Bright Start Eclipsed By Second Half Fade

Alvechurch: Eve, Cassidy, Dyer, Ofusu, Alabi, Patterson, Dugmore, Hallahan (Chong 58), Gordon, Concannon (Willock 75), Allen Hadley (George 58) subs not used: Hanson, Evans

Mickleover: Bosworth, Bennett, Wilson, Atkinson, Delap, Mann, Dales (Dolan 87), Sault, Beavon, Barnes, Greaves (Nunn 86) subs not used: Pollard, Wright, Bradley

Church became the first side to breach the Mickleover defence when Ethan Patterson’s deflected header snuck past Bosworth, but the home side produced a devastating twenty eight minute spell in the second half to score three times to secure the points before Church scored a consolation second goal in stoppage time.

In all honesty, there only looked to be one side in this match in the opening half hour as Church dominated the chances and looked dangerous every time they progressed over the half way line.

Before the goal Church had caused the home defence all sorts of problems, and after just three minutes Allen-Hadley was pulled back 25 yards from goal as he turned a was looking to go past Mann. The defender was yellow carded for the infraction, but the free kick hit the wall and was deflected behind for a corner. Just three minutes later a double save from Bosworth kept the scores blank when he first denied Concannon from distance before foiling Gordon from the follow up from close in.

Mickleover threatened briefly just after the quarter hour, forcing Alabi into a goalline headed clearance after a high ball into the box had spun up dangerously, and after 21 minutes a dangerous free kick delivered by Wilson was comfortably saved by Eve.
Church’s opening goal came after a Concannon corner was delivered to the back post, and Patterson headed back into the danger area, seeing his effort deflected into the bottom left hand corner of the Mickleover net.
Church continued pressing, and a Gordon break forces Bosworth into another blocking save, and the follow up back heel from Allen-Hadley is hacked off the line.

A wonder strike brought Mickleover level on 36 minutes, and this seemed to signal the end of Church’s ascendancy. Wilson picked up possession just inside the Church half, and he had time and space to pick out a 30 yard shot that arrowed into the top right hand corner of Eve’s goal.

Half Time: Mickleover 1 Alvechurch 1

Fitness seemed to play its part as the game wore on, and the home side’s pressing began to yield results.
Within ten minutes of the second half Church found themselves behind. A quick break by Dales down the left flank, and the ball is drilled across the face of the Church goal to find Barnes at the far post, and he makes no mistake in firing the ball in.
A half chance for Church just after saw a long range effort from Dyer force Bosworth into a smart save, turning the ball around the post at full stretch. And then a swift attacking move up the centre sees Dyer feed George, and the latter’s effort from an angle is cleared off the Mickleover line.

But it got worse for Church on 72 minutes when a three one touch passes, and a shot lashed in from 25 yards by Beavon, and the game seemed to be slipping away.

Three became four seven minutes from time when Greaves threads the ball through the centre of the Church defence before chipping over Eve and into the net.

Church looked to put a dent in Mickleover’s lead in the time remaining, and George raps the ball against the foot of the post after a corner had been re-cycled, and from the follow up a finger tip save from Bosworth concedes another corner.
Five minutes into stoppage time Cassidy delivers a ball into the box, and a header back across the face of the goal finds George close in, and the substitute stabs the ball into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit to two.