Last Minute Heartache for Church

Two of the three sides with the worst current form go head to head, and neither will be particularly pleased with sharing the points on this blustery afternoon.

Church have a league run of one win in nine going all the way back to the December, whilst Tamworth “boasted” a recent run of five successive defeats, conceding fifteen goals with none registered in the plus column.

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Mansell, Sephton, Hallahan, Willets, Carter, McLintock, Brown, Nesbitt (Waldron 65), Clayton-Phillips (Patterson 90), Hurst (Cassidy 74)
Subs not used: Phillips, Turton

Tamworth : Singh, Hurst, Wilder, Beswick (Tahra 74), Cox. Bailey, Cockerill-Mollett (Clement 46), Forde, Creaney, Whittingham, McKeown (Walters 28)
Subs not used: Concannon, Thomas

Possibly a game that neither dared lose and therefore a cagey first half that was pretty even, although it was the home side who probably had the better, albeit half chance, openings.

A fine one-handed save from Jezeph denied McKeown on 3 minutes after a break from the home side. On 12 minutes a Jezeph clearance was collected by McKeown and returned towards the open goal, but fell just wide of the mark.
Two minutes later, Hurst rifled the ball into the side netting of the Church goal when he had good options in the box.

Church’s clearest chance took a while to come, and on 40 minutes a Hallahan corner evades everyone, and eventually falls to Carter at the far post, but the Church defender can only stab the ball over.

As half time beckons quick feet by debutant Hurts, deep in the Tamworth box sees him create an opening, and he flashes a shot across the face of the goal, but also wide of the far post.

Half Time: Tamworth 0 Alvechurch 0

A brighter opening to the second half for the visitors, and just three minutes in a curling shot from McLintock is tipped over by Singh at full stretch.

On 55 Hallahan drills a ball into the box and a glancing header from Nesbitt is touched over by Singh.

Church were probing, and Wilder was cautioned for pulling back Hurst as he surged through the home defence.

At the other end, Creaney heads across the the face of the goal to the far post, and Jezeph blocks bravely to deny Whittingham at point blank range to keep the game scoreless.

Tamworth then had a spell of their own before the breakthrough came for Church.
An excellent ball out of defence on 64 minutes by Carter finds Clayton-Phillips on the flank, and as the Church forward tracks forward and across the face of the box he times to perfection a pass to McLintock who has no hesitation in arrowing a shot into the top corner from just outside the box.

Game management then became the key, but Church were never totally comfortable with the three points, and two minutes into stoppage time then killer blow was delivered by former Church player Clement. A quickly taken free kick wide on the Church left, the ball was worked across to centre midfield, and Clement stroked the ball low into the left hand corner from 25 yards, beating a full stretch dive from Jezeph in the process for a demoralising equaliser.