SIX OF THE BEST AS THE CHURCH KEEP ROLLING!

It’s another six of the best from The Church, who make it four wins from four at the start of the season, scoring a remarkable 31 goals in the process.

A blistering explosion of life to the campaign.

On a historic afternoon, Dudley Town and Alvechurch met competitively for the very first time, with the visitors arriving at The Robins in scintillating form and looking to make it back-to-back away victories in the league.

Last weekend’s 14-goal FA Cup demolition had followed on by a huge 5-1 victory away at Long Itchington Ladies in the league on our opening day fixture of the campaign, and now the challenge was simple: build on the momentum and keep the winning run going.

For the fourth time in four games, Alvechurch were on the road.

And once again, The Church delivered.

Match Report:

Just five minutes were on the clock when Alvechurch made the breakthrough. A superb corner delivery was swung into the penalty area, with Poppy Jones rising highest to meet it. Her header was blocked by a Dudley defender, but the rebound looped up invitingly for Simone Brown, who calmly headed the ball back into the mixer at the back post. Waiting there was Super Lyndsey Ross, The forward, already boasting six goals this season, continued her sensational start with a perfectly guided header into the back of the net.

And it didn’t take long for Ross to make it a sweet double.

Another dangerous corner caused havoc inside the Dudley penalty area. Two Church players challenged for the initial header, before the ball was brilliantly blocked on the line. Alvechurch couldn’t force it home at the first attempt as the hosts threw bodies in the way. Or the second. Or the third. But on the fourth attempt, Ross was there. Keeping her composure amid the chaos, she rolled the ball into the net from close range to double the advantage.

The game then became scrappy for a large spell of the opening period, although The Church continued to carve out openings.

Ross turned provider, sending a dangerous cross towards the back post, but Simone Brown couldn’t quite stretch enough with her right foot to turn it home.

The third, however, was coming.
And when it arrived, it was spectacular.

On 29 minutes, Aleesha Hussain produced a moment of individual brilliance. The unsung hero won possession back on the halfway line before powering beyond a series of diving challenges. She drove into the penalty area, took one look at the target and absolutely smashed through the ball from an acute angle. The result? A rocket into the roof of the net.

Chris Gagg’s side were once again in complete control and, as has become customary this season, they weren’t satisfied with three. They wanted more and more arrived just before the interval.

Another weekend. Another Simone Brown stunner.

A floated ball over the top allowed Brown to win the foot-race, and with the Dudley goalkeeper stranded around 25 yards from goal, the powerful striker spotted her opportunity. She unleashed a stunning dipping volley which flew over the goalkeeper and crashed in off the crossbar.

Another beauty. Another goal for Brown. It was her fifth goal in three games, continuing an incredible start to life at Alvechurch following her summer arrival from Arden Forest Ladies.

HALF-TIME: DUDLEY TOWN 0-4 ALVECHURCH

The second half was about maintaining the standards, adding to the scoreline if possible and, perhaps most importantly, securing another clean sheet.

Having managed just two clean sheets across the whole of last season, The Church had already matched that total inside the opening three games.

Now they wanted to obliterate it.

Four minutes after the restart, Hussain was growing further in confidence. Another rapid run saw her reach the byline before clipping a delicious ball into the six-yard box, begging to be met. Giselle Kutia-Calame, introduced at half-time, couldn’t quite climb high enough to turn it home, before Ross followed in and narrowly missed the top-left corner.

The pressure continued.

With 20 minutes remaining, the fifth arrived. A teasing cross into a congested penalty area found Freya Lawton, who brought the ball under control beautifully. Having already found the net in her previous appearance, Lawton took one touch to set herself before firing low into the bottom-right corner.

Clinical. Composed. Devastating.

The Church had now hit five in consecutive league matches and were firmly on course for maximum points from their opening two league fixtures.

But they weren’t finished. There was still time for a sixth. Some excellent work from the forward line kept the ball alive inside the Dudley penalty area, with Kutia-Calame appearing to have found the net, only for the referee to spot a blatant handball on the line and point to the penalty spot.

Twelve yards. One chance.

And a huge moment for the returning Church striker. Kutia-Calame stepped up with the opportunity to score her first goal of the season and her first competitive goal since returning to the club this summer. She made no mistake. Coolly dispatching the penalty, she put the finishing touch on another dominant afternoon for The Church.

Six goals. Another three points. Another clean sheet. Four games. Four wins. 31 goals scored. The perfect start continues.

FULL-TIME: DUDLEY TOWN 0-6 ALVECHURCH