REDDITCH BOROUGH 1-1 KNOWLE FC: THE MATCH REPORT...

 Clarke Heads Robins In Right Direction…

Redditch Borough 1-1 Knowle FC

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Two defenders were in impressive form during this opening game of the Midland League 2 season. Boro’s Tom Fishwick made a number of crucial blocks and headed clearances for his team, whilst Lewis Clarke played in a similar fashion for Knowle. It did seem odd that Clarke’s defensive headers were so dominant and yet, offensively, he was unable to threaten, until that is, in the final seconds of the encounter.

He rose at the right edge of the 6 yard box to beat Ash Pardoe to Owen Ward’s deep free-kick and looped a header towards the far stick. The ball bounced into the Redditch net to break Boro’s hearts but deservedly clinch a point for the Robins who really ought to have sewn up a victory earlier in the afternoon.

CLARKE HAS REGAINED PARITY...

Saying that though, busy home forward Josh Roberts was involved in a two-on-one break for the hosts just a couple of moments before Clarke regained parity for the guests. He veered left past the last defender but drove his shot just over the target, although only goalie Ben Maxwell would know whether he got a slight touch on the ball too.

Redditch were holding onto a lead afforded them by Brooklyn Smith’s second period strike, fastening onto an assist by fellow replacement Ethan Ruppenthal. Knowle were unable to prevent Fishwick from causing havoc at the near post from a right-flank corner and Ruppenthal’s shot in a crowded space deflected kindly for Smith to stroke into the net with his left boot.  

SMITH HAS OPENED THE SCORING...

Sadly though, the encounter was littered with unpleasantness, leading to cautions for a few players and a lot of verbal abuse being aimed at the officials, plus a surprising decision by Boro to waste time just as soon as they had taken the lead.

YELLOW FOR GARVEY...

"DRINKS, ANYONE..."

CLARKE HAS JUST BEEN CAUGHT BY A ROBERTS BOOT...

"I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO TALK BACK. GOT IT?"

SEELEY SUFFERS FROM GARVEY'S CHALLENGE...

The officials…

Being a neutral observer, it was interesting to try to evaluate the fairness of the regular complaints made about the officials but on one occasion when Fishwick was about to take a free-kick from around the half-way line, he was offered a drink by one of his coaches. He subsequently stood on the pitch and drank it, causing total frustration for the Knowle contingent but the referee failed to act, other than to hurry Fishwick along. The coach responded to Knowle’s verbal criticism by saying that it was ‘warm’… Yep, it was warm for the other twenty-one combatants too but clearly no drinks break had been agreed to by the two clubs…

Knowle complained about some dodgy offsides but only one event is worth recording, when the ball was passed forward by the Robins. Although one player was offside, the other clearly wasn’t and if the first player didn’t touch the ball then the referee really ought to have played on. George Seeley had fastened onto the ball and slipped it past home goaltender Ant Swain. However, the linesperson’s flag wagged…

The time-wasting tactics by Boro were sometimes embarrassingly corny but they worked, especially when Alex Birch failed to pick up a trickling ball in order to take a throw, allowing it to run several metres past him… It’s unlikely that the rather officious main official added on the full amount of time trashed by the hosts but I guess that the tactic came back to bite them at the death, anyway…

PARDOE, LEFT, WAS STRONG FOR BORO...

DENHAM ORCHESTRATES THE CROWD...

Boro chances…  

Not many to be honest but before the break, Fishwick nodded one Birch corner well wide of the near post and right-back Dan Morris made a fine overlap onto Roberts’ creative pass, leaving Hamza Siddique in his wake but unfortunately, the defender rather sliced his effort from about 18 yards. 

Skipper Joe Denham also saw a volley dip too late but after half-time, central striker Hayden Jarrett’s header was clutched by Maxwell, prior to Smith’s opening goal. Maxwell also pushed away a low 20 yard effort from Roberts but that was about it, until Roberts failed to settle the contest in the final minutes.

RAINEY & SIDDIQUE...

SEELEY TELLS EVERYONE THAT HE'S NOT RELATED TO ANY OTHER KNOWLE SEELEYS...

THE BALL SUFFERS...

The Knowle offense… 

There was something not quite fluid about the Robins’ attack on occasions, as if things weren’t quite clicking, which I guess is typical of pre-season but certainly Jack Mullen was a real threat for the visitors.

His overall work ethic was laudable but in the opening 45 he shot wide once and after the interval he nearly scored immediately after the restart. A sliced clearance by Denham led to a volley by the striker from the right side of the 6 yard box but Swain plunged well to save bravely. Mullen also had a shot blocked, another deflected by Fishwick, then saw a fierce effort turned over the crossbeam by Swain, although two colleagues were loitering unmarked to his left.

Mullen also followed in when a curling shot by Charlie Morris was mishandled by Swain but the Robins’ number 11 was flagged offside. In the opening half the forward found the net from close range but the ball had bounced off his forearm previously.

Knowle’s skipper Reece Hewitt was often effective but three times shot off target, whilst substitute Jacob Walton’s measured 20 yard effort went by the left upright late on.

Apart from his disallowed effort, Seeley rammed a fine volleyed effort just wide, whilst another low drive deflected off Fishwick (who else?) He, like Boro’s Billy Garvey, Denham and Fishwick, was booked, but in truth, the time-wasting was too often leniently dealt with by the humourless main official.

WARD'S FREE-KICK WOULD STRIKE THE DEFENSIVE WALL...

FISHWICK: "I'LL TAKE IT IN A MINUTE. MUST LET MY DRINK GO DOWN FIRST..."

The final thoughts… 

Despite the midfield promptings by Ward and Dylan Bennett, Knowle looked slightly disjointed on occasions and after a fine start at left wingback, Siddique faded from the match, lacking service and looking like he was slightly unsure about his new role, although in fairness, he made one or two fine tackles. He needed to be on the ball more though…

Certainly, Boro’s Charles Wilkinson and Adam Watson were industrious in the trenches but Dan Morris, the irrepressible Birch and Pardoe all supported the dominant Fishwick well in defence. 

Clarke was in good form for the guests, supported well enough by Lewis Rainey and Christian McArdle at the back but Mullen proved that at this level, he is going to be a problem for opposition defences.

A defeat for Knowle would have been a travesty but a tie was, I guess, just about acceptable…

HEWITT WALKED 20 METRES TO BE TOLD THAT BENNETT HAD BEEN WARNED.
HE WALKED STRAIGHT BACK AGAIN... 

CLARKE: HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE OTHERS...

BORO'S DUGOUT CONTAINED JUST TWO REPLACEMENTS...

TEAMS:

REDDITCH BOROUGH:

ANT SWAIN, DAN MORRIS, ALEX BIRCH, CHARLES WILKINSON, ASH PARDOE, TOM FISHWICK, JOE DENHAM (CAPT), ADAM WATSON, HAYDEN JARRETT, BILLY GARVEY, JOSH ROBERTS.

SUBS:

ETHAN RUPPENTHAL, BROOKLYN SMITH.

KNOWLE FC:

BEN MAXWELL, HAMZA SIDDIQUE, LEWIS RAINEY, LEWIS CLARKE, CHRISTIAN MCARDLE, OWEN WARD, CHARLIE MORRIS, DYLON BENNETT, REECE HEWITT (CAPT), GEORGE SEELEY, JACK MULLEN.

SUBS:

ASH WEEKS, BEN JONES, MATT BAILEY, JACOB WALTON, CRAIG JOHNSON.