BEWDLEY TOWN 1-5 OMJ BLACK COUNTRY FC: THE MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

 Muzi Hat-Trick Leaves Bewdley Fuzzy…

Bewdley Town 1-5 OMJ Black Country FC

(FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round)

Until the interval, this FA Cup tie had been no real contest but rather a total contrast of styles. Black Country (Rangers) were keen, lively, inventive, speedy and dangerous, yet their only first period goal was headed in at a set-piece by Muzi Nduna from close range. Bewdley had struggled to contain their creative guests and even their vociferous ‘Three In The River’ loyalists were astonished at the long balls forward played from defence on the majority of occasions. Once, left-sider Jordan Graham was passed to and he ran towards the byeline and got in a cross. Just once… Yet that was what the home fans wanted to see, rather than the turnovers prevalent before the break. 

PRIEST & LYNCH MEET IN FRONT OF A 269 CROWD...

After the recess, things were a little different, except that instead of missing chances, Rangers took them, with Nduna completing an impressive trio of goals, whilst wily midfielder Chris Spencer weighed in with a brace. And yet it could all have been so different, for the hosts were awarded a dubious penalty-kick at the beginning of half two, which Dylan Hart scored but within a minute, the referee awarded a spot-kick to Rangers, again perhaps dubious, which allowed Spencer to convert and restore his team’s lead. A fine free-kick and then a confident one-on-one finish by Nduna, plus Spencer’s close-range strike added more gloss to Rangers’ advancement in the FA Cup.

BACK-HEADER BY NDUNA OPENS THE SCORING FOR RANGERS...

Apologies from me though, for I used the team-sheet provided by Bewdley Town with both clubs’ line-ups written upon it, whilst commentating. In fact though, it wasn’t correct, meaning that during my video commentary, I was calling Rangers’ number 5 Nimmo and number 6 Hammond but the reverse was apparently correct. Also, replacements Wallen and Bell were written with the incorrect numbers, but only on scrutiny of Rangers’ own team-sheet when I returned home, to check on other spellings, did I realise the errors… 

GOALIE CULVER LOOKS CRESTFALLEN...

Town managed one real attempt on goal before half-time, which was a downward Hart header, gathered easily by visiting ‘keeper Adam Marusiak. Otherwise, despite Hart’s efforts and the industry of both Tiago Ribeiro and Simon Rudd, the hosts seemed all at sea, or should I say, all at river… The waves of Rangers’ attacks were a joy to witness for the neutral, with Spencer, the fleet-footed Jordan Flattley and the crafty Joe Fitzpatrick passing smartly on the whole and releasing the pace of striker Reece Lynch, also Emlyn Tudgay on the right and right-sided defender Blaine Waugh, whose pace was surprising, leaving defenders trailing behind his boot-heels…

And there was Nduna… I know Muzi from his Coventry United days, where I never felt that he was given enough game-time to settle into a good team. His cameo appearances for the Cagemen were often skilled and he weighed in with goals when it really mattered. He played on the left side of the attack for Rangers but his hold-up play and clever turns were features of this cup-tie. He flicked a close range back-header past home goalie Isac Culver from Flattley’s left-flank corner to open the scoring early, from a few yards out. That should have been the catalyst for securing a healthy lead before the 15 minute stoppage for paper cups of squash and individually wrapped custard creams but that didn’t happen.

RANGERS ARE JOYFUL...

Nduna shot weakly wide, had another effort blocked but then Flattley drove a fine rebound from downtown only just over the crossbar from the rebound. Lynch threw himself spectacularly at crosses by Tudgay and Nduna like he was auditioning for the main part in a film about Norman Wisdom but he failed to get touches. When he was shoved clear at inside-left, his miscue was so awful that I was upset that the clip had to be included in my highlights… Sorry, mate. 

Fitzpatrick drove a 35 yard free-kick way too high, Tudgay miscued as he lost balance and twisted through the air like an errant gymnast, then clipped a dangerous centre over the left angle of post and crossbeam. Rangers’ Alex Hammond (5) was cautioned for a foul on Hart and Town’s Jo Trinade was booked for derailing the Waugh express…

IMAGE FROM BEFORE DARKNESS FELL...

After the interval, Town’s Ribeiro ran into the left-side of the penalty-box and as a challenge was nigh, surely the Town man simply slipped, or overbalanced but the official reacted like he was snatching the last apple from his auntie’s tree and signalled a penalty. Hart rapped his low spot-kick into the centre of the net and Bewdley had regained an unlikely parity. However, as the guests counter attacked from the restart, Spencer moved into the right side of the 18 yard box near the byeline and fell, although from my viewpoint, the frame of the grandstand and some wild weeds prevented me from filming the incident clearly but the referee again reacted so quickly, awarding a penalty… Spencer trundled his low right-booter into the left corner of goal… 

HART EQUALISES WITH A SPOT-KICK...

Hart would fire wide of the upper reaches of the right stick later in the half and replacement Matt Kirby (I think it was he…) clipped the top of the crossbar with a shot from 18 yards, but the real turning point of the contest arrived when a left-side Ribeiro corner for the hosts was headed downwards by central defender Sam Prescott and the ball flew upwards towards the top left corner of goal, only for the remarkably alert Flattley, who had stolen onto his own goal-line, to nod the ball clear, admirably. And then Rangers won a 24 yard free-kick for a foul on Troy Wallen, towards the left side of the pitch. In front of his own fans, Nduna curled a fine free-kick, high and dropping inside the near post, leaving Culver flapping.

Lynch had been replaced by this time and Nduna was playing a more central role, whereby Spencer set him free, onside and rushing goalwards. As Culver advanced, Nduna scored confidently with a low shot to become the three-goal hero for his crew…

SPENCER HAS ADDED GOAL 5...

NDUNA PREPARES TO SCORE GOAL 3 WITH A FINE FREE-KICK...

SPENCER HAS SCORED HIS PENALTY & IT'S 1-2...

Twice Tudgay forced Culver to race from goal to get dangerous through-passes away to safety, replacement Andy Hayes shot low at the gloveman and with Bewdley understandably looking like a beaten outfit, the criminally unmarked Spencer received a pass from the left byeline by Wallen and shot low past Culver from 8 yards. 

Home striker Luke Morris did manage to work Marusiak late on but the ‘keeper advanced well enough to stifle the forward’s low shot, almost as he struck it. Heads hung, Rangers’ fans sang and Nduna beamed a smile…

MUZI NDUNA: THE HAT-TRICK MAN IN GREEN BOOTS...

Spencer was a revelation in the Black Country midfield, behind the strikers, whilst Tudgay, Fitzpatrick and Flattley never stopped affecting the match. It must have been galling for Hart and Morris, also Graham, who received such a lack of service but skipper Ben Priest was certainly a fine leader on the night for Town and was still urging his men on at 1-5, although Prescott too defended with stubbornness. 

Left-back George Patey ran the left-flank for BCR with some gumption and the central defenders looked comfortable for much of the evening, although Marusiak must have been shocked to have to endure such a mainly untroubled match between the sticks. 

FLATTLEY BELIES HIS NAME & GETS UP TO HEAD PRESCOTT'S EFFORT FROM THE GOAL-LINE...

The noisy home supporters were in no doubt that Rangers were dangerous, whilst their own team took 45 minutes to get some offense going, but subsequently, BCR became more clinical and killed off the Riversiders…

Squads:

BEWDLEY TOWN:

ISAC CULVER, DECLAN BIBB, JO TRINADE, BEN PRIEST (CAPT), SAM PRESCOTT, ADAM BEARDSMORE, TIAGO RIBEIRO, SIMON RUDD, DYLAN HART, LUKE MORRIS, JORDAN GRAHAM.

SUBS:

STEVE CLARKE, TOM SMITH, BEN WORTHINGTON, JOHN GRIFFIN, YURI QUINTAS, MATT KIRBY, KEELAN MONGER (GK).     

OMJ BLACK COUNTRY FC:

ADAM MARUSIAK, BLAINE WAUGH, GEORGE PATEY, JOE FITZPATRICK, ALEX HAMMOND, CALLUM NIMMO, JORDAN FLATTLEY, CHRIS SPENCER, REECE LYNCH (CAPT), MUZI NDUNA, EMLYN TUDGAY.

SUBS:

ANDY HAYES, MARC LAWRENCE, KHURUM IQBAL, JOE BALL, TROY WALLEN, CURVIN ELLIS.