Adversity Breeds Character So It Proves

Despite the harsh red card for skipper Jamie Willets on the hour mark, Church showed character in seeing out the game for a well deserved three points.

In all honesty, a fair appraisal of the first half would have probably put the visitors ahead on points, after they squandered a number of good openings.

But after the break, there was fifteen minutes of Church in the ascendancy, followed by nearly forty minutes of resolute defending and a togetherness demanded by the situation that yielded its just desserts, especially after nearly nine minutes of stoppage time at the end.

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Burton, Sephton, Williams (Ngbeken 37), Willets, Carter, Abbey, Edge, Waldron, Concannon (Cassidy 60), Hamilton (Olaloko 90+1) subs not used: Neto Teixeira, Brown

Hednesford: Brooks, Birch (Ebbutt 69), Portman (Riley 75), Bailey, Ludford-Ison, Rowe, O’Sullivan, Parker, Lita, Bennett (Wilding 77), Cuff
Subs not used: Hirst, Clayton

A fast paced opening to the game, with both sides looking to move the ball around at speed, but it was the visitors who made the most of their early possession. On 9 minutes a sharp cross-shot from Cuff from deep inside the Church box was beaten away by Jezeph, and two minutes later a free kick 25 yards out was only half cleared, and a shot from Bailey from the edge of the box cannoned back off the bar before being finally cleared to safety.

On 18 minutes, another moment of danger for the Church goal after Cuff tracked into the area and passesd across the face of the goal before a Church defender clears off the line at the far post.

But it was Church who found the net first just two minutes before the break. Sephton and Concannon combined neatly down the Church left flank before the Church full back found space to fire a shot on goal from 18 yards that beat Brooks with a slight deflection.

Half Time: Alvechurch 1 Hednesford Town 0

A bright start to the second half from Church, although there was some concern about one of the floodlight clusters that remained off at the beginning of the second forty five minutes.

Sephton and Edge both had shots blocked deep in the Hednesford box, and then it was the visitors’ turn to bite back, but Church looked comfortably in charge of their slender lead, and just before the hour mark Hamilton smacked the ball against the Hednesford bar with Brooks well beaten.
As the ball cannoned back, play switched to the flank, just in front of the dugouts, and the next blocking tackle from Willets brought an incredible red card reaction from the referee. Playback shows the harshness of the decision, but Church were down to ten, with still at least half an hour to play.

Concannon is sacrificed to be replaced by Cassidy as Church regroup to play with a man short.

Three Hednesford changes follow over the next quarter hour as the visitors looked to change shape and tack to break Church down, but in all honesty the Church goal survived with something to spare.
Final threat of an equaliser came in the 91st minute, but Cuff’s freekick from the edge of the box soared high into the inky night sky to signal the end of Hednesford’s fight to break their winless run that has yielded just two points in the league so far this season.