PERSHORE TOWN 3-1 WARSTONES WANDERERS: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST, LIGHT-HEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Plums Ease Wanderers Out Of The Smedley Crooke Cup

Pershore Town 3-1 Warstones Wanderers

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Filming at night under floodlights acceptable for Step 5 games and below can be a minefield for focusing the camera and so it proved at Pershore but it’s really annoying when the only piece of action which is captured out of focus ends up being a goal…

So it proved in this cup-tie when James Baldwin’s smart goal virtually settled the match for the Plums. I can only apologise… There is enough on the footage to see the strike however… Just about.

WAITING FOR A LONG KICK...

West Midlands League Division 2 team Warstones, second in their league with three matches in hand over leaders Saltley Stallions, gave a good account of themselves on the night though and missed a number of chances to score, particularly those squandered by Ash Brown and Dan Lawrence while a fine drive from downtown by Marcus Flint took a deflection off home defender Jordan Adams to force Plums’ goalie Elliot Hart into a fine flying save.

LAWRENCE WAS BOOKED FOR WEARING GLOVES, ER, SORRY, FOR UPENDING WEBB...

Certainly the hosts missed chances too but visiting ‘keeper Tom Greenhouse was forced to retire hurt after making a blocking save from Town’s Josh Willis although he had received lengthy treatment earlier in the match too. Luke Draisey took over between the poles for Wanderers but Ash Brown was dismissed late in the second period too, so it was a tough night all round for the plucky visitors.

Jacob Crumpton had pulled Warstones back to 2-1 before the interval, the home goals courtesy of Peter Tonchev’s deflected effort and a low shot by Willis which Greenhouse didn’t seem to realise was going inside his left stick. The out of focus third goal was neatly set up by Town although Baldwin’s shot appeared to pass close to the gloveman.

GREENHOUSE: PLAGUED BY THIS EARLY INJURY...

It was also strange to see Danny Janes and Tom Millward at the Plum-helm after so long at FC Stratford but hey, that’s football I guess… 

The behaviours…

Danny Janes’ thoughtful and calm approach to his touchline presence contrasted sharply with that of the Wanderers’ manager, Leon Brown, who was emotional, vocal and totally immersed in every aspect of his team’s performance. He entertained me too and on the commentary, we kind of shared duties, for our voices can both be plainly heard… Brilliant…

Player Ash Brown was dismissed during the second period and I can only guess that it was for something uttered but the guests also had Dan Lawrence, John Shaw, Reece Lampitt and skipper Craig Radford cautioned, while the only Plum booked was replacement Roland Krol.

BALDWIN TAKES A BREATHER BUT WHAT IS WILLIS SAYING?

Both the visitors and the hosts claimed penalties but neither incident was deemed worthy of a spot-kick although in truth I was too far away from each incident to offer a fair opinion.

However, my evening was confused somewhat when a guy walked past the grandstand at the break and called up to me: “Hello Mowdog…” No idea who he was… Hmm…  

Jacob Crumpton…

Enjoyed watching this ‘centre-forward’ who made himself available all game and scored his team’s only goal, as well as seeing a low right-foot shot from 16 yards saved by Hart’s shins as the ‘keeper advanced and fell right.

The goal stemmed from a free-kick by Kane Lewis at inside-right which was nodded back across goal from beyond the far stick by Radford. Left-back Joe Prosser might have scored at the near post but he miscued, allowing the switched-on Crumpton to latch onto the ball and convert into the left corner of the net. Neither Wanderer was marked… 

THE AUDIENCE IS IMPRESSED AS SKIPPER RADFORD BALANCES A KNEELING SPECTATOR ON HIS HEAD...

Late on in the match, Crumpton had a powerful low drive blocked well by home defender Martin Fowler but Ash Brown’s rebound effort drifted wide of the left upright.

Indeed, midfielder Ash Brown struck a free-kick wide in the opening 45 then really should have scored from 15 yards later in the match but smacked his shot well over the goal-frame from an unmarked position. Mr Janes might just have been wondering who should have been covering the midfield Wanderer…  

The remaining Warstones offense…

Before the recess Lawrence missed two decent opportunities, first (totally unguarded) heading badly wide of the left pole from Ash Brown’s right-side free-kick, then lifting a shot from 23 yards way too high.

The busy and bustling Tom Piggott slid in on Hart during the first-half and was penalised, arriving just too late to get in a telling touch on the ball.

DRINKS FOR THE FORWARDS...

The effective Liam Wilkinson would rue his unmarked finish before half-time too when he lifted Lewis’ left-side centre over the target, wastefully.

It was left to Flint of the Warstones (not War of the Flintstones…) to provide one of the highlights of the match, for his excellent shot from downtown took a slight deflection off Plum Adams which produced a spectacular leaping save from Hart who tipped the effort over his crossbeam.

Josh Willis…

He was simply everywhere and noticeably so, not only because of his whiteish boots. The pale numbers on Pershore’s shirts are often tough to see on the wide blue and white stripes but his feet were rather easy to identify.

He took most of the set-pieces also but did fire wildly high then wildly wide in the opening half, before scoring with a low shot from 20 yards which surprisingly failed to bring a dive from Greenhouse who maybe thought the ball was going past his left post. It wasn’t… 

Willis fired a free-kick at the ‘keeper after half-time, shot another set-piece too high, then hit a shot from open play off target but when he drove low from inside-left, Greenhouse had enough gas to advance and block well although it was the goalminder’s last action before being replaced in goals by Luke Draisey who was already on the heavy turf as a substitute.

RADFORD IS ABOUT TO BE BOOKED...

Petar Tonchev…

This left-sided Plum attacker has smart feet and possesses trickery, if not a combative tendency. His very early goal involved taking a Jake Cavens pass inside the penalty-box at inside-left and tricking both Wanderers’ players John Shaw and Lewis, allowing him the space to curl a shot towards the right vertical which Radford could only lift higher into his own net.

Tonchev shot over the crossbar instinctively when Adams poked a right flank Willis corner back into the middle of the goal but it happened too quickly for a measured shot, I reckon.

More efforts at goal by the Plums…

Adams headed strongly off target from a Willis corner, central striker Aidan Clark shot low towards the left post, an effort subsequently smothered aside by Greenhouse, but the burly Town striker missed from inside the 6 yard box later on when Baldwin’s clever pass found him alone. The shot, at full stretch, rose too high.

ASH BROWN, SECOND FROM LEFT, IS DISMISSED...

Substitute Reece Lampitt shot over the bar, Krol’s free-kick drive was palmed and caught by Draisey but Baldwin settled the issue after smart play by both Fowler and Clark at inside-left and the forward’s low left-footer rolled past Greenhouse’s dive and into the right side of goal, probably nudging the upright. 

The final words…

It was good to return to Pershore for a match where I spotted Family Webb on my way out… I hope they are all well…

WEBB MARKS ASH BROWN...

I liked Radford, the Warstones skipper for he defended with resolve and led by example but despite the presence of Wilkinson and Ash Brown in their midfield, the guests didn’t quite have enough to take the Plums to a penalty shootout. 

Flint supported Radford well but equally Adams and Kirk Layton worked hard in the Pershore defence too, whilst Cavens was quietly efficient in the Town midfield. 

Webb? Usually there when Town needed someone to break up an attack and slip the ball to a better placed colleague…

It’s what he does…

TEAMS:

PERSHORE TOWN:

ELLIOT HART, CURTIS TOWNLEY, MARTIN FOWLER, STEVE WEBB (CAPT), JORDAN ADAMS, KIRK LAYTON, JAMES BALDWIN, JAKE CAVENS, AIDAN CLARK, JOSH WILLIS, PETAR TONCHEV.

SUBS:

MATT ENNIS, TOM MILLS, ROLAND KROL, SCOTT LOADER.

WARSTONES WANDERERS:

TOM GREENHOUSE, JOHN SHAW, JOE PROSSER, LIAM WILKINSON, MARCUS FLINT, CRAIG RADFORD (CAPT), DAN LAWRENCE, ASH BROWN, JACOB CRUMPTON, TOM PIGGOTT, KANE LEWIS.

SUBS:

REECE LAMPITT, LUKE DRAISEY, RHYCE BROWN, NORBERT SANTINIO, SCOTT STEVENSON.