Hednesford Town v Tamworth FC
Hednesford Town
0-3
Tamworth FC
Match Report
The table topping Lambs started the new year by travelling the short distance to Keys Park to take on the sixth placed Pitmen, poised six points behind Tamworth.
The Lambs management trio made one change to the starting eleven that had drawn 3-3 with Nuneaton on Boxing Day, with Luke Little, having just signed from Walsall, taking a spot on the bench as Jimmy Fry came in off the bench.
The home side got the game underway attacking the away end of the ground in the first half.
First chance of the game fell to Glover on 5 and his low shot from the right of the D whistled past Singh’s right hand upright with the keeper at full stretch.
A couple of minutes later Abadaki made a strong run into the area from the left of the box and drilled his shot on target towards the far post forcing The Lambs defence to clear their lines.
At the other end Creaney chipped through for Hoenes and he pulled it back for Waite from the left of the area but the latter was not able to meet the ball.
However, Yafai ran onto and chipped Hoenes’ through ball from the left of the box over the Pitmen keeper on 13 to give The Lambs the lead (1-0, 13 mins)
Waite whipped in a cross from the left wing on 18 but it was easy for Wycherley to take at height.
On 19, Yafai set Hoenes free down the left and he advanced towards goal but home captain Bailey caught his heels giving the referee no option but to show a straight red card and reduce Hednesford to ten men.
From the freekick, Beswick fired just wide of the right hand post.
The Pitmen quickly made a change and reorganised their line up then forced a freekick on the edge of the D when Abadaki was bundled down.
Fry was booked for a late challenge on Abadaki on 28 on the right of the box and the resulting freekick was too strong for any of the Pitmen to meet past the far post.
Former Lamb Matt Curley hit a right footed shot over the target from 25 yards on 31 into the travelling faithful.
Glover then struck a powerful shot from the right of the box which came down off the underside of the bar and was dealt with. Tamworth raced to the other end and Yafai was upended resulting in a booking for Griffiths on 36.
Beswick stepped up to strike the freekick and beat Wycherley but it struck the underside of the bar and rebounded down and away from the goal.
The Lambs continued to press as the half continued without really forcing anything in the final third as the home side defended strongly.
Yafai did manage to get a shot away but it flashed wide of the mark from 25 yards out in the final action of the half.
HT: HEDNESFORD TOWN 0 1 TAMWORTH
The Lambs restarted proceedings but it was the hosts who had the first chance.
Abadaki burst into the box past Forde and struck a shot which forced Singh to tip it over his bar for a corner which King headed wide.
At the other end Waite used his pace to get into the box but was blocked when he shot and neither Wilder nor Creaney could follow up cleanly.
Waite spent a short time nursing an knock suffered in the build up play but was soon OK to continue.
As the clock reached the hour mark, neither side could really claim to be in control of proceedings and it was hard to remember that the home side had been reduced to ten men after just 20 minutes.
Lait replaced Waite on 66 and this injected a bit of life into The Lambs and he doubled the Lambs advantage on 68, receiving the ball from Beswick on the left before advancing along the edge of the box and firing diagonally inside the near post (2-0, 68 mins)
Tamworth made two changes in the next 10 minutes as Hednesford competed their trio of substitutions.
King was booked for upending Yafai as he looked to make headway over the halfway line on 83.
On 85 a backheel from Creaney found Lait but it was taken off his toes by the Hednesford defender for a corner on the left and Gough forced Wycherley to parry his shot over the bar for another flagkick.
The ball eventually made it’s way out to Lait and he fired home his second of the afternoon from a similar position to the first, at the second attempt (3-0, 88 mins)
In the 95th minute Gatter was adjudged to had pulled Yafai back off the ball resluting in a booking for the Pitman, and a deadball for Tamworth.
Beswick placed it and fired it in the arms of the keeper before the final whistle blew and The Lambs celebrated a near perfect start to the new decade.
Tamworth Team:
Singh, Forde (Gough 74), Wilder, Beswick, Magunda, Rowe-Turner, Waite (Lait 66), Fry J, Creaney, Yafai, Hoenes (Obeng 77)
Unused: Little, Howkins
YC: Fry 28
Hednesford Town Team:
Wycherley, Curley, Griffiths, Bailey, Gatter, Hallahan, Hodge (O’Hanlon 66), King, Glover D, Fry T (Reid 22), Abadaki (Jones 73)
Subs: Glover M, Veiga
YC: Griffiths 36, King 83, Gatter 90+
RC: Bailey 19
Attendance: 802
Referee: Mr. G. Rollason
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