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| MATCH
REPORT |
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| redditch united
0-2 halesowen town |
Redditch
Utd: Anstiss; Manton (Cowley HT), Gioia,
Taylor, Knight, Softley, Quiggin (Arshad 65),
Myers, Leadbeater, Burgess (Hill 77), Hall. Unused
Subs: Clark, Maynard
Halesowen Town: Gayle; Colwell,
Charlton, Grocutt, Jones, Baker, Hollis, Ashby
(Spencer 89), Hallam (Mitchell 81), Skidmore,
Small. Unused Subs: Steane,
Kavanagh, Smith.
Referee: S. Castle
(Wolverhampton) Attendance: 526
Halesowen wrecked Redditchs 100% record and
preserved their own eight game unbeaten sequence
to close the gap at the top of the Western
Division.
Although some commentators had already written
the script for the 6 ex-Yeltz players in the
Redditch line-up to embarrass their former club,
the opposite proved true and on the basis of play
their release from the Grove looked justified.
Mark Gayle grabbed a 2nd minute 20-yard free-kick
from Matty Hall before Jimmy Quiggin and Stuart
Skidmore received early bookings in a blood and
thunder encounter. Bryan Small suffered a clash
of heads requiring a bandage and while he was
briefly off the field in the 17th minute Redditch
goalkeeper Richard Anstiss made a hash of a
clearance but recovered to parry away Mark Hallams
volley with Simon Hollis hitting the rebound over
the bar. Anstiss was then almost caught out by
Jason Ashbys terrific 20-yard lob but the
goalkeeper back-pedalled to turn the ball over
for a corner on 20 minutes.
Halesowen took the lead after being awarded a
30th minute penalty when Neil Manton tugged Ashbys
shirt and ASHBY placed the spot-kick into the
corner of the net despite Anstiss almost saving
with his fingertips.
Gayle enjoyed his best game to date for Halesowen
and made an excellent point-blank save from
ex-Yeltz striker Richard Leadbeater in front of
goal on 34 minutes. With Redditch searching for
an equaliser the Halesowen defence cleared a
couple of corners before Hall crossed for Quiggin
to volley over the bar just before the break.
The disappointing Reds could find no way back
into the game in the second half and it was
Halesowens Lewis Baker who headed just over
from Holliss freekick in the 47th minute.
Alex Cowley hit a long free-kick into the
Halesowen box in the 65th minute but fellow
substitute Naveed Arshad hit over from 3 yards
with his first touch of the game and Leadbeater
then hit Cowleys 68th minute left wing
cross over the bar.
Halesowen made the points safe in the 74th minute
when Hollis robbed full-back Antonio Goioa and
passed across goal for ASHBY to tap home his 11th
goal of the season into an empty net from close
range with Anstiss stranded. Halesowen were not
seriously troubled from then on in their
eight-game unbeaten sequence and substitute Leon
Mitchell made a brave run down the right to earn
a final minute corner.
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