Coalville Town  v  Tamworth

Fri 21 Jul - 19:45 Friendly

Coalville Town

2-1

Tamworth

Match Report

The Lambs made a rare Friday outing for their next friendly, with a short journey to a side who pushed them all the way in the 2023-24 season and ultimately fell short of top spot in the final few games to Andy Peaks’ side.

The Lambs were without a few players who featured at Harborough on Tuesday night and fielded one new trialist at number 11 while The Ravens fielded summer signing Ben Hart.

The home side got the game underway and went on the attack but it was dealt with by Dolman and as the ball came forwards, Reilly and Carter tangled midway into the Coalville half leaving the Tamworth player needing treatment before play could continue.
Singh was called into action to push a shot from the left out for a corner on 7 which came to nothing.
Reilly was unable to continue so Finn replaced him in the centre of the park on 10 and a push upfield from Coalville through Putman forced another corner, this time on the left.
A good 1-2 between Tr7 and Finn saw the former’s shot ricochet out for a corner on the right on 13 but Finn’s ball was too long past the far post despite it being open for attack.
Tr7 spotted an opening in the Coalville backline in the next move, but lifted his shot over the Shed End of the ground from 25 yards on 15 and Jones’s shot from a similar position curled wide of the mark.
As the floodlights came on The Lambs continued to take the game to their hosts, but didn’t really manage to force the home keeper into action.
A dinked ball over the top from Tt7 was nearly latched onto by Tr11 and the same player made a mazy run into the box but was forced away from the target on 32.
As the rain came down Singh’s goal came under attack on 37, but the shot from Chambers whipped across the box and out past the far post.
Coalville did take the lead though on 41, when the ball was driven into the box from the right and not cleared, falling to substitute Dean to rifle home from a few yards out. (1-0, 41 mins)
Tamworth responded with Tr10 and Tr7 threading the ball down the right but the latter was unable to get his cross past the last defender, and as the ball came out Jones was upended midway into the Raven half.
This allowed Milnes to put the deadball into the area and Finn’s low cross took a deflection and skipped off the wet surface back to the keeper and the three minutes added time shown at the end of the first half played out with a booking for a Coalville player on Jellis before the whistle blew.

HT 1-0

Tamworth made a couple of half time changes before restarting the game and Coalville pushed forwards in the opening exchanges.
Dolman got in the way of Chambers on 50 setting up Shaw with the dead ball and his thumping freekick looked goalbound but Singh was able to get a hand to push it onto the bar and the his body behind it to stop it going over the line.
There was another booking on 54, this time when Towers dragged Tr11 down on the left which allowed The Lambs to retain possession from the freekick but not for long as things didn’t seem to be linking as they were hoping.
And then on 58, the home side doubled the advantage with a well worked move down the left which ended with a tidy finish from Shaw from the 12 yards out (2-0, 58 mins)
This prompted three further changes from the Lambs bench, and a low curling freekick towards the left hand upright from Tr16 brought the first real stop from the Coalville keeper of the second half so far.
A foul by Tr10 on Doyle-Charles 67 earned him a yellow card and the same player ended a fine move by the Coalville which saw Shaw and Carter combine down the left set roll the ball across for a strike from 25 yards which skimmed the top of the crossbar.
With the rain continuing to blow down Coalville were thwarted by the interception of Tr11 and he was involved at the other end whipping a pin point cross onto the head of Deacon who’s diving finish powered it past the keeper (2-1, 74 mins)
Tr10 for The Ravens nearly restored the lead, latching onto a deep freekick into the far post on 76 but he was unable to divert it on target.
Substitute Tr18 forced a corner on the left with a low deflected strike on 80 but pay quickly switched to the other end and Curley recovered to deny a cross to Chambers, conceding the corner instead.
Tr16 tried to battle his way through the Ravens back line on 83 but was ultimately prevented from getting a sight on goal.
Coalville’s Tr10 was booked for a hefty challenge on Meikle on 85 ad then needed treatment for cramp which halted play for a minute or two as the clock ticked towards 90, forcing him off the field.
In added time Tamworth went in search of an equaliser with a final push up field, and Deacon’s strike was turned behind for a corner but Willetts downward header bounced just wide of the mark before the referee’s whistle blew

Coalville Town:
TrGK, Ben Hart, Eliot Putman, Jake Hutchings, Ash Carter (Alex Dean 27), Steve Towers, Jacob Carter, Joe Doyle-Charles, Ashley Chambers, Tr10 (Ronnie Morley 87), Luke Shaw (Zach Smalley 74)
Subs: Jake Laban

Tamworth:
Singh (TrGK 62), Cullinane-Liburd, Curley, Reilly (Finn 10, Meikle 62), Willets, Dolman, Tr7 (Tr15 HT), Milnes (Tr16 HT), Jones (Deacon HT), Tr10, Tr11 (Tr18 78)

Att: 420