Colts v Wyre Forest Phoenix Flames (14/03/20)

Saturday morning saw Colts play 2 league games in consecutive weeks for the first time since November (unbelievably) and were looking to back up the previous weeks positive result against Oldbury Park. Things didn’t begin in a particularly encouraging fashion with the pitch being only partly marked out, resulting in some last-minute grass-based vandalism courtesy of some rather fetching purple spray paint….et voila! – an (almost) workable pitch….(you wouldn’t have to put up with this in the premier league, let me tell you!) On a more positive note, Perdiswell Leisure Centre did a sterling job on the coffee front meaning that hot drinks were received before kick off. Every cloud and all that! Anyway, onto the football…..

Colts lined up with Cam in Goal, Olli, Dyl and Caleb at the back, Nathan, Reggie, Josh and Conner in midfield and Harry up front. George, Louis, Tom and Zac formed the bench. The match started in a rather rushed, scrappy style; the Phoenix tactic of crowding the ball strangled any efforts the home team could muster to create any free-flowing football. As the first half progressed, Colts realisation that playing with width would give them more joy started to pay dividends; Josh in particular started to enjoy considerable freedom on the right, linking up well with Olli and the busy Nathan with some neat, snappy passing without actually troubling the Phoenix keeper. Reggie and Harry also started to combine further left, and Colts should have scored when Harry slotted a shot past the keeper, only to see it cleared by the recovering defender. Josh picked up the loose ball and was equally as unlucky to see his shot, driven into the ground and looping over the keeper’s head – then come back off the angle of post and bar. Conner was again proving a driving force in the middle of the park, tirelessly coming out on top (and with the ball), and usually swamped by several Wyre Forest players. The away team’s best chances came on the break - Cam called into action several times, but always quick off his line and equal to any threat. Caleb turned in a confident display and seemed to be relishing his reinstatement to the starting line up in defence, looking more and more composed on the ball as the half went on. With the half drawing to its’ conclusion, Nathan (who’d taken a knock) made way for the returning George. Several half-chances came and went, the best of which saw George himself screw the ball wide when well placed. The away keeper seemed to be enjoying himself more as the half-time whistle approached, and Colts went in level, wondering how they hadn’t made the breakthrough on several occasions.

Half time saw Louis and Zac on for Harry and Cam respectively, and Tom replacing Conner in midfield. Proceedings were resumed in very much the same vein as the first half with Colts pressing high and the Phoenix goal living a somewhat charmed life. Almost inexplicably the home team found themselves a goal down 5 minutes in when hesitation at the back allowed the grateful Wyre Forest striker to poke past Zac to open the scoring.
The perceived injustice of being behind stirred the home team to even greater efforts, however, and shortly after, parity was restored. Playing from the back, Caleb found Reggie on the wing, Reg took the ball around the defender and hit a rasping left-foot shot that was only parried by the keeper. Louis, in the right place at the right time, gratefully placed the ball into the net to level.
Showing great resolve and determination, Colts turned the screw – sensing more goals were to be had. Dylan, enjoying a typically gritty and decisive game, was becoming more and more of an advanced sweeper, playing almost as a 3rd central midfielder at times. Olli seemed to be soaking up everything thrown at him, assuredly collecting ball after ball that came his way, recycling into midfield with aplomb. George - quiet to start with, grew into the game with every minute that passed and along with Tom went about winning more balls in the centre of midfield than they should have been entitled to. Phoenix also upped their game, and the play started to spread, opening up into an entertaining, more end-to-end affair for the rest of the second half. Tom, picking up where Conner had left off, providing some ball-winning mettle in the centre of the park, but made the biggest impact when he found himself in an advanced right position. Collecting a loose ball near the corner flag and advancing square towards the keeper he hoisted a cross deep into the area, which flew over the keepers head and dropped into the far corner of the goal – a jaw-dropping way to open his account and a reminder (as if one were needed) of what we will be missing when Tom departs at the end of the season. Colts were on a roll, and despite some stubborn resistance from the away team, a third goal was always likely. It came in the shape of a long free-kick, played from within Colts’ own half, that bounced twice, taking a touch off Louis head on the way through and looping into the net after the keeper misjudged the bounce (to be fair to him, the only foot he had put wrong all morning).
More changes were made as Manager Steve Coopey shuffled his pack to alleviate tiring legs and bring a freshness into certain areas of the park. Josh, who had a superb game was replaced by Harry, Caleb was replaced by Conner (with Tom reverting to defence) and Nathan replaced Reg on the left. The changes helped Colts keep an even tempo going into the last 10 minutes, with the hard-working Harry and refreshed Conner and Nathan causing more problems for the Phoenix defence. The scoring was completed when Harry picked up the ball on the edge of the box and played a pinpoint ball across the area to Louis, who was taken out just as he was about to pull the trigger (probably!); Louis himself getting up to slide the penalty comfortably into the net to round-off an accomplished display (good job I took time to mark out the penalty-spot really!).

So the Colts march on with 4 wins from the last 4 league games against some good opposition – an important result with growing uncertainty as to when we’ll next reconvene on a Saturday morning. If it does happen to be the last match for a few weeks, it was a positive manner in which to sign off.