Match Preview | Stratford Town (A)
Halesowen travel to The Arden Garages Stadium on Tuesday night to face Stratford Town with both sides in need of points
Head to Head
There have been 11 meetings since the start of the 2018/19 season, and the Yeltz have won five of them, including the last two, both in September. The last meeting in a league game at The Grove saw the Yeltz pick up a 1-0 win courtesy of Milan Butterfield 51st minute header.
Opposition Preview
Jacob Weaver – Goalkeeper
The 28 year old signed in the summer of 24 from step 3 Rushall Olympic. The shotstopper featured in 32 league games last season, conceding just 34 goals. The former Birmingham City academy player has featured in all but two of Stratford’s league games this season.
Harry Reilly – Right Back
The 29 year old signed in the summer from Banbury United. The right back featured in all but four of the Puritans league games in the last campaign, keeping 18 clean sheets. Reilly, who played in America from May 2019 to August 2020, has featured 20 times this season, 17 of which in the XI.
Kory Roberts – Right Back
The 28 year old signed in the summer from now step 3 Hednesford. The right sided defender who can also play at centre half, featured in 25 league games during Hednesford’s promotion last season. The former Walsall academy player has featured 23 times this season for the Bards, all of which starts.
Paul McCone – Centre Back
The 34 year old signed in the summer from Bromsgrove Sporting. Our ex captain was one of their longest serving players, but he did leave the Bards in July to join Bromsgrove, before returning back in August. The former Wolves academy player and centre half featured in all but two of the Bards league games last season. This season, he featured three times in the league for the Rouslers, and since his return to Stratford has featured 20 times this campaign, all of which starts.
Bo Morris – Centre Back
The 19 year old signed in January from Bromsgrove. The central defender made three league appearances for the Rouslers last season, before making six appearances this season. The teenager has featured 18 times for the Bards since his arrival, seven of which in the starting XI.
Dan Vann – Centre Back
The 26 year old signed in the summer of 2019 from League Two Walsall. The centre half had a number of non-league stints on loan from Walsall. The Stafford Rangers, Matlock Town, and Chasetown loanee featured 23 times last season for Stratford, and already this campaign has made 18 appearances, all but one of which starts.
Fin Brennan – Left Back
The 24 year old signed in the summer of 24 from step 4 Leighton Town. The former MK Dons academy player featured in all but one of Stratford’s league games last season, and has made featured in every Bards game this season, failing to start just the once. He is one of two Bards players to have featured in all 32 league games.
Femi Olofinjana – Left Back
The 21 year old signed in January from Alvechurch. The defender featured for Birmingham City’s academy & two league games on loan at Redditch United last season. This season, Olofinjana featured once in the league for step 5 Nuneaton Town, before moving to Alvechurch and making four league appearances. Since his arrival at the Bards, he has made seven league appearances, all but two of which starts.
Josh Hawker – Central Midfielder
The 32 year old signed in December 2023 after a few months of no football. The central midfielder played for the Yeltz from 2019-2022 and the summer of 2023 until he joined the Bards in the December. The former Birmingham City academy player has featured 22 times this season, all but two of which starts, having played in all but 2 of their league games last season.
Dan Lafferty – Central Midfielder
The 24 year old signed in the summer of 21 from Coventry City. The midfielder featured in every Stratford league game last season, and was the club’s top scorer with 11 goals. The former Cov academy player has made 26 league appearances this season, including 22 starts, and seven goals, one of which from the spot.
Jourdain Masidi – Central Midfielder
The 28 year old signed in the summer from Stourbridge. The man born in the Democratic Republic of Congo featured 36 times in the league for the Glassboys last season, and has made 28 appearances for Stratford this season, 22 of which in the XI.
Lamine Sherif – Central Midfielder
The 26 year old midfielder signed in February from Spalding United. The central midfielder featured 23 times for the Tulips last season, and eight times this campaign before making the move. The Guinea born player has made 14 league appearances since arriving at Stratford, all of which starts.
Lewis Ison – Attacking Midfielder
The 27 year old signed in February 2023 from Hednesford. The centre half turned attacking midfielder/winger was a standout for Stratford last season, and not only featured in every league game, but scored 10 goals from midfield, which also included a hat-trick against AFC Sudbury in February. This season, Ison has scored five goals in 27 league appearances this season, all of which starts.
Max Lott – Attacking Midfielder
The 18 year old signed on loan from Aston Villa in February. The attacking midfielder scored twice in nine U18 Oremier League games last season for Villa’s academy, and this season in one Premier League 2 & EFL Trophy matches. Since his arrival in Stratford, he has scored one goal in 19 league appearances, five of which starts.
Austin Samuels – Right Winger
The 25 year old signed in January from Quorn. The winger who can also play through the middle featured five & nine times in the league for Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton & then step 2 side Rushall respectively last season. This season, Samuels has featured for Spennymoor Town, Alfreton Town, Shifnal Town & Quorn, and four times for the Bards, all off the bench since his arrival.
Ty Deacon – Striker
The 27 year old signed in the summer from step 4 Thame United, who he had only just joined from Tamworth in January. The striker scored 7 times in the league over four months at Thame, and has made 20 league appearances this season for the Bards, starting 11 of those.
Henry Landers – Striker
The 25 year old joined in the summer from step 2 Leamington. The forward scored nine goals in the National League North last season, and this season for the Bards has scored five goals in 19 league appearances, 14 of which in the XI.
Jack Storer – Striker
The 27 year old is in his fifth spell at the Bards, having previously left the club to join Highgate, Bruno’s Magpies twice, Sutton Coldfield, and Tividale most recently in August. The striker has been back at Stratford since October and scored twice in 11 league appearances, all but two of which starts, however he hasn’t played since November due to injury.
Josh Toluwaloju – Striker
The 19 year old signed at the end of last month from Coventry City on a one month loan. The striker has featured for Cov’s academy last season, and since arriving at Stratford has made seven league appearances, all but two of which starts.
Charlie Wragg – Striker
The 19 year old signed at the start of last month from Walsall on loan till the end of the campaign. A familiar face to Yeltz fans, Wragg made 18 league appearances last season and 14 this season for the club, and scored four goals. Since his arrival at the Bards, Wragg has made five league appearances, all but two of which starts, and scored three goals (a hat trick vs Bishop’s Stortford).
Owen James – Left Winger
The 25 year old signed in the summer from Didcot Town, who he had only just joined a month prior from the Bards. The former Oxford United academy man scored six goals in 38 league appearances for Stratford last season, and has already bettered that tally with nine goals this season. James is one of two players alongside Fin Brennan who has featured in all 32 of Stratford’s league games this campaign, and he has started in 23 of them.
Statistical Insight
Stratford
- No other side in the Southern Premier Central this season have a higher scored first percentage at home than Stratford’s 80% (12/15)
- No other side in the Southern Premier Central this season have scored fewer goals in the first 15 minutes matches than Stratford’s 2.
- Only Bromsgrove Sporting (14) have conceded more goals in the 15 minute period after half-time than Stratford’s 13.
- Only Harborough Town & Spalding United (12) have scored more goals through substitutes in the Southern Premier Central this season than Stratford’s 9.
Halesowen
- Only Spalding United (52) have scored more second half goals this season in the Southern Premier Central than our 40.
- Only Spalding United (20) have scored more goals in the Southern Premier Central this season after the 76th minute than our 18.
- No other side in the Southern Premier Central this season have conceded more goals in the first 15 minutes than our 13.
- Only Stourbridge (22), Stamford & Barwell (21), Alvechurch (20) & Sudbury (19) have had more games this season in the Southern Premier Central without a first half goal than our 17.