STOURPORT SWIFTS 1-1 WORCESTER RAIDERS (2-4 IN THE SHOOTOUT...) THE MATCH REPORT...

Raiders Nullify Swifts, As Sinner Belmonte Becomes Worcester Saint…

Stourport Swifts 1-1 Worcester Raiders 

(2-4 in a penalty shootout…)

Step 6 Raiders travelled to a wet but remarkably playable Walshes Meadow for this Worcestershire Senior Cup-Tie and deserved to progress in the competition at the expense of their Step 5 rivals, Stourport Swifts, who really didn’t play well at all. The Raiders created and missed more chances than their hosts but through a combination of good saves by Swifts’ ‘keeper Ryan Smith and some inaccurate finishing by Worcester, the game went to a penalty shootout, which the visitors won convincingly. Yet that wasn’t the whole story…

TOSSING...

Raiders’ goalie Lewis Pinches, who had rarely been called into action in truth, dived down at the feet of Swifts’ replacement Chrisi Conway and was left with an injury to his head, whereby Worcester skipper Kirk Layton led his gloveman from the pitch, with ten minutes or so remaining. Outfielder and substitute Gavin Podmore pulled on a goalie’s jersey and gloves for the remaining minutes, which the Raiders also had to endure without their influential midfielder Kyle Belmonte, who was sin-binned around that time. Yet Stourport were unable to test Podmore for the remaining time and thus the replacement ‘keeper became a bit of a hero in the shootout, saving one spot-kick. Another shot, by the usually reliable Martin Slevin flew too high, whereas the Raiders scored from all their four kicks and it was Belmonte who netted the clincher… He’s probably a saint now to the band of noisy Raiders fans…  

SLEVIN & CLARKE J. START THE GAME...

A first-half goal by Raider Josh Farnsworth was all the guests had to show at the interval, despite going close on other occasions, whilst their hosts looked jaded and sluggish too often, rarely causing George Corbett and Alex Marsh in the Worcester defence any real problems. Indeed, there was only a chipped effort by Nick MacPherson which Pinches leapt to deal with, a Slevin drive from distance which struck Marsh, a cross by Joe Billingham which dropped onto the goal net and a bad miss by Jamie Clarke, when he glanced a standing, free header wide of goal from close range, following MacPherson’s centre. Clarke kicked out at the right post afterwards, in anguish… Pinches scooped one left-side centre away and that, really, was the toughest thing he was forced to do. 

NOISY DUGOUT 1...

However, the Raiders began well, never allowing their opponents time on the ball, something they continued to do well throughout the match. Left-back Dan Flowers drove well wide at the start, Sam Carey could get no power behind a shot, then Belmonte’s rebound effort was blocked by home skipper Matt Fulloway. Belmonte saw a free-kick fumbled and grabbed by Smith, who saved a weaker drive by the Worcester midfielder too. The busy Dave Reynolds shot hurriedly wide from inside-left, dragged an effort wide of the left upright, rose to head goalwards, only for Smith to tip the ball over the crossbar and finally when he shot past Smith from inside-right, Fulloway was there to stop the ball going into the net. Reynolds claimed a penalty too, when he looked to be tripped but the referee was unimpressed…

NOISY DUGOUT 2...

However, the most unfortunate forward on view was Roland Krol for the visitors, who went close at the right post on one occasion in a strange incident but then, after Matt Andrews knocked Farnsworth’s left-wing centre back into the 6 yard box, Krol smacked his shot against the inside of the right stick. Nobody could quite believe it… Subsequently though the opening goal by Farnsworth, who later also shot straight at Smith from distance, came when he moved inside Ricky Hayer and Fulloway from the left and his right-footer flew just inside the near post with Smith at full stretch. 

0-1 TO THE RAIDERS...

Lewis Clarke’s equaliser before the break was against the run of play in all honesty, as he rose to nod a simple goal into the right side of the net, although Pinches had left his goal-line in a failed attempt to punch the set-piece free-kick away. 

JAMIE CLARKE IS DOWN BUT HE JUST WANTS TO WISH THE PHYSIO' A HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Layton and Belmonte had been industrious throughout the opening half and with Corbett and Marsh standing firm, the home forwards Jamie Clarke, MacPherson and Billingham were offered little scope to impress and little service to feed from, leaving them seemingly frustrated, as passes went astray and the Raiders pressed them into hurried actions. True, Slevin passed well on occasions but he received little useful support in midfield.

GOALSCORER FARNSWORTH...

After the break, things really did become tetchy, even feisty at times, with four Swifts being cautioned, one Raider being booked and of course Monsieur Belmonte being binned as a sinner… There was a fracas, a playground scuffle, a man-bags at two paces kind of thing and as usual Slevin was lurking nearby. In fact Jamie Clarke and Flowers were yellow-carded following that maul but surely any number of fellows could have found their names in the official’s notebook. Or is it an iPad these days? For Stourport, replacement Matt Hanson, Lewis Clarke and Conway were also booked for separate misdemeanours. 

GUESS WHO'S TAKING THE FREE-KICK?

READY FOR HALF TWO...

9 & 10: A USEFUL PAIR FOR THE RAIDERS...

2ND HALF TO START...

The proper action? Well, Matt Hanson shot too high as a result of a corner for Swifts, Jamie Clarke’s shot was deflected to Pinches, Fulloway nodded over the target and Mark Danks shot wide, although Jamie Clarke and Conway also had shots blocked late on too. The visitors kept up their relentless pressure and although Krol would have been disappointed to miscue and lift a near post shot well off target, his overall contribution was one of high energy and nuisance. The other opportunities for the Raiders all fell to Reynolds, whose header had been saved by Smith before half-time and it was the Stourport ‘keeper who excelled himself again with a pair of fine saves from the Worcester number 10.

GUESS WHO'S DOWN?

SCRAP...

A plunging header by Reynolds was going in, before Smith’s reactions kept it out, a save similar to his next one, this time from a low Reynolds strike. The forward drove a decent arrow just wide of the right stick too and in the dying moments, a hacked clearance at 18 yards by Smith cannoned off Reynolds and over the target, leaving the goalie needing some treatment. And thus we went to the shootout…

Billingham scored with a low spot-kick for the hosts and Reynolds netted confidently for the guests but then, Danks stepped forth for Swifts. The Raiders on the half-way line were yelling that ‘Gavin’ would save this one and by the gods, he did, plunging left to beat the effort aside. Layton’s coolness saw his shot beat Smith easily and the advantage was Worcester’s. Incredibly, Slevin shot over the target, leaving Corbett to rap a good penalty low past Smith and the Raiders led 1-3.

Jamie Clarke scored his penalty for the downcast Swifts and it remained only for Belmonte to stride forward and strike a fine shot into the upper reaches of the right side of the net to win the tie… He stood with his arms wide, then ran to the fans behind the goal, where he was mobbed, leapt upon, bellowed at and generally hugged by the visiting contingent, as was substitute Podmore, quite deservedly…   

It’s tough to find a weakness in the Raiders’ display under the circumstances, with Carey and Flowers working their boots off to support from wide positions but the movement in attack of Krol and Reynolds especially, caused Fulloway’s troops a lot of hassle and rushing. Slevin never stoped working for the hosts and he will be mortified by his penalty miss but James Timmins certainly played his part for the Swifts, both physically and vocally, so much so that on occasions it was like we were sharing the commentary…

WINNERS...

An eventful evening at Walshes Meadow and thanks to Quentin Townsend for allowing me in as a media person… Means a lot.

TEAMS:

STOURPORT SWIFTS:

RYAN SMITH, JIM HANSON, MARK DANKS, JAMES TIMMINS, MATT FULLOWAY (CAPT), RICKY HAYER, LEWIS CLARKE, MARTIN SLEVIN, JAMIE CLARKE, JOE BILLINGHAM, NICK MACPHERSON.

SUBS:

JOE HANSON, MATT HANSON, CHRISI CONWAY.

WORCESTER RAIDERS:

LEWIS PINCHES, SAM CAREY, DAN FLOWERS, KIRK LAYTON (CAPT), GEORGE CORBETT, ALEX MARSH, MATT ANDREWS, KYLE BELMONTE, ROLAND KROL, DAVE REYNOLDS, JOSH FARNSWORTH.

SUBS:

GAVIN PODMORE, DAVE GODDARD, BRAD BIRCH, TIM BEATTIE, ARRON DRAKE.