Church Get Their League Campaign Off The Ground Again

Back to league business for Church, after falling as many as nine games behind some of their Southern League Premier Central rivals in league games played this season.

Church travelled to face struggling AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who also find themselves in the bottom four after a recent run of four consecutive defeats and just one win in the last nine.

After challenging for a play off spot last season, Rushden have been in turmoil this campaign with a managerial change, mass exodus of players, and a sweep of the board all meaning that the club have been forced to field a young and inexperienced side in the last few months.

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Cassidy, Burton, Hallahan, Williams, Carter, Net-Teixeira (Edge 72), Abbey, Brown (concannon 55)(Willets 90), Hamilton, Waldron subs not used: Randle, Bower

AFC Rushden & Diamonds: Snedker, Agemoh-Davies, Lashley, Black (Pinto-Leite 80), Hughes, Bunga, Abimbola (White 70), Dawkins, Connor (Mandjoba 67), Ngwa, Tee subs not used: Cooper, Empochontsif

On a sticky pitch Church were looking to play their unique brand of passing football, and having made four changes from the FA Cup defeat at Forest Green began the game positively, with an attacking looking line up that included a front three of Leo Brown, Tyrell Hamilton and Danny Waldron, and an early goal settled matters somewhat.

Just 6 minutes on the clock when Jed Abbey curls in a first time strike from 25 yards after the ball had been laid back from the edge of the box, with keeper Snedker rooted to the spot.
Church were on top, and a break from Brown could have brought a second goal but for a last ditch sliding tackle that prevented a strike on goal.
Church were pretty much camped in the attacking third of the pitch, and desperate defending from the home side was needed to keep the score at one.

On 39 minutes Hallahan fired a 30 yard drive on target that forced Snedker to pull off a full length save to turn the ball aside for a corner, and just after Abbey curled another effort on target after good work from Hamilton, but the strength and direction were not quite good enough this time to beat the home keeper.

Half Time : AFC Rushden & Diamonds 0 Alvechurch 1

The home side made a better fist of it at the beginning of the second half, but the game was a scrappy affair.

The better chances fell to Church though, and on the hour mark a Cassidy cross flashed across the face of the goal and Waldron is inches away from connecting in front of an empty net.
At the other end, there was a rare close call for the Church defence as a Rushden corner provoked a melee in near the Church goal line, with a Jezeph punch failing to clear the danger, and as the ball fell back into the crowd of players it was somehow smuggled away to safety.
Defender Williams had a solid sight of goal on 66 minutes with a headed connection to a Concannon corner, but his rear post effort was off target.

The points were secure with a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of a brilliant solo goal from Danny Waldron. The Church front man beat off the attentions of four defenders, tracking towards and across the face of the box before firing low through Snedker from 12 yards.

Church keeper Jezeph was not often in action during the game, but was alert to danger when called on, and an 86th minute save from Dawkins necessitating a good save to beat a strong goalbound effort away and protect his clean sheet.

Not the most fluid of performances, not helped by the state of the pitch, but three points that get the league ball rolling again.