DUDLEY SPORTS 1-3 SHIFNAL TOWN: THE MATCH REPORT...

Hill Crests Hillcrest Avenue With A Smart Hat-Trick…

Dudley Sports 1-3 Shifnal Town

Thanks to Dudley Sports for the kind welcome at Hillcrest Avenue and also for some compliments by the home players about my ‘touch’, as I lifted a ball gently but accurately over the rail during their warm-up… Did I want a shirt, they asked… Would have loved to be on the bench… However, despite taking a lead, courtesy of the bullish Nick Turton’s close-range finish in a goalmouth scramble worthy of an under-7s match, a smart hat-trick by Shifnal’s Tom Hill meant that the visitors ran out worthy winners, for they were the more creative outfit and home goalie Gurtej Bhullar had made several good saves to keep Sports in the match.

DID SOMEONE LEAVE HIS WOOLLY MITS AT HOME?

Much of the danger caused by the guests stemmed from some imaginative play by wide-players Jake Webb and Rees Wedderburn, so that Hill was often lurking in goalscoring areas and in truth he would have been left wondering how he didn’t score more than three on the night. Ah, yes, the night; it was grim, dark, cold and slightly desolate at the ground, with leaves strewn all around and trees forming ‘nasty, bad’ (Trump words…) images around the extremities of the pitch. One chap attempted to climb one tree to rescue a ball which nestled like an obese barn owl in a cleft but he failed.  Another bloke tried at half-time too, after yanking a pole from behind the grandstand like he was punting amongst thick river weeds and he poked at the offending football, as if he was playing a giant game of snooker in the old TV show ‘Jeux Sans Frontières’ for the town of Dudley… He failed too. 

CAUTION FOR PEARSON...

In the tricky light, Dudley’s numbers on their dull green shirts and relying on straight lines, were often tough to identify, so I apologise for any mistaken identities during the video commentary but it must be written that Shifnal certainly enjoyed some dominance over their hosts for a good deal of the encounter. Five times Hill threatened, first rushing at inside-left but being foiled by Bhullar’s dash to get to the ball, then stabbing well wide of the near post from a corner, before heading Wedderburn’s centre off the top of the crossbar. Bhullar advanced to foil Hill again, then saved a left-footer by the striker but when the lively Webb cut inside home defender Adam Roberts (I think), he fell down and after some thought, the referee awarded a penalty. Hill drove a low spot-kick left of centre, as Bhullar fell the other way.

HILL HAS EQUALISED...

This strike regained parity for Town and deservedly, due to the offensive play previously displayed, during which Jordan Uppal shot well wide from downtown, after Bhullar’s poor clearing kick, Webb had driven a shot from inside-left against the goalie’s legs, Kieron Northwood had just failed to get a touch to a left-wing corner at the right stick and Wedderburn had headed straight at the ‘keeper. In contrast, the hosts had been limited in attack, despite the presence of Turton…

SOCIALLY DISTANCED AND IN GOOD HUMOUR:
SHIFNAL BEFORE KICK-OFF... 

Midfielder Mitchell Evans had exploded onto the scene with a smart 15 yard drive, following good work by Turton and Donovan Westwood but Town ‘keeper Jake James did well to turn the ball over his crossbeam. From the ensuing corner, Evans volleyed well wide of the right stick and then following a gymnastic moment by Shifnal’s Jordan Jones, who involuntarily produced a handspring just outside the penalty-box, Jay Holdcroft’s right-flank centre was at first fumbled by James but was then dropped upon like the goalie’s pet snake had attempted to escape from the lounge. Winger Matt Hearsey fired twice at the ‘keeper but when Turton struck, it was the culmination of a total mess in the Town goalmouth. 

MEESE, HILL & HOLDCROFT, THAT WELL KNOWN FIRM OF SURVEYORS...

Hearsey poked the ball across the 6 yard box from the left byeline, after some hesitancy by Town’s Ben Perks and there was Turton to convert from a melee, a yard or so from the goal-line. There was still time for the visitors to go close again, when a fine one-two between Uppal and Wedderburn ended with the latter’s shot being stopped by Bhullar’s boot on the goal-line and Holdcroft’s rebound shot was somehow cleared from near the left post by Roberts. It was close, though… 

TURTON HAS GIVEN SPORTS THE LEAD...

Half-time arrived for the players to disappear into the darkness and return looking refreshed after a quick shiver in the dressing-rooms and mugs of warm cocoa…

BOOKING FOR NORTHWOOD...

A couple of cautions marked the second period, for Kyle Pearson of Dudley and the industrious Northwood of Shifnal were yellow-carded for misdemeanours but fewer goal chances were created, as many errors were made on the uneven surface but after Webb played an accidental one-two with a home defender, he shot wide of the left upright, before the visitors went ahead, through Hill again. Holdcroft blocked a clearance at 18 yards and the ball fell kindly for Hill, who slammed a low right-booter into the right side of the net, with Bhullar helpless.

1-2: HILL'S SECOND...

Soon, Hill was thwarted by Bhullar’s rush out as he got away at inside-right but when the home defence got into a mess from a right-side delivery, Webb’s flick  goalwards was knocked back by Holdcroft to Hill, who cleverly dummied home defender Ricky Hayer at 17 yards and smacked a rising shot into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

1-3: GAME SAFE FOR SHIFNAL...

An overhead effort by Holdcroft was superbly kept out by Evans on the goal-line, possibly with the aid of the underside of the crossbar but at 1-3, ahead, there was no catching Shifnal. Turton had one effort deflected, Hearsey shot wastefully wide and saw James catch a rising effort, skipper Dave Meese’s downward header from replacement James Weaver’s cross bounced into James’ gloves and a very late Weaver corner struck the upper reaches of the outside of the near post but subsequently, the game ended in a fairly comfortable win for Town. 

MEESE (8): DISAPPOINTED TO LOSE...

The Shifnal forwards were dangerous, no doubt about it and Hill was a real problem for home defenders Sam Conway and Ricky Hayer but a mention must be made about the skipper and left-back, Jamall Pinnock, whose combinations with the impressive Webb along the left flank were instrumental in the victory. Angelo Franco, Kyle Montague and Mark Webster all joined the fray for Town and did their bits, as Dudley struggled to get back into the contest. 

Evans did well enough for the hosts, Bhullar did his best between the uprights, Tyrone Clarke was often busy on the offensive right, Hearsey was involved a lot on the left, too, whilst Meese battled typically hard in the midfield areas. Substitute Mark Swann did some strong defending late on but Turton was somewhat starved of service up top, although his mode of physical play, often rampaging like a raging wrestler, would be a bonus in attack for many teams…

I walked the darkness back to my car and drove home to find out that Bewdley had managed to lose at home again, this time after leading Worcester Raiders 3-0… Hmm, they have an FA Vase tie on Saturday… 

TEAMS:

DUDLEY SPORTS:

GURTEJ BHULLAR, ADAM ROBERTS, KYLE PEARSON, MITCHELL EVANS, SAM CONWAY, RICKY HAYER, TYRONE CLARKE, DAVID MEESE (CAPT), NICK TURTON, DONOVAN WESTWOOD, MATT HEARSEY.

SUBS:

DECLAN HAIRE, JASPAL BHANDAL, JAMES WEAVER, MARK SWANN, RYAN MCDONAGH.

SHIFNAL TOWN:

JAKE JAMES, JORDAN UPPAL, JAMES PINNOCK (CAPT), BEN PERKS, JORDAN JONES, BRAD SMITH, JAKE WEBB, KIERON NORTHWOOD, TOM HILL, JAY HOLDCROFT, REES WEDDERBURN.

SUBS:

JOEL CRANER, ANGELO FRANCO, HARRY WOODBURN, KYLE MONTAGUE, MARK WEBSTER.