West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division
At: Hillcrest Avenue
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Admission: £3; Programme: £1 (24 pages)
Attendance: 30 (headcount)
Weather: mild, heavy rain during second half
Duration: first-half: 46:12; second-half: 48:13
I decided to plug a gaping hole in my football-watching CV with a trip to Dudley Sports’ Hillcrest Avenue ground. For some reason in my mind, Dudley Sports had been in the ‘have I been or not’ category until I got round to checking and found that I hadn’t previously visited them. No time like the present, therefore, to head for an interesting-looking fixture between two sides in need of a victory.
Dudley Sports are based at the Dudley Employees Sports and Social Club and the floodlight main pitch was on the far (south-western) side of a larger playing field. I drove via Wolverhampton and down the A491 towards Stourbridge – following a MASTERCLASS driving school learner from a while down from Wall Heath until it turned off to the left towards Kingswinford. I continued on the A491, not quite as far as Stourbridge FC, before turning left by the Maverick pub onto the A461 (signed Dudley and Brierley Hill). After about a mile, there was a left turn, signed Dudley Sports FC, into High Ercal Road and the ground was on the right at the end of Hillcrest Avenue.
As well as a social club and bowling greens, there was a large recreation ground with room for two pitches. Near the entrance, from where I picked up a programme, a marked out pitch ran widthways with the main floodlight pitch (orientated north-west–south-west) over on the far side running lengthways and fully railed off with a white post and rail. There were two areas of covered standing down on the right-hand touchline before the dugouts – one of the stands was named the ‘Mick Davies Stand’. Opposite, another stand named the ‘Joe Forrest Stand’, roughly on half-way down the left-hand touchline contained two small sections of benches either side of an area of covered terrace. It was a walk across the first pitch to the clubhouse, located in the near right-hand corner, containing changing rooms, club room and the all important Snack Bar! A fenced off passage led from the changing rooms to the pitch.
Both sides went into the game in the lower half of the table with lengthening runs without a win. Dudley Sports (8 point from 9 games in 17th position) hadn’t won since the end of August, a run of six league and cup games, though they did hold league leaders Ellesmere to a goalless draw 10 days ago. Visitors Shawbury were bottom of the Premier Division table with just four points from 10 games. Their solitary league win came in the reverse fixture at Bowens Field, defeating Sports 2-0. Could they do the ‘double’ tonight?
The Dudley Sports officials were more than helpful to myself and another traveller who had come up from London for the game. ‘Steve Bull’ was named at number nine for the home side and I joked that even if this player was a goalkeeper he would insist on still wearing nine! The Dudley side showed two changes for that which started Saturday 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Bustleholme – Lee Downing and Chris Knight came in for Nathan Kirby, who dropped to the bench, and Chris Rabone. Shawbury, beaten 6-2 by Ludlow on Saturday, brought Daniel Tysoe, Luke Brown and Steve Giles into the starting line-up.
Teams exchanged fair-play handshakes lined up in front of the Mick Davies Stand. “Stay as you are, please,” said the referee after the captain’s met in the centre circle. Dudley Sports (wearing green shirts with white sleeves, green shorts and socks) were defending the near end (open end) and got the action underway. I was stood on the terrace section of the Joe Forrest stand, so the home side attacked from right to left towards the trees and large net.
With just 37 seconds on the clock, Steve Bull charged down a back pass clearance by Shawbury keeper Ian Gillespie who recovered the ball as it looped towards goal.
It didn’t take Sports long to take the lead, 106 seconds in fact, and what a superb goal it was. Chris Knight got on the end of Lee Dimmock’s throughball, took a couple of touches before hitting a left-foot volley into the bottom left corner from just inside the area.
Things got even better for the home side with a second goal in the 6th minute. Tom Russell played a free-kick forward in to a crowded area from the left just inside the Shawbury half. Defender John Willetts forced the ball home at close range.
I’m sure that Shawbury were fearful of another bad result after they conceded eleven goals in their previous two games. It was one-way traffic and the home side would have been encouraged to hear: “Dudley Sports, great start”.
Having stood for the first 14 or minutes, I decided to make use of the benches in the Joe Forrest Stand.
Shawbury started to push forward into Dudley territory and in the 16th minute a rising 30-yard drive from Matty Turl was palmed over the bar by the leaping Adam King in the Dudley goal. The home side were warned “no silly goals” and broke upfield from the second of two successive corners. Mitchell Orford got into the Shawbury area but Daniel Tysoe got back to clear.
Sports defender Luke Astley picked up a booking in the 25th minute for bringing down Andy Webb who was making progress down the Shawbury left. The resulting free-kick was whipped across the face of goal; no one though got on the end. The visitors were awarded another free-kick near the right corner of the area. Eddie Knox delivered the ball over the two-man wall and Russ Whitfield headed straight at King at the far post.
In the 36th minute, hesitancy in the Sports defence allowed Steve Giles to eye up an opportunity and he launched a dipping volley that dropped just over the bar. Shawbury were back in contention – could they reduce their two-goal deficit?
As the interval approached I started to walk round to the snack bar and got a good view of another Shawbury chance. Awarded a free-kick near the right corner, Knox found Adam Smith on the edge of a crowded area who did well to set himself up a chance but fired over the bar.
As the players walked up for half-time, I heard one Sports fan say to another: “They’ve only won one game all season and that was against us.” Shawbury had the better of the play in the latter stages of the first half and I felt that an early goal for them in the second half would make things interesting.
A tea and chocholate (crunchie actually) were most welcome from the snack bar at half-time and the girl who had manned the turnstile before kick-off was now serving with another cheerful lady. I spotted Sports ‘number 5’ Tom Russell, who had had treatment in the first half, fetch some ice from the freezer. He didn’t emerge for the second half and on came Richard Perry in his place.
There were various comments on the field immediately before the game resumed: “Let the ball do the work” and “we ain’t done nothing yet” were the comments towards those in green while the visitors were urged: “heads up Shawbury”.
Dudley made a bright start to the second half, now attacking from left to right in relation to my position back on a bench in the Joe Forrest Stand. A back header by Russ Whitfield put Bull clear down the right but the striker fired wide as defenders closed in. Knight raced down the right outpacing his marker and cut in to the area only to fire straight at Gillespie. In the 51st minute, Bull blocked Gillespie’s backpass clearance through the ball flew away from the unguarded net.
The visitors also started the second half well and Dudley were urged to keep it “nice and tight and concentrate”.
David Thomas was yellow carded in the 55th minute for a foul on Knight. Another foul on Orford led to another free-kick 25-yards out from which Gillespie produced a fine diving save to turn round Willetts’ goalbound attempt.
Giles was booked in the 61st minute, presumably for dissent.
Sports continued to create the better chances and Gillespie again excelled to fingertip a rising left-foot shot from Knight over the bar.
“C’mon Shawbury,” came the cry, “a bit of pressure now boys”. One goal and the visitors would be really in with a shout of a point.
Suddenly the heavens opened around the 66th minute, the same rain that I later found to have forced an abandonment at Heath Hayes.
Both sides made a substitution in the 70th minute – Louis Taylor replaced Kalum Evitts for the homesters while the visitors brought on Will Backwell in place of Brown.
With the rain increasing in ferocity, Webb delivered a free-kick into the crowded Dudley area where Whitfield rose to head wide. Shawbury couldn’t make the breakthrough what I thought was a solid home defence led by the tall commanding Ashley Pountney.
Taylor committed two fouls in quick succession and was booked after the second one in the 84th minute.
Perry got into the Shawbury area down the right and fired over from a narrow angle while, at the other end, Giles did well to set up a decent chance for Webb who couldn’t keep his shot down.
The rain just didn’t look like easing so I began to contemplate a sprint to the car at full-time
Dudley made a final change in the 87th minute when Orford was replaced by Daniel Thompson. Just before the referee blew for full-time, Gillespie got down to keep out Kinght’s low shot.
And I was right about needing a sprint to the car!
Dudley Sports (green shirts with white sleeves / green / green): 1. Adam King, 2. Luke Astley, 3. Lee Dimmock, 4. John Willetts (capt), 5. Tom Russell, 6. Ashley Pountney, 7. Mitchell Orford, 8. Lee Downing, 9. Steve Bull, 10. Chris Knight, 11. Kalum Evitts. Subs: 12. Richard Perry (for Russelll, ht), 14. Louis Taylor (for Evitts, 70), 15. Daniel Thompson (for Orford, 87), 16. Mitchell Lester, 17. Nathan Kirby.
Shawbury United (red/red/red): 1. Ian Gillespie, 2. Adam Smith, 3. Eddie Knox (capt), 4. Russ Whitfield, 5. Daniel Tysoe, 6. Matty Turl, 7. David Thomas, 8. Luke Brown, 9. Steve Giles, 10. Troy Manning, 11. Andy Webb. Subs: 12. Will Backwell (for Brown, 70), 14. Chris Lamb.
Referee: G Hubbard.
Goals:
1-0 Chris Knight (2)
2-0 John Willetts (6)
