Mickleover Updates

[Johnny Bud]

2.1

[Johnny Bud]

Won 2.1

[andy]

Good performance. Mickleover's run of late suggests they are not the team they were, but they are still top of the league and we deserved to beat them. Workrate as ever was top drawer and today we tested the keeper every time we could. I wish we could show that confidence every game, last week nobody would pull the trigger, this week everyone wanted a pop. Enjoyed it. Well at least the parts of me that weren't completely frozen did....

[DJ]

Southern League Premier Central – Saturday, 2nd December 2023

Halesowen Town 2 Mickleover 1

Halesowen defeated league leaders Mickleover after Todd Parker and Caine Elliott both claimed their first goals for the club, writes DJ.

The Yeltz reaped their rewards for protecting the Grove pitch from frost with covers during the week to remain unbeaten in four league games.

Halesowen’s Kieren Donnelly planted a dangerous first minute cross across the Mickleover goal and Miracle Okafor lost a chance after having an 8th minute sight of goal. The visitors then forced two corners before the Yeltz escaped in the 20th minute when defender Luke Redfern was robbed by Oliver Greaves and he squared the ball for new signing Leon Clarke to beat home goalkeeper Dan Platt, only for his effort to be ruled offside.

The Yeltz grabbed a 33rd minute lead after a free-kick wasn’t properly cleared and Ryan Wynter flicked the ball across for PARKER to strike his first goal of the season with his deflected shot creeping into the net after deceiving goalkeeper Oliver Bosworth. Before the interval Donnelly headed McKauley Manning’s cross over the bar and Okafor won the ball in the middle of the park and advanced all alone to fire over the bar.

Halesowen doubled the lead three minutes into the second period when Manning’s header from Jak Hickman’s cross was cleared off the line but the ball fell for ELLIOTT to thump home his first Yeltz goal into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. Wynter’s header then fell just wide of Mickleover’s post and a curling shot from Donnelly’s trickery earned a corner as the Yeltz made a tremendous start to the second half. On the hour a great 20 yard effort from Manning was then beaten away by Bosworth.

The visitors constructed fewer chances in the second half, although Marcus Barnes curled just past the post in the 71st minute. Further Yeltz chances followed in the 72nd minute when Isaac Adegoke, a new signing from Lye, won the ball and set up Donnelly to fire a low shot just wide from the right. Manning’s 73rd minute free-kick was then turned away and the resulting corner was scrambled off the line.

The league leaders pulled a 79th minute goal back when Andy DALES turned home a deep cross from the right by Greaves. But Halesowen were in no mood to let the lead slip and late on Okafor poked just wide and a Donnelly shot was saved by Bosworth.

Halesowen Town: Dan Platt (c); Jak Hickman, Reece Mitchell, Todd Parker, Ryan Wynter, Luke Redfern, Kieren Donnelly, Nathan Hayward (Isaac Adegoke 69), Miracle Okafor (Richard Gregory 87), Caine Elliot, McKauley Manning. Subs Not Used: Josh Ezewele, Jack Holmes, Simeon Cobourne.

Mickleover: Oliver Bosworth; Jake Bennett, Matthew Bowman, William Atkinson, Finn Delap (Daniel Bradley 78), Ethan Mann (c), Andrew Dales, Ben Sault (William Trueman 52), Leon Clarke, Marcus Barnes, Oliver Greaves. Subs Not Used: Stuart Beavon, Kian Ryley, Finley Ryder.

Referee: Joe Woolmer Attendance: 845
Booked: Trueman (62), Parker (81), Hickman (90)
Tulleys Print HTFC Man of the Match selected by the Vice Presidents: Kieren Donnelly
Non-League Paper Man of the Match: Todd Parker

[Rich]

Great performance from all players today. Workrate and effort was excellent.
Cant remember Platty making a save.
Should have been 1 up in the first minute and Miracle spurned another 1 on 1 despite all his efforts to create the chance.
Glad to see Parker get his first goal and also Elliotts great strike in what was by far his best performance for us.
Afegoke showed some battling in his few mins on the pitch and think he will be a good addition.

Special mention to the groundstaff for a perfect playing surface today. Im sure some pitches in much higher leagues were in worse condition today.
Hopefully this unbeaten run we now on will get the confidence back and a realistic chance of the play offs.
MOM tough one but think Hayward for me for again his workrate

[drummyb]

Was at work today so cant comment on the game. Very good result. Did we raise our game a bit or did we play at our best? Pleased for Parker cos he really has put some miles in.

[Brightgoldenhaze]

Colder than a penguin's foot as the saying goes, but the hard work to get the game on was paid back in full by a really good performance.

I thought we were the better side throughout but could have blown them away with the blistering start to the second half.

Manning was my man of the match but could have been any of three or four. The only downside for me is that Miracle looks totally out of sorts. He's too good for it to be more than a blip but it'll be nice to see him firing again.

[lutleyyeltz]

I really enjoyed that!
Not a weak link in today's performance which should give the boys a real confidence boost.
Hayward, Parker and Wynter were the standout trio, for me, in an excellent team performance.
All credit to Keith McKenna for providing the covers and to Ant and the volunteers for producing a brilliant playing surface after days of freezing temperatures.
A great attendance of 845, which shows the resilience (stupidity) of our fan base to endure such bloody bone numbing weather!

[Dazzie76]

Well what a difference a half time team talk can have first half I thought we was a bit sloppy but full credit 2nd half we came out strong and had a go at them and should of won by more. 3 away league defeats in a row for micklover now. Well played lads

[410viawednesbury]

A huge thank you and well done to all the volunteers who made yesterdays game possible, a great effort.
An enjoyable game that Halesowen thoroughly deserved to win, in my opinion.
Man of the match, for me, was Nathan Hayward. Always looking to get Halesowen on the front foot and linking up the play, he really is relentless!
On to the next!