STOURPORT SWIFTS 2-0 GRESLEY: THE MATCH REPORT + IMAGES...

Billingham’s Strike Makes The Evening Worthwhile

Stourport Swifts 2-0 Gresley

Doverdale Lane is a hairy journey to take en route to Walshes Meadow and on this evening, a deer stood on a grass verge and watched me drive by… That was about as exciting and entertaining as the evening got. This match lacked rather a lot, in truth. There were few moments of quality, there were few shots on target, there were few incidents of note, although Martin Slevin’s turn to create Joe Billingham’s fine second goal for Swifts was the one real exception. The opening goal must have annoyed Gresley as much as it presumably surprised Stourport, for apart from an opening minute header from a Slevin free-kick, visiting ‘keeper Ben Allsop simply got cold in his redundancy. That strike was by Lewis Clarke, who snaffled a rebound from a goalmouth mess. Scrappy could describe much of the encounter, which was littered by fouls, offsides and some really inaccurate passing. However, that said, Gresley worked so hard but received little reward, despite the unfailing efforts of Michael Nelson and Louis Briscoe in attack and the admirable Jacob Sturgess and Jack Walsh in defence.

THE TOSSING...

The game could be summed up by a late incident when home replacement Kartel O’Neil-Martin dribbled to the left byeline and fell, as Sturgess covered him. The referee deemed the ‘challenge’ a penalty but with striker Jack Downing wanting to take the spot-kick and O’Neil-Martin clinging onto the ball, there were some embarrassing moments as Downing prevailed. He then lifted his penalty a good distance over the crossbar…

SUBBUTEO PLAYER ABOUT TO KICK OFF...

An early header by either home skipper Matt Fulloway or sidekick James Timmins, from Slevin’s set-piece on the right, was collected beneath his crossbar by Allsop but until Swifts scored, around the 35 minute mark, at times the Stourport offense was like watching a Sunday football team on New Year’s Day morning when several players are suffering hangovers. I’ve played in those matches, often the only one who was reasonably fit… Gresley though, inspired by left-back Walsh, who did really well against leading Swifts’ scorer Downing, made a fight of the game. Nelson shot at home ‘keeper Dom Richards, Timmins blocked another shot by the ex-Redditch United forward and Nelson curled a third shot into the side-netting too. 

FITZPATRICK (4) AWAITS ATTENTION...

Briscoe headed a left-side centre back across goal for Kyle Parchman to force a save from Richards at the left upright but the linesman had been flagging for quite some time that the ball had drifted out of play. Gresley’s skipper Jordan Fitzpatrick had been replaced through injury and so really, it had been a good effort by them before the recess. The lively Joe Haines shot wide for them too but when home striker Nick MacPherson freed Downing on the right and Billingham was unable to latch onto the resulting low cross, MacPherson had a low drive blocked by Sturgess but in the scramble from that, Clarke converted a shot from 8 yards into the bottom left corner of the net. 

THE BEARDED SLEVIN & THE YELLOW-BOOTED HAINES...

MACPHERSON FINDS A NOVEL WAY TO KEEP HIS HANDS WARM...

This was a major surprise then, followed by Downing breaking forward again but winning only a corner and when the forward chased another pass, Allsop beat him to it. Downing soon shoved another low pass into the penalty-box but neither Clarke nor MacPherson were able to get in shots. The interval duly arrived for hot cocoa and Snickers bars in the dressing-rooms and Gresley knew that they were still in this game, if they could get past the stolid Fulloway and Timmins, supported by the Hansons, Joe and Matt. Little had been seen in midfield of Clarke or Brett and Slevin had been more effective as a defensive midfielder, often being forced to hit long passes towards the out of sorts MacPherson and Downing.

BREATHS OOZE INTO THE NIGHT SKY...

MARK DANKS & ALBERT LANSDOWNE...

Things changed slightly after the break but it took a non-decision by the referee to set up a chance for Swifts’ Brett. It appeared that Nelson had been tripped as he attacked for the Moatmen but play continued and Stourport broke, swiftly. Brett fired a rising drive at goal but Allsop reacted well to turn the ball away for a corner. Fulloway’s towering header from the ensuing flag-kick appeared to deflect off Sturgess for right-back McLane Durdey to hack from the goal-line and suddenly the few spectators looked up from their mobile phones, hoping for more of the same. They would be disappointed…

SECOND PERIOD ABOUT TO START...

MacPherson somehow bundled the ball wide at the near post following Downing’s best run and cross of the night, before a really smart trick by Slevin led him to pass the ball forward for Billingham who made it his. Bustling past Josh Edwards, the Swiftman turned and curled a really neat 20 yarder over Allsop and deep into the net for a stunning goal, totally out of character with the match thus far…

MIST AROUND JACOB STURGESS & THE PYLONS:
(GOOD NAME FOR A ROCK BAND...)

MATT HANSON: THE STUDY...

Gresley? Merely a Nelson header too high and a wasted, ballooned effort by Haines but then Downing missed his penalty, although Sturgess was clearly relieved that his barely perceptible challenge on O’Neil-Martin had resulted in no further damage to the Moatmen’s cause. It remained only for a weak, low shot by Clarke to be saved falling left by Allsop and for Parchman to shove a low shot from inside-left past the far post in the final moments. The game over, relief was palpable from players and spectators alike. It was cold, streaks of mist had threatened the Meadow during the evening and folks with blankets on knees and huddling unrecognisable in woolly hats, heavy jackets and long, chunky scarves were clearly  glad to depart the banks of the River Severn… 

RICHARDS & TIMMINS...

MATT FULLOWAY: SKIPPERED HIS TEAM WELL...

Seriously though, frost was forming upon the turf, the temperature had fallen lower and in all honesty, one has to say that Swifts ‘got the job done’ but the urgings of Fulloway to “Keep the ball…” often failed to materialise. He skippered his team well. Gresley must surely take heart from a fighting performance during the which the defence was defiant and the signs were that the offense might just be stirring…

JACK WALSH: CAUTIONED BUT PLAYED STRONGLY...

SLEVIN: "THE MOWDOG'S HERE, SO LOOK COOL AROUND THE PITCH..."

Doverdale Lane was eerie en route back to Solihull but pleasingly there was no road-kill visible, which pleased me totally…

TEAMS:

STOURPORT SWIFTS:

DOM RICHARDS, JOE HANSON, MATT HANSON, LEWIS CLARKE, JAMES TIMMINS, MATT FULLOWAY (CAPT), JACK DOWNING, MARTIN SLEVIN, NICK MACPHERSON, JOE BILLINGHAM, AARON BRETT.

SUBS:

JIM HANSON, BRAD PHILLIPS, MARK DANKS, KARTEL O’NEIL-MARTIN, DREW CANAVAN.

GRESLEY:

BEN ALLSOP, MCLANE DURDEY, JACK WALSH, JORDAN FITZPATRICK (CAPT), JACOB STURGESS, JOSH EDWARDS, KYLE PARCHMAN, ALBERT LANSDOWNE, LOUIS BRISCOE, JOE HAINES, MICHAEL NELSON.

SUBS:

ADAM SKELDON, LUCAS HARRISON, CLINT ANDREW, CONNOR WARD, ZAK HILL.