Brady Weston free-kick and then a second period slapstick sketch, when an upright and a goalmouth clearance prevented the visitors from scoring a consolation goal. They were 4-0 behind at the interval, courtesy of a quick hat-trick by Roman Dan Carter, who accepted three gifts greedily, as the Enville defence, in a word, sucked… 

THE HANDSHAKES...

Critical to the precious victory for the Romans was the form of skipper Luke Dugmore, who was instrumental in most of Alcester’s offense, also Marston, whose attitude was exemplary. Two second period strikes, one by the energetic and deserving Callum Burston-Keeley, the other by Dugmore himself, resulted in a repeat of the 6-0 away victory secured by Alcester at Enville on a much warmer Easter Monday. There was sunshine at this game, some wind and a few short showers which ensured that my umbrella malfunctioned, twisted, bent and finished the afternoon flattened inside a trash can. 

READY TO GO...

Burston-Keeley was lively on the right for the hosts from the start and when a long left-side cross by Marston dropped over the head of Athletic’s Tom Millington, who would certainly qualify to play the part of Magwitch in a remake of ‘Great Expectations’, Alcester looked sure to score. They didn’t. First, Burston-Keeley’s nudge at goal struck Millington’s shins, like he was playing skittle-guard in a playground game of ‘skittleball’ but then the defender also glowered at Carter, whose rebound was subsequently also blocked by him… A dangerous left-side centre by Burston-Keeley was also headed clear from his goal-line by Enville’s Alex Byatt. Carter saw a shot at the left upright deflected wide by the bright Enville defender Charlie Dudley and had another drive saved diving right by goalie Andrew Arnold but Callum Debar’s rebound effort slapped against the left post.

DUGMORE & MARSTON: IMPORTANT FOR ALCESTER...

The opening goal was the result of a second phase of an Alcester attack. Dugmore released Burston-Keeley at inside-right, he lobbed the ball towards the left but Carter was denied by Dudley, yet he retrieved the ball and passed it sensibly across the penalty-box for Marston to strike first-time from 15 yards high into the right side of the net. 

1-0...

MARSTON'S CELEBRATORY FROWN...

Debar drove another chance too high, although Carter was lurking unmarked to his right, but Carter would wreck Enville with three strikes in a very short period of time. First, he was released by Dugmore and slotted the ball past Arnold, then Dugmore released Burston-Keeley on the right, whose pass from the byeline was shovelled over the goal-line at the far stick by Carter, who almost immediately completed a simple trio, as Enville squandered possession from the restart. Dugmore (again) slipped the ball forwards for Carter to beat Arnold again with a clinical right-booter. 

INJURY TO XAVIER...

CAUTION FOR FROWEN...

Home defender Aaron Xavier took a whack to the forehead before half-time but the guests had rarely threatened Sone, who had watched a falling shot by Weston soar over his crossbar, before safely turning a free-kick by the same player over his goal-frame. Christian Frowen not only drove a shot off target for Athletic but he was also cautioned for speaking unwisely to the referee.

2-0...

3-0...

4-0...

Thus the opening half ended with Alcester already sure of the league championship and it only remained for them to endure a second period before the celebrations could begin. Arnold appeared for the second-half as a forward and defender Rhys Harper took the goalie’s gloves, despite the fact that skipper and midfielder Reece Dawes had performed so well between the sticks in the reverse fixture.

DEBAR WANTED A PICURE TAKEN...

2ND HALF...

Substitutions were made by Alcester, to involve three of their replacements but Cosgrove went close with a header, which was blocked by the side of Max Lingley-Churchill’s head, whilst Carter threatened once in a goalmouth melee, shoved a one-on-one with new ‘keeper Harper past the right post following Ollie Gibson’s pass and back-heeled another effort off target, after good work by Burston-Keeley. Burston-Keeley it was who added goal five, latching onto a pass by Marston and scoring low past Harper from 12 yards, inside-right channel. Dugmore had already seen two drives blocked by Steve Andrews but he would not be denied a goal as he took a feed from the right by the irrepressible Marston and slotted his shot past Harper. The linesman on my touchline had attempted to prevent my camera from filming that goal by walking right in front of me as the Romans’ skipper took aim. He failed though… Perhaps he was saddened by my attempts to tread on my broken brolly, in a vain effort to make it small enough to fit into a waste receptacle near the half-way line… Hmm…

5-0...

6-0...

The visitors attempted a few attacks, although they managed no actual pressure on the home goal. Byatt shot low at Sone, who saved comfortably, then the gloveman held a higher shot by replacement James Constable, whilst Millington shot wide and saw a left-side centre drop past the far upright. Arnold, now a striker of course, shot wide on one occasion but was involved in the daft moment of the match too. Replacement Roman Craig Gasiewski slipped a back-pass towards Sone but didn’t connect fully and Byatt was in, although Sone defended the situation like an outfielder, delaying his opponent who did eventually get in a shot. The ball flew against the left post however, with Gasiewski attempting to cover the effort but as the ball rattled off the goal frame and Arnold fired a 15 yard rebound at the net, only guarded by Gasiewski, the Roman somehow and quite brilliantly cleared the ball from the goal-line. In a game which was already won anyway, that showed fantastic resilience and concentration by the Alcester player.  

THE CHAMPIONS...

THE TROPHY...

And thus the celebrations began for Town which had been a long time coming, based upon the leadership at the back by Danny Janes, the midfield creativity of Dugmore, the calm goalkeeping of Sone, the all round team-work displayed by Marston, Burston-Keeley and Terrance Morton, plus the goals of Carter, to name but a few… 

ALCESTER'S HAPPY ENDING...

Congratulations to all concerned with the club and to produce a programme of such quality as a memento of this important match was a credit to Alcester Town FC…

THE PROGRAMME COVER...

TEAMS:

ALCESTER TOWN:

LUIS SONE, AARON XAVIER, DANNY JANES, TERRANCE MORTON, LEWIS COSGROVE, CALLUM BURSTON-KEELEY, LUKE DUGMORE (CAPT), CALLUM DEBAR, DAN CARTER, LEWIS MARSTON, OLLIE GIBSON.

SUBS:

LUKE WILLIAMS, MATT MAGEE, CRAIG GASIEWSKI, JOSH CULLEN.

ENVILLE ATHLETIC:

ANDREW ARNOLD, MAX LINGLEY-CHURCHILL, TOM MILLINGTON, RHYS HARPER, CHARLIE DUDLEY, REECE DAWES, CONNOR RICH, CHRISTIAN FROWEN, BRADY WESTON, STEVE ANDREWS, ALEX BYATT.

SUBS:

JAMES CONSTABLE, GARRICK WHEATLEY, RHYS MORGAN.