Church Fail To Break The Post FA Cup Form Hoodoo

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Dugmore, Cassidy, Neto-Teixeira, Willets, Carter, Abbey, Hallahan, Waldron (Williams 78), Concannon (Ngbeken 46), Hamilton (Spiers 73) subs not used: Randle

Basford: Preston, Betts, Barnes, Carr, Roma, Chapman, Da Silva Bastos, Starkie (Peters 70), Campbell (Smith 62), Dwyer, Grantham (Nicholson 72) subs not used: Bull, Musson

For the third league match in a row, Church underlined the rut of form that they are truly in, by again conceding three goals, and falling to a third defeat out of these four games.

To say that all that was good about the cup run and the impact it had on Church’s overall form has totally gone is no understatement, and leaves many scratching their heads wondering if, how and when it will turnaround.

Basford themselves had only one league win in the last seven games

Although Church seemed comfortably competing in the opening stages, they did fall a goal behind on 9 minutes when the home side swept the ball out to the left flank to Grantham, the Basford wide man cut inside, and fired an effort from the edge of the box that found the back of the net, courtesy of a significant defensive deflection.

Church found themselves with a two goal first half deficit on 36 minutes. A long ball up field to the edge of the Church box, a n attempted headed clearance that did not quite come off, and Starkie glides in and drills the ball low into the right hand corner past Jezeph’s despairing drive.

It is a sucker punch for Church who had been playing some promising possession football, but with no end product there was always a vulnerability lurking on the break, which the home side were happy to exploit with pace.

The next goal was probably going to determine the outcome of the game. If Church pulled one back it could act as a catalyst to break the power of the fug they the team seems to have been in since the FA Cup exit, but a third for the home side would in all honesty do it for the three points.
It was to be the latter scenario unfolding on the 72nd minute , as the home side capitalised on a corner which was only half cleared, and as the ball was swung back in Carr steered a header on target from close range to put the points to bed.

The rut continues, and so a turnaround at home to Royston Town in a week’s time is the next objective.