Tamworth
V
Wealdstone
Tamworth FC v Alvechurch
Tamworth FC
1-1
Alvechurch
Match Report
Following the opening day defeat to St Ives Town Mike Fowler and Tim Harris made two changes with Sharpe and Verma coming in for Wright and Asante.
Alvechurch got the game underway attacking the Castle End in the first half but with 28 seconds on the clock The Lambs grabbed possession and rolled the ball through to Finn on the right of the box to curl a shot inside the far post and lifted the roof off The Lamb (1-0, 1 min)
The visitors were awarded a couple of freekicks in the minutes after the goal and both times curled it into the back of the box looking for a header, but both time they failed to threaten Singh’s goal.
Finn struck a shot on target again on 7 and got the ball back in the next move as he continued to show hunger for the ball in the box.
A pass back to the visitors to their own keeper set up Paul Green with a short pass to Waite and his on target shot was blocked on route to the goal and Green was unable to get the ball back into the box from the rebound.
Then on 22 Cook finished with ease after The Lambs defence stopped expecting a foul against Sharpe but Cook ran through and slotted it past Singh with relative ease. (1-1, 22 mins)
A foul by Llewellyn on Shaw earned him a yellow card on 24 and Kettle had to leave the field on 26 with a head injury that required the attention of the club doctor in the changing rooms.
March dropped like a stone under the slightest of challenges on 35 and received a round of boos from the partisan crowd who then applauded Kettle coming back onto the field in Terry Butcher mode.
Verma was pushed down on the edge of the box on 40 and Paul Green’s freekick was well saved by Sargeant to his left. Shaw chipped it back into the box and Verma headed home from a yard out but the flag ruled it out for offside.
A great effort from Finn from 20 yards saw Sargeant forced into full flight in added time at the end of the half but the shot flew inches wide of the left hand post before the half time whistle blew.
HT: TAMWORTH 1 1 ALVECHURCH
The Lambs restarted proceedings with the day light now completely replaced by floodlight and the visitors made a change after just 5 minutes into the second half.
On the hour March struck a volley on target and forced Singh into a hone handed push over the bar and the corner was cleared.
The Lambs made a double change on 63 and Church forced a double corner on 65, both on the Cross Street side of the ground but the second one was far too long to trouble anyone.
The ball fell kindly for Finn from a long throw on the left on 72 but he couldn’t keep his shot down and it rose wide of the left hand upright.
Botfield was booked for a foul on Wallis on 77 and Finn lined up the freekick. It bounced and fell for Kettle in the area who tried to get a shot away and the follow up with a header but he was brought down in the process, and the referee awarded a penalty.
Waite stepped up but his tame effort to the right was pushed away by the Church keeper and the scoreline remained level.
Lait whipped in a freekick from the tunnel entrance which went out past the far post on 81, and Singh was forced into a low stop at the other end on 86.
A melee in the area saw a snapshot deflect off a Lambs player and out past the post as five minutes added time was shown.
Sharpe’s long throw was flicked on but the second ball failed to cause Sargeant any problems on 93 and on 95 Kettle upended March on the halfway line but the ball was back with the keeper quickly and a yellow card was shown to The Lambs captain shortly before the final whistle blew.
Tamworth Team:
Singh, Green K, Sharpe, Green P, Kettle, Wallis (Ofori 79(, Morris (Wright 63), Shaw (Lait 63), Waite, Verma, Finn
Subs: Thorne, Mpofu
YC: Kettle 90+5
Alvechurch Team:
Sargeant, Ezewele, Foster, Turton, Parsons, Willets, Cook (Botfield 50), Llewellyn (Birch 58), March, O’Callaghan (Waite 88), Yates
Subs: Morrison, Piggott
YC: Llewellyn 24, Turton 41
Attendance: 592
Man of the Match: Kyle Finn
Referee: Mr. Ryan Haynes
.jpg)
