Match Report | Kettering Town (H)
Halesowen forced to come back from behind again at home to take points and extend the unbeaten run to six games.
In an afternoon where Santa arrived at The Grove spreading Christmas joy and a bucket for collections for Cancer Research, the Yeltz fans certainly weren’t in the festive mood when the Poppies took the lead before half-time. A 42nd minute corner, one of many for the visitors in the opening 45, was hit out to Andi Thanoj on the edge of the box, whose chip to the back post saw a shot cleared off the line, before a Levi Andoh scuffed finish made it’s way into the net. The defender’s second goal in as many goals having not scored this season before last weekend.
As has been the case so many times this season at home, we managed to find our way back into the game. On 67 minutes Kyle Finn was brought down just inside the area, which allowed Jason Cowley to score his 15th league goal of the season, and four out of four from the penalty spot to get us the equaliser. Since the 15th November, seven goals had come our way in the four league games after the 76th minute, but unfortunately we failed to add the eighth to that tally.
The game started very open, but it was the Yeltz who pushed hardest in the opening 10 minutes. A pass from Charlie Wragg found Fin Holmes in the centre, before Kyle Finn picked up the ball and had a shot blocked. Three minutes later the visitors went close. A James Clifton dink towards goal on the by-line saw the ball headed over on the line by Rob Evans. The Ismael Fatadjo corner found Clifton in the box, whose shot deflected off his own man and went wide.
Just after the 15 minute mark, Cowley failed to square the ball across to Wragg in the box for a tap-in as Alfie Lewis got to the ball first. Two minutes later a Ryan Wollacott header forward found Jim Kellermann, whose shot was spilt by Jason Alexander, but quickly gathered. As the first 45 reached the half hour mark, a Thanoj cross missed Wes York in the box for a Holmes clearance, and this sparked a decent spell of Yeltz pressure before the Poppies opener.
A pass from Kellermann to Finn in a central position, saw the latter sweep a ball out wide to Holmes. The teenager beat York for pace down the right of the box, but his cross was cleared in the middle by ex-Yeltz man George Forsyth, before a Wragg shot flew over the bar. Five minutes later on 37 minutes, a ball forward from Josh Smile was played to Cowley. The Yeltz number 9 only had Forsyth in front of him, who he turned past in the box, and forced a superb save from Alexander from his curled effort. Five minutes later, the visitors took the lead, but a swift equaliser very nearly came our way, as a 44th minute curled effort from Finn went just wide of the left post.
The second half started in a much slower tempo to the first, but it was Alexander again who hard the work to do in his six yard box. Some superb wide play from Cassidy saw him win the Yeltz a corner off goalscorer Andoh down the right. The delivery was taken short by Finn, and the ball went back to Cassidy, whose cross to the back post forced the Poppies shotstopper to palm a Wollacott header off the line.
The goal came rather out of the blue, as the only effort in the 15 minutes prior was a Kai Williams effort for the visitors after a pass from Clifton, but after the goal it was the complete opposite. In a four minute spell after the 75th minute, a Ty Barnett header was hooked wide, before Finn and Holmes linked up for the Yeltz substitute to shoot wide, and a Finn shot went over. In the 86th minute a Holmes cross saw Mitchell head over. A 90th minute scramble then ensued, but the away side managed the latter minutes well with free-kicks and last ditch defending for the game to end 1-1.
Yeltz Man of the Match: Jim Kellermann
Attendance: 1,018
Yeltz XI: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Josh Smile (C), Ryan Wollacott, Charlie Wragg (Ty Barnett 62’), Jason Cowley, Kyle Finn, Jim Kellermann, Rob Evans, Fin Holmes, Reece Mitchell
Unused Subs: Jak Hickman, Alex Gudger, Luke Postle, Patrick Wood
Kettering XI: Jason Alexander (GK), Levi Andoh, George Forsyth (Preston Bitemo 39’), Wes York, Andi Thanoj, James Clifton, Ed Panter, Kai Williams (Kai Fifield 62’), Blaine Rowe, Ismael Fatadjo (Callum Powell 62’), Alfie Lewis
Unused Subs: Lewis Coyle, Eddie Oppong