THE66POW: Frickley Athletic 1 v Alvechurch 2

Tuesday 20th February 2018
EvoStik Northern Premier League (South)
The Big Fellas Stadium AKA 'Wezziecana',
Westfield Lane, South Elmsall
Frickley Athletic (1) 1
Tyler Walton 11
Alevchurch FC (1) 2
Josh March 39
Luke Yates 64
Attendance 224
Thanks to Ruth Simpson for the team sheet and to Ryan McKnight and that Spencer Fearn bloke for their generosity.
For a gallery of some professionally done photographs from tonight's game, click here: ONION BAG
Great work as always Jerry mate.

The last time that these two sides met, back in August, a goal apiece from Tom Turton and Josh March, either side of half time, gave Alvechurch a 2-0 win at Lye Meadow, on an afternoon that 'Church' became the only side to keep a clean sheet against Spencer Fearn's Blues this season, which is actually quite an achievement on the part of tonight's hosts, to say that this impressive record is still intact as of right now, towards the end of February. Even though Frickley misfired at times and had spells when they struggled to get a foothold in tonight's game.

Because of Frickley's recent points deduction, which was well publicised in the Non League Paper (on the front cover and page three) this week; they started the night in third place on fifty three points, while Alvechurch were in fifth, on fifty two points, with three games in hand on their South Elmsall based opponents; meaning that this result saw the visitors leapfrog over their hosts and climb into second place, much to the obvious delight of the away supporters who'd made something like a four hour midweek round trip to be see their team in action. Credit where it is due.
In the aforementioned newspaper article, the Northern Premier League chairman spoke of the "absolute priority" of clubs adhering to a robust system of regulations; but with so

many clubs falling foul of the rule book, would it be considered impertinent of me to ask, if it would be too much trouble for the league(s) and FA themselves to take the initiative to revise and simplify their own procedures and publications, to avoid such problems occurring quite so often in the future, instead of over-complicating their own legislation.
At times, the role of a club secretary can be akin to tip toeing, blindfolded, through a cluttered minefield of ambiguity, in a pair of bloody great big hobnail boots, while coming under fire from all sides... even your own.

Much is made in certain learned circles, where the honourable pastime of association football is discussed, about Alvechurch being a village team, who play at a respectably high level the non league football pyramid, having reached the Northern Premier League (South) by virtue of being champions of the Midland Football League Premier Division last season.

But a quick glance at the most recent population census of cities, towns and villages in the United Kingdom (yes folks, Wikipedia has been keeping me company, through those insomnia gripped wee small hours again), reveals that the West Midlands based smallholding (just off the M42, near Bromsgrove, eleven miles to the south west of Birmingham) actually has 75 more inhabitants than South Elmsall itself. And the local club round these parts used to play in the Gola League (Football Alliance)... or the National League/Conference as you younger readers might call it these days. Mind you, the Blues glory days, save for several Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup Final appearances, are becoming so distant a memory, that they were filmed in black and white.

It was difficult to gauge, from the comfort of a spacious back row seat, quite how much the the stiff breeze that was blowing across this beautifully preserved time capsule of a traditional football stadium, was dictating the flow of the game and the tactics employed by both sides to overcome it. But initially, the Blues made a lively started while their visitors were obviously well geared to make an immediate transition to the requisite level of quality needed to thrive at this higher level.
Frickley opened the scoring in the eleventh minute, when Tyler Walton, directed the ball past Charlie Price, to net his first ever goal for the home side, after Gavin Allott had collected a long ball on the edge of the area, facing away from the goal and threaded a defence splitting pass with a deft back heel.

But Yusifu Ceesay went close to levelling things up almost straight away, when he fizzed the ball narrowly past the upright with a free kick from eighteen yards out.
Jamie Ashmore drilled a right wing post into the Blues goal mouth, from which Jordan Nadat got in front of Hugo Warhurst and his marker as he steered the ball just inside the near post.
Not for the first (or last) time tonight, the visitors manager Ian Long loudly voiced his severe displeasure when the goal was ruled out for offside.
Obviously the referee's assistant had a better sight line of the incident that me, but I'd have to say that must have been a close call and a very tight decision... and within a minute Nicky Darker almost rubbed salt into Alvechurch's wounds, when his shot on the turn skimmed wide of the target off Price.

As this evenly balanced first half chugged along towards half time, Teddy Bloor had to be alert to another dangerous cross from Ashmore into the Blues six yard box and he intercepted the ball and swept it away at the expense of a left wing corner, with Nadat homing in, in an attempt to reach the ball.
The flag kick was fielded and half cleared out towards the far side of the area, but amid a scramble Alvechurch managed to hook it back across the six yard box to where Josh March got his head to it and planted the ball past Warhurst. Meaning that March has scored against Frickley on both occasions that he as played against them.
The one apiece half time score was just about a fair reflection on how the game had gone thus far, although the 'Church' were beginning to impose themselves more towards the end of the opening forty five minutes.
HT: Blues 1 v Church 1

Frickley took the game to their West Midlands opponents at the outset of the second half, as Darker and Jacob Hazel combined down the left, before the latter crossed towards Tom Dugdale, but Andy Parsons rose to head the ball away from danger.

Hazel cut in from the left and rushed a speculative shot, that had little in the way of accuracy about it, but enough power and pace to reach the corner flag on the far side of the pitch.

Allott fed a pass out wide to Hazel and continued his run to meet the return ball, five yards from goal, but it got caught up under his feet as he tried to direct it towards the Alvechurch goal.

In the sixty fourth minute, Luke Yates netted what proved to be the decisive winning goal for the visitors, after March had rolled a sideways pass to Nadat whose cross was met by Yates with what could only be described as a pirouette and well dispatched back-heel combination, as the ball found

the back of the net, via Warhurst outstretched fingers.

The visiting supporters celebrated for all they were worth and thought that their side had sealed the win with a third goal, after March set up Yates who drilled the ball past Warhurst, but they were denied by the offside flag again, although this time around it was far more of a clear cut decision than the Nadat's episode in the first half.

The air raid siren sounded and the visitors area was put under siege as Frickley adopted a horses for courses direct approach, while Nicky Darker's long range throw ins became a dominant feature of the closing exchanges.

But having got their noses in front, Alvechurch weren't going to let the home side back into it now and they showed an admirable amount of back to the walls strength to hold on for the three points, which, all things considered and on the balance of things, they probably deserved, in my humble opinion.

FT: Frickley Athletic 1 v Alvechurch 2