BEWDLEY TOWN 1-0 HIGHGATE UNITED: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST & LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Foraging Riversiders Take The Points From Labouring Highgate…

Bewdley Town 1-0 Highgate United

READY TO GO...

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

This wasn’t a spectacle which will remain long in the memory of the folks who turned up to Ribbesford Meadows. However, the result would have been accepted with open hands by Bewdley, who moved three points closer to Wolves Casuals and Haughmond immediately above them at the foot of the league table.

HAD TO INCLUDE THIS, CUZ I LIKE IT...

The goal was a penalty, awarded when one of the two lively home forwards, Dylan Hart went down under a challenge by ‘Gate’s Alex Smith, not of course the ex-Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith… Hart took the spot-kick himself and despite the fact that his team had found penalties tough to convert recently, he shot hard, low and centrally to beat United goalie Tom Allsopp.

HART READY...

HART CELEBRATES...

The opening half of the game was so tepid that even a linesman’s flag wasn’t raised to signal offside until several minutes before the interval. The best goal attempt had been an instant drive from downtown early on by home skipper Simon Rudd which zipped only just over the target, with Allsopp leaping.

Bewdley battled hard and were well served by Luke Gaffney in a defensive midfield role but the two central defenders, Elliott Sumnall and Dan Flowers were grimly determined and protected their barely tested ‘keeper Joe Sidaway rather successfully.

Strangely, after the break, it was Town who upped their offensive game but unsurprisingly it was both Hart and his accomplice Tyler Smith who threatened. The Gate though were simply unable to create much, the only real threats emanating from the occasional dribbles by Dan Gyasi but twice the winger’s shooting was wayward. A lunging header by replacement Kyle Batchelor was saved by Sidaway but that was about all United could muster on a disappointing evening riverside for them…

Smith & Hart… 

The two Bewdley forwards showed good movement and faultless energy throughout, although it was after the recess that their efforts were rewarded with shots at goal. From Rudd’s pass, Smith drove in a hip-high 16 yard shot from inside-right which Allsopp dived right to claw away, then the ebullient Kyle Belmonte fed Hart at inside-left in a two-on-one attack with United’s defensive right-side open. Smith was supporting in the middle, covered by defender Reuben Freeman, who left the number 9 unmarked to challenge Hart but the Riversider chose to shoot right-booted instead and his disappointing effort hit the side-netting.

KYASI HURT...

Smith had a shot parried by Allsopp, as the Highgate defence began to look a little ragged and Hart shot too high, then sent a splendid inside of right foot volley from 20 yards only just off target, with Allsopp stranded. Both strikers had efforts from the right byeline batted down by Allsopp before the goal was scored. Finally, Belmonte drove a volley straight at the goalkeeper.

The extent of the Highgate offense…

Set-pieces were on the whole not good, for a few Reece Leek deliveries were overhit, it appeared. Before the break, Sumnall nodded an Alex Smith header off his goal-line but the referee had spotted pushing by The Gate anyway. Leek’s leaning back volley rose way too high and Gyasi shot tamely across the penalty-box.

THE REF BEGS FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING...

During the second-half, despite a few periods of possession, United saw an effort at goal by Gyasi blocked by Flowers, substitute Jamie Lucas fired weakly from an angle at Sidaway, who then smuggled the ball away from his right post in a rare moment of anguish for the gloveman, before he punched clear an Alex Smith centre and fell right to smother Batchelor’s plunging header for a corner late in the match. 

Cautions… 

The officials were much more effective than many I have been subjected to this season but Rudd was yellow-carded early, followed by his right-back Rio Bakala and United’s Alex Smith. 

CAUTION FOR RUDD...

Final words…

The graft displayed by both sets of midfielders was industrial at times but Bewdley would surely be pleased by the defensive displays of Sumnall and Flowers, supported strongly by full-backs Bakala and Jordan Graham. The team seemed to exude a togetherness, which will continue to be necessary in avoiding relegation this term. However, Tyler Smith and Hart were never easy for Highgate’s defence to track and Belmonte supported the pair well. Subsequently, any goals the trio can muster in the weeks ahead will be crucial…

Highgate’s performance was quite weak and their followers in the grandstand were audibly unimpressed. Skipper Connor Mooney from left-back constantly urged his team forward but too many passes from midfield went astray, despite the general work-rate and the forwards, Gyasi, Charlie Stanton and Jordan Francis were mostly unable to trouble the Riversiders in defence.

ALLSOPP & ALEX SMITH LOOK DISTRAUGHT AT THE END...

And of course the tannoy system…

Impressive as always, Adrian’s comprehensive pre-match, interval and post-match announcements were integral to presenting a professional approach to the Midland Premier League. 

I did smile though because in advertising the availability of replica shirts, the programme and refreshments, I was somehow mentally transported to being seated on a runway inside a British Airways aircraft and I was expecting Adrian to appear and show me how to access my oxygen mask in the grandstand and then how to belt up…

OK, I’ll belt up…

Bewdley? Love it there… 

TEAMS:

BEWDLEY TOWN:

JOE SIDAWAY, RIO BAKALA, JORDAN GRAHAM, LUKE GAFFNEY, ELLIOTT SUMNALL, DAN FLOWERS, KYLE BELMONTE, CALLUM CLAYTON, TYLER SMITH, DYLAN HART, SIMON RUDD (CAPT).

SUBS:

SAM LESTER, JOSH CARPENTER, SAM JUDGE, LUKE MORRIS, JOE STOCKTON (GK).

HIGHGATE UNITED:

TOM ALLSOPP, KARTEL O’NEIL-MARTIN, CONNOR MOONEY (CAPT), TOM RANKIN, ALEX SMITH, REUBEN FREEMAN, DAN GYASI, MITCHELL MOLLISON, CHARLIE STANTON, REECE LEEK, JORDAN FRANCIS.

SUBS:

LEO WOOD, JAMIE LUCAS, KYLE BATCHELOR, FIN HOWELL, MAX MARTIN.