First Team
Matches
Sat 06 Aug 2022  ·  Premier Division Central
Alvechurch F.C.
First Team
J Abbey (57'), D Waldron (67'), T Edge (76')
3
0
Stourbridge
R Styche (43' Sent Off)
Three Points On Opening Day - But At Some Cost

Three Points On Opening Day - But At Some Cost

Alan Deakin9 Aug 2022 - 13:26
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https://www.alvechurchfc.club/

Church chalked up an opening day win against local rivals Stourbridge, but only after a 48 minute delay in the game resulting from injury to two home players.

Amidst the shock of seeing an horrific clash of heads between Church players Harry Williams and Jack Hallahan. Church kept their resolve to see off Stourbridge with three well taken goals and secure an opening day win.

Alvechurch : Phillips, Cassidy, Sephton (Burton 82), Hallahan (Taylor 47), Williams (Willets 47), Carter, Abbey, Edge, Waldron, Concannon, Hamilton
subs not used: Ngbeken, Brown

Stourbridge: Price, Vaughan, Wilson, Gittings, Kettle, Hull, King, Moore (Mills 72), Knights (Cowley 46), Styche, Reid (Moran 82)
Subs not used: Knight, Solly

An early start to the league campaign sees the Southern League commencing one week before the rest of the non league programme.
Pre-season weather conditions prevail for this unusual opening fixture between two local rivals. The encounters between these two sides are rarely without incident, and this was to be no different.

First flashpoint came on 14 minutes when Styche was cautioned for a late challenge on Carter right in front of the dugouts, which rapidly emptied in protest.
But the first period was to be more than half over before a serious threat on goal, when on 24 minutes a great flowing move from Church saw Waldron advance down the right flank, and he touches the ball inside to Concannon, who squares it for Abbey who fires of a shot from the edge of the box that is well blocked by the Stourbridge defence.

On 36 minutes Sephton breaks wide left and gets into a position to drill the ball across the face of the goal for Waldron at the far post, but the Church frontman cannot get enough purchase on his shot to worry Price who gathers comfortably.
A big turning point just two minutes from the break however, when the visitors were reduced to ten men when Styche saw a second yellow and consequently a red for simulation as he tussled with keeper Phillips deep in the Church box.

The first half had promised much, produced a stalemate, but with eleven against ten the second looked to be a different ball game.

Half Time : Alvechurch 0 Stourbridge 0

But just two minutes in the game was thrown into chaos when Church players Williams and Hallahan came together with a sickening clash of heads about 25 yards out from the Church goal. Quick reactions from the referee and players near the scene ensured that the two prostrate players were well taken care of before the medical help arrived, and although Williams was able to take himself off to the dressing room after about 8 or 9 minutes treatment, Hallahan's departure was much more delayed and was on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
The game resumed somewhat after the time that it would ordinarily have finished, after a delay of nearly 50 minutes, with Willets and Taylor replacing the stricken players on the pitch.

It was uncertain how the game would play out from that point, as one is never aware of how such an incident has affected those close to it, but Church looked to give no quarter in seeing the game out against their ten-men opponents.

Forty five minutes, and three classy goals later, Church had asserted themselves against their beleaguered opponents, and secured three deserved points to kick start the season on day one.
On 57 minutes a slick move from Church, a ball drilled across the box, a step-over by Waldron, and Abbey is composed to take a touch before curling the ball around Price into the far corner off the inside of the post.
Ten minutes later Waldron bags his first goal of the season from a wide angle after receiving the ball on the edge of the box, allowing it to run across his body before firing in at the near post.
Coup de grace third goal came on 76 minutes when, after a great run and cross from Cassidy, Edge drives in through a crowd of players, and through Price's legs.
It could have been four late on as Church showed no sign of letting up. Waldron almost capitalised on a weak Hull backpass, but his shot curls just wide with Price in no man's land.
In the final minute the tireless Hamilton almost grabbed his just desserts for an industrious afternoon's work but after a great run and shot the ball cannoned back off the face of the post with Price again beaten all ends up.

Match details

Match date

Sat 06 Aug 2022

Kickoff

15:00

Attendance

360

Competition

Premier Division Central

League position

2
Alvechurch
20
Stourbridge
Team overview
Further reading

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