BRETFORTON OB 0-8 FC STRATFORD: THE MATCH REPORT...

 Bretforton No Match For FC Stratford…

Bretforton OB 0-8 FC Stratford

The fine Bretforton pitch, looking like it needed a few days of rain to green up, became a dominant surface for Stratford, whose tactical approach was almost total in its domination of a fierce tackling Bretforton outfit. Two shots were all the hosts were able to muster, as the FC defence, in which Abdul Muhammed, Jamie Hatfield and Matt Nutt were commanding and composed, virtually ran the affair from deep. Tom Parnaby, an impish, speedy, deep-lying forward made one assist, scored a brace of goals and was fouled on a number of occasions, but this being a ‘friendly’ encounter, the referee was in a quandary as to how to administer punishment. In the end, he was forced to caution both home skipper Callum Law and replacement Mani Singh. Fair play to Parnaby, for he barely complained about both the physical and verbal treatment he suffered and remained on the pitch for the duration of the match.

THE TOSS...

A GRIMACE FROM STEVE EDGHILL...

And that reminds me that FC’s manager Danny Janes withdrew a couple of players on the half-hour with a view to reintroduce them later during the second period but the referee and some of the Bretforton players wouldn’t allow that to happen as they returned to the action, leaving those withdrawn players to return to the sideline, thus getting a mere 30 minutes of playing time all told. Hmm… Badly done, officials… And that wasn’t all the men in black could be embarrassed about but it’s not my place to write more than that. So it’s thanks to them for officiating, for without them, there would have been no game at all… Yes, that’s the right thing to write…

FC FREE-KICK...

DIXON: COMMITTED BUT ALONE IN ATTACK...

It was tough going for the hosts from the start but although Stratford controlled much of the possession, it took a while for them to open the scoring, after which three more efforts beat Callum Lawrence in the Bretforton goal before the interval arrived. The only shot at goal by the Bretmen before the break was a long and bouncing effort by JD Cole, who busied himself throughout, despite little service on the attacking right. Luis Sone in the FC goal had difficulty saving the surprise shot though, as it popped up to hip height and he was glad to palm it aside as he plunged and managed to collect the loose ball safely.

The nearest the guests had come to scoring early in the affair was when skipper Nick Cox nodded a Dean Poulson free-kick beyond the goal-frame and when Tommy Rawlings fired too high from a very acute angle and some way out. However, when Rawlings turned assistant, home defender Brad Izod looped the ball upwards in his goalmouth and Ash Wilkes lashed an easy first goal from around 7 yards. Wilkes was very useful on the left-flank for much of the game and was constantly pointed out by his coaches as the man to switch the play towards. He drove too high from an acute angle after the recess, saw a low centre bounce from Marshall’s boot and drove wide from 28 yards late on.

HANDS ON HIPS? DO THEY DANCE TOGETHER, TOO?

Goal two stemmed from Poulson’s initial central run then Rawlings, with his back to Izon, flicked at the ball, which bounced off his marker and Poulson pounced with neat footwork but his scoring shot really ought to have been kept out, falling right, by Marshall. Poulson, as well as Tom Daccus was rested after the half-hour and didn’t reappear of course…

Tez Morton, who is welcome to borrow my hair clippers at any time, had replaced Poulson and he shot low and wide from distance, before doing what Tez Morton does, latching onto loose balls and feeding others to move forth with possession. Rawlings was used for 45 minutes and in that time he scored goal three and assisted Parnaby to head the fourth. 

NUTT & HATFIELD: MARVELLOUSLY SOCIALLY-DISTANCED...

Ryan Palmer had joined the fray and he crossed low from the right for Rawlings to bundle the ball into the net at the far stick off the lunging Izod but in truth, the infectious danger for FC was Parnaby, he of the bruised shins and hacked calves. He ducked to head a right-wing corner by Rawlings firmly past Marshall but being the smallest combatant in the penalty-box at the time, questions are likely to asked by Bret’s player/manager Stevie Edghill about the marking… 

SONE: THE 4TH DEFENDER...

Abdul Muhammed was a presence on the right side of the FC defence and impressed throughout, so when I was asked by Danny Janes to choose the MVP, I was struggling, for all of the players had contributed. Muhammed, Wilkes and Parnaby though had played the full ninety minutes and Parnaby had been roughly treated, so my choice was the FC number 10…

After the break, the hosts managed a shot by Kamil Zeiba, if he was indeed wearing 15, which deflected off FC’s substitute Ryan Reeves for an unproductive corner. Otherwise, it was damage limitation by the Bretmen, although the remaining four goals arrived later in the second period. Palmer was bright for FC and he soon poached a goal but it was disallowed, after the ball had struck the referee and the official had failed to stop the proceedings and given the guests possession. An assistant flagged, but for offside? Or what? Badly done, officials…

CAUTION FOR LAW...

Parnaby would head over the target at the right stick, have a low, near post effort well turned behind by Marshall and in the final moments, chasing a hat-trick, he shot low and wide from 19 yards. His second goal stemmed from a released sideways pass by Palmer and Parnaby raced through tired defenders to score easily past Marshall. Palmer scored his brace with a decent rising finish from 12 yards, following a pass by Wilkes and his second following a smart move on the right-flank involving Parnaby and Wil Beach, a half-time replacement wearing the skipper’s armband. Beach reached the byeline and shoved a simple pass for Palmer to shoot right-booted and with a leap, past Marshall from 8 yards.    

QUIRKE: OVERWORKED...

Reeves headed wide twice from decent positions, once from a Wilkes centre and once from a Beach delivery but Beach also went close with a bobbled delivery across the 6 yard box which Marshall clawed at and conceded a corner from on the left. Beach though completed the scoring by bursting onto Parnaby’s neat assist and he was given ample time to measure his low shot into the right corner of the net, an effort which appeared to skid beneath Marshall.    

It had been a hot evening but despite their loss, the Bretmen had competed as well as could have been expected, with Law, Quirke, Edghill and Bor knuckling down, despite the situation. Tom Dixon was offered so little support but he worked well in attack and he seems to have time on the ball, always a real asset. Izod was verbal and made several interventions but his evening was simply hard work…

MANI SINGH IS ABOUT TO BE CAUTIONED...

BEACH: "DO YOU LIKE TO DISPLAY YOUR THIGH TOO, TOMMY?"

James Robbins, on the right for FC and Wilkes on the left offered width, Sone and his back-three were all comfortable on the ball and even when Courtney Sowe had replaced Nutt and James Gifford had replaced Rawlings, there was no let-up in the dominance earned by Stratford, a team which is clearly well coached and intelligently so…

DANNY JANES: BORED BY THE FOULS, PISSED OFF THAT HE COULDN'T RE-INTRODUCE SUBSTITUTED PLAYERS LATER IN THE MATCH...

THE REF IS ABOUT TO CHECK WHETHER TEZ MORTON IS WEARING AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WIG... OR NOT.

Thanks for the opportunity to film from the dugout side of the pitch with the sun behind me and also thanks to both clubs for providing the names and numbers of their players to help with my coverage…

Squads (both teams, numbered 1-18): 

Bretforton:

Callum Marshall, Brad Izod, Will Middleton, Callum Law (Capt), Marcian Bor, StevieEdghill (Manager), Ben Herborn, Harry Quirke, Tom Dixon, JD Cole, Aidan Booth, Mani Singh, Arsh Singh, Kamil Zeiba, Henry Ellingham, Tom Sheppard, Max Tarry.

FC Stratford:

Luis Sone, James Robbins, Matt Nutt, Nick Cox, Jamie Hatfield (Capt, 1st half), Abdul Muhammed, Ryan Palmer, Dean Poulson, Tommy Rawlings, Tom Barnaby, Ash Wilkes, Wil Beach (Capt, 2nd half), Tez Morton, Tom Daccus, James Gifford, Courtney Sowe, Ryan Reeves, plus goalie Jack Hartopp…