League Leader Challenge Proves to be Too Tough a Nut To Crack

Church travelled to league leaders Tamworth for their first fixture of the new calendar year.
The changes made for the Worcester Senior Cup tie were a distant memory as the side reverted to a more recognisable line up.

Tom Edge missed out with injury, as did Brad Birton. Jack Concannon was not fit enough to start but declared himself available for the bench on the day of the game.

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Cassidy, Sephton, Neto-Texeira, Williams, Carter, Abbey, Hallahan (Concannon 67), Hamilton, Olaluko (Ngbeken 54), Waldron (Willets 87) subs not used: Randle, Taylor

Tamworth: Singh, Curley, Cockerill-Mollett, Mussa, Collard (Hart 90), Dolman, McKeown (George 84), Milnes, Creaney (Deacon 79), Finn, Fairlamb subs not used: Clement, Cater

Church started 2023 with a lack lustre performance that gave league leaders a comfortable three points to consolidate their position at the head of the Southern League Premier Central table.

A hat-trick from the impressive McKeown did the damage in terms of goals, but Church lacked the flow and cutting edge that has characterised their play for so much of this season so far, and found the Tamworth aerial threat too much to handle in the final analysis, as lost duels inevitably ratcheted up the pressure on the Church goal, and the game inevitably drifted to an increasingly expected outcome as the second half wore on.

Church had allowed the home side a lion’s share of the possession in the first half, and probably felt that the single goal deficit at the break gave them a way back into the game in the second. Tamworth had taken an early lead on 12 minutes when McKeown offered up a low header from close range to finish off a move that had started with a Creaney cross swung to the far post, and a header back across goal for the Tamworth number 7 to finish with ease.

The same player calmly curled an effort from the edge of the box against that angle of the Church goal frame on 21 as Church struggled to clear their lines as the pressure at times mounted.

Half Time : Tamworth 1 Alvechurch 0

There was a clear change of emphasis at the beginning of the second half as Church pressed more purposefully, and it led to a couple of early openings, especially when Hamilton fired on target from just outside the box, and a nice passing mpove from Church fed second half substitute Ngbeken, but his effort was sjied well over.

The next goal would be crucial, but for all that Church toiled to create an opening, a decisive one never really came, and in all honesty keeper Singh had a rather straightforward afternoon.

When Tamworth bagged the second goal of the game, there seemed now to be only one outcome. And it came with just 12 minutes remaining as McKeown latched onto a long ball out of defence, and after bundling through two challenges composed himself to slot the ball low across Jezeph into the far corner of the goal.

On 82 minutes Carter was caught in possession bringing the ball out from the back, and McKeown pounced and then forced Jezeph into another blocking save.

From the resulting corner the Tamworth man of the match reacted first to steer the ball in from close range and complete his hat-trick.