Curtain Comes Down On Second Half Drama With Church Falling Just Short

Alvechurch : Foster, Dugmore, Dyer, Hallahan (Taylor 87), Ofosu, Patterson, Cassidy, Dawkins, Gordon, Clayton-Phillips (Rowe 84), Brown (Concannon 73) subs not used: Dias, Alabi
Stratford : O’Brien, Lafferty, Vann, Hussey, McCone, Solanke, Molyneux (Williams 56), Barkers (Hawker 72), Ebanks (Worley 90+5), Ludford-Ison, Storer subs not used: Daly, John

A highly forgettable first quarter of the game, but then came a period of positivity for Church that brought the first clear cut chance of the game, and then a Church goal when Nick Clayton-Phillips capitalised on a defensive error to punish Stratford.

Gordon’s effort on 26 minutes when he connected with a Clayton-Phillips free kick could have broken the deadlock, but he directed the unchallenged header wide of the far post. But within three minutes, just before the half hour mark, Church capitalised on hesitancy in the Stratford defence, and the press told, as a weak back pass was snaffled up by Clayton-Phillips, who coolly rounded the keeper and rolled the ball from fifteen yards into the far corner of the empty goal.

Church looked comfortable, but in the last five minutes of the half it all came undone. Firstly on 40 minutes Patterson fails to deal decisively with a drilled through ball, and his half flick causes the ball to drop between him and keeper Foster, and Ebanks capitalises to drive the ball into the roof of the net.
And then in stoppage time Storer drives in from just outside the box after Ebanks had beaten the offside trap and drilled the ball across the face of the box.

Church begin the second half on the front foot, and as the half develops are looking the most likely to register the next goal. A couple of half chances provide encouragement, but it all blows up in the 66th minute when Cassidy surges forward into space attempting to latch onto a through ball, and is taken out by a lunging tackle by Hussey. Possibly red, reckless and denying a clear run on goal, but only yellow, but Clayton-Phillips cared not one jot as he stroked the ball in from 25 yards for a deserved equaliser.

Williams’ 87th minute winner was cruel on Church, as they had been looking most likely to snatch all three points. More galling as it was Stratford’s only clear strike on goal in the half after Church had peppered the home box.