After opening day defeats, both sides were buoyed by 3-1 midweek wins ; Church at home to Worcester City and the visitors on the road at Hitchin Town.

Osborne makes his first start for Church after featuring from the bench midweek.
Ilesanmi also figures from the start after scoring late on against Worcester. Wakefield and Stephens drop to the bench.

The destiny of the points was determined in a two minute spell midway through the first half when Church opportunistically grabbed two goals that had a sprinkle of stardust dusted over them.

Church began on the front foot with an early opening for Okafor saw him rifle just wide after receiving the ball with his back to goal in the Needham box, and on 8 minutes Ilesanmi beats the offside trap to watch onto an Ngandu through ball, and attempts to lift the ball over keeper Bradbrook, only for the ball to be touched off target for a corner.

A brighter spell for Needham followed as the game became more even, but then Evans was called into action for the first time to deny Hammond's point blank header to claw the ball away from his goal line.

After an otherwise largely uneventful first quarter of the game, a two minute cameo from Church dramatically changed the game.

On 26 minutes a defence splitting pass to the feet of Ilesanmi saw him through on goal, and the Church forward coolly slotted the ball past Bradbrook into the bottom right hand corner to register a lead for Church.

The game had hardly restarted before Church doubled their lead. Quickly regaining possession after Needham kicked off, Osborne spotted Bradbrook off his line and despatched the ball over his head and into the empty net from inside the centre circle.

The game settled somewhat after this drama, neither keeper was unduly troubled until two minutes before the break when a deflected shot from the visitors spins just wide of the far post, and in the final action of the half Sullivan angles a shot just over after a good one two move with Ngandu on the edge of the box.

Half Time: Alvechurch 2 Needham Market 0

The second half struggled to get going, and the play was somewhat scrappy with regular changes in possession a feature.

Needham almost got themselves back into the reckoning three minutes from time when a strike from Hammond from the edge of the box forced Evans to push the ball onto the face of the post, with the ball ricocheting thankfully back into the keeper's hands.

A last minute chance for Dye after he latches onto a loose ball just outside the box, and he flashes his shot, through a crowded box, and just wide.

A well earned win for Church; the second home win in a week, and the season now has some momentum.