Our 2026/27 Pre-Season Review
The Yeltz enjoyed 23 days of pre-season action across six games. 25 players were used throughout the near four week journey, where seven different names go themselves on the scoresheet 💙
Now you can look back and enjoy six matches reports from our pre-season outings, and at the end take a moment to see who excelled in the stats ✍️
Lye Town 1-4 Halesowen Town
Match Report
Our pre-season journey started, not too far, as we travelled across to Lye for our first non-competitive meeting with the Flyers since July 2019. On that day, it was a 1-1 draw in one of Paul Smith’s first games in the hot seat at the club. It was a hot evening at The Sports Ground, just two miles from our home. 31 degrees celsius at the start of the match in fact. Russ went for four debutants in his starting XI, and a strong midfield duo of Jim Kellermann & Milan Butterfield.
The first chance of the game went to the hosts, as 18 year old academy keeper Gael Mfumaba made an early stop. Our first effort came down the left. The ball brought forward by Ethan Sephton found fellow debutant Callum Ebanks. The latter’s shot was saved, and rebounded to Ty Barnett who stuck the ball wide. There was already a spark in this game. Both sides started quick, almost like they’d been waiting to take to the pitch for months, which they had. Lye’s number 9 found the net seven minutes in, before Ebanks and Lewis Ison combined for the latter to find the bottom corner a minute later.
Our step 5 opponents gave a good account of themselves in the first half, as their number 9 continued to cause problems. Hitting over the bar on 14 minutes and flicking wide from a 20th minute cross from down the right. At this point, we struggled to create going forward, and other than a Rob Evans whipped cross, which Barnett somehow was unable to turn in at the back post, the chances continued to come for the hosts. That was until Evans’ cross to Barnett put us ahead.
The debut goal from Ison was nearly added to by Ebanks, but seven minutes after half-time, Reece Francis smothered his 1v1 chance at goal. Our new number 10’s chance finally arrived two minutes later. A fantastic through ball from academy striker Luke Postle found Ebanks, whose shot went in off the left post. On 65 minutes, a fourth was nearly added as a Ben Cassidy cutback found Trialist A, before the four goal conclusion eventually arrived as the latter found Patrick Wood to put the game to bed.
Match Stats
Goals – Ison, Barnett, Ebanks & Wood
Assists – Ebanks, Evans, Postle, Trialist A
Squad Info
Team – Gael Mfuamba (GK), Ben Cassidy, Ryan Wollacott (Ryan Wynter 46’), Matt Preston, Lewis Ison (Luke Postle 16’), Callum Ebanks (Patrick Wood 67’), Milan Butterfield (C), Ethan Sephton (Trialist A 59’), Jim Kellermann, Rob Evans, Ty Barnett (Jason Cowley 46’)
Unused Subs – Luke Austin
AFC W’hampton City 0-3 Halesowen Town
Match Report
Our second pre-season game, and in the end, our last on the road friendly was a reunion with our Birmingham Senior Cup opponents from last season. That day, the Yeltz scored three, and this time saw the same outcome. Russ made five changes for this encounter in Castlecroft from the win in Lye on the Friday prior. The changes saw Dan Platt, Jason Cowley, Trialist A, Luke Postle & Ryan Wynter came into the XI.
The Yeltz had the best chance of the opening quarter of the hour, as a fourth minute error from the hosts was taken by Milan Butterfield, who drove forward 1v1 with the keeper, but had his low driven effort saved. Either side of this effort, Wolverhampton City had two efforts, one blocked by Wynter, and the other cleared off the line by the Yeltz captain on the night, following a Butterfield error.
We had to wait over 20 minutes for our second effort towards goal, but it was unfortunately headed over the bar by Ethan Sephton, after Postle showed great hold up play to win a corner. Our breakthrough followed less than five minutes later, and seconds before the half hour mark, and again academy lad Postle was key to the outcome to add to his assist from the Lye game. Some pressure high up from the Yeltz number 15 forced the hosts number five into a mistake, which Cowley pounced on 1v1.
The hosts tried to find their way back into the game, as two chances in three minutes went begging from two headers inside the area. It was too little too late, as we added our second just before stoppage time to bring the end to the first 45. Their number four gave the ball away to Ty Barnett, who rounded the keeper but was forced backwards to Postle. The latter was the one who was brought down just inside the area for a penalty, which Cowlsey dispatched for his second of the half.
The second 45 was pretty much all Yeltz pressure, The hosts had their moments, but the relaxation of a two goal cushion really did allow for our quality to come through. A third goal was added on 55 minutes. A ball from outside the area found Trialist A in the box, who squared the ball across for Callum Ebanks to add to his goal at Lye, and help secure us two wins from two to start the pre-season adventure.
Match Stats
Goals – Cowley x2 & Ebanks
Assists – Postle x2 & Trialist A
Squad Info
Team – Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Jason Cowley (Patrick Wood 67’), Trialist A, Milan Butterfield, Ethan Sephton (Luke Austin 77’), Luke Postle (Zak Tolley 77’), Ryan Wynter, Jim Kellermann (Matt Preston 65’), Rob Evans, Ty Barnett (Callum Ebanks 46’)
Unused Subs – Gael Mfuamba (GK)
Halesowen Town 0-2 Kidderminster Harriers
Match Report
This was by far our sternest test of all three friendlies played to this point in the calendar. Russ Penn’s old side were in town, and with new manager Paul Wotton in the host seat for his second game in charge. Five changes were made for our first game of the 26/27 season at The Grove. Those changes: Dan Meredith who made his debut, Todd Parker who made his first appearance of the season, as well as Matt Preston, Callum Ebanks, and a change in goal with Gael Mfuamba.
The first big chance of the game came for Kiddy. A move down the left saw Callum Dolan cut inside onto his right and curl an effort just over the top right of the bar. We found it tough to find the balance of going forward ourselves but also making sure their quality didn’t punish us at the other end. On 20 minutes, a Seb Thompson sprint down the right resulted in the latter winning a corner off Meredith. The delivery from Dolan found Richard Faakye rushing towards the centre of the box, whose low header was blocked by Ben Cassidy.
The last chance of the half again saw Thompson involved down our left side, as he glided past two to make his way towards the middle. On the end of his pass was Dolan down the right of the box, who drifted a ball across goal, but nobody had gambled to get on the end of the delightful cross. The start of the second 45 saw the Carpetmen make wholesale changes to the team, but we came out completely unchanged.
Despite the goalless first half, the visitors National League quality quickly shone through. A Lewis Walker shot from distance was saved down low well by Mfuamba, three minutes before they broke from a failed Ebanks overhead kick. It was Levi Amantchi, their most recent signing at the time who was faced with three Yeltz defenders. He managed to slide the ball through to Walker 1v1, but he swept his effort wide of the left post.
At the break, Max Brogan, formerly of Leamington & AFC Telford United was introduced. Just after the hour mark, his impact was felt. A free kick was knocked wide after Jim Kellermann brought down Reece Devine, shortly before Brogan assisted the opener. The goal arrived on 67 minutes, as a cross from the substitute down the right was headed into the net in the middle of the area by Ben Crompton. His first goal for Kiddy, after arriving from Scottish League One side Ross County this summer.
Aside from a 78th minute cross down the left from Devine who found Reece Hall which resulted in a header looped over by Amantchi, Kiddy had failed to build much momentum from their opener. Our best spell of the game came in the five minutes leading up to second half stoppage time. A Cowley overhead kick flew just over the bar, while a Meredith cross to Ty Barnett was flicked into Kiddy’s Trialist keeper ahead of our Trialist A. The visitors at last got their second, even it was a matter of minutes before the whistle, as Amantchi turned the ball into the bottom corner.
Squad Info
Team – Gael Mfuamba (GK) (Trialist C 69’), Ben Cassidy (Ty Barnett 75’), Matt Preston, Todd Parker, Jason Cowley, Callum Ebanks (Trialist A 62’), Milan Butterfield, Ryan Wynter (C), Jim Kellermann (Trialist B 62’), Rob Evans (Ethan Sephton 55’), Dan Meredith
Unused Subs – Luke Postle & Patrick Wood
Halesowen Town 2-2 Tamworth
Match Report
One big test was followed by an even bigger one. Kieren Donnelly’s new side were in town, and even though manager Andy Peaks wasn’t in attendance, the majority of the Lambs National League 2026/27 squad were. Russ made five changes for the game following the defeat to Kidderminster Harriers the week before. Dan Platt, Ethan Sephton, Ty Barnett & Trialist’s A and D were all introduced. The bench taken up by three trialists, academy players, and the only senior first team Yeltz player, Callum Ebanks.
Having been forced to wait over 90 minutes for our first goal at The Grove this season, it arrived inside 90 seconds at the start of this contest. Trialist A, previously had two assists in our three recent matches, and worked his magic again down the left as he picked out Jason Cowley for an easy opener from yards out. The first half was largely uneventful despite the early goal. The visitors only real chance for the remainder of the half was Ben Milnes’ cross being cut out by Matt Preston, while ours was a Dan Meredith ball to Barnett was headed wide.
The first half may have been a sore watch for some, but the second half certainly entertained. The equaliser very nearly arrived on 52 minutes, as a Milnes cross bounced to Jake Hutchinson from yards out, who somehow failed to turn the ball in, and instead found the terraces on the Stourbridge Road End – a harder assignment. After a slow opening 10 minutes to the second 45, we soon found our first half dominance groove, as a Cowley effort from outside the area went just wide of the left post.
The Cowley chance was a clear sign of what was to come, as we claimed our second of the game on 67 minutes. A Meredith cross from the right, found Trialist A at the back post, whose header just crossed the line before Trialist D got it over, to add to his assist for the opener. The defence of our two goal lead, couldn’t have been defended much worse. As if Donnelly’s 1v1 chance minutes after our goal wasn’t a big enough wake up call, the visitors did eventually halve the deficit in the 73rd minute, after TJ Bramble was brought down for a penalty Teo Kurtaran dispatched.
The goalscoring substitute was lively, and nearly made it a brace as his shot on the edge of the box was blocked by our substitute Patrick Wood, following a driven Donnelly run through the middle. The Lambs partial comeback to salvage one of those annoying pre-season draws was complete five minutes before stoppage time, as a long throw from the right hand side bounced through the box and was emphatically slammed home by midfielder Tom Parkes. An entertaining final 25 minutes that included three goals, but disappointment was palpable after losing the two goal lead.
Match Stats
Goals – Cowley & Trialist A
Assists – Trialist A & Meredith
Squad Info
Team – Dan Platt (GK), Dan Meredith, Matt Preston (Patrick Wood 53’), Todd Parker, Jason Cowley (C) (Trialist E 88’), Trialist A (Luke Postle 77’), Milan Butterfield, Ethan Sephton, Trialist D (Trialist B 53’), Jim Kellermann, Ty Barnett (Callum Ebanks 65’)
Unused Subs – Luke Austin & Trialist C
Halesowen Town 3-3 Stourbridge
Match Report
A Tuesday night number9 derby? Well that was the case for this edition of the Brookes-Clark Charity Shield. It was the first time since 2022 that the fixture had taken place midweek. We were the five times shield champions, and the away side had never won it since its creation in 2021. Russ Penn made just the two changes from Tamworth on the Saturday, as Ryan Wynter & Callum Ebanks replaced Matt Preston & Ty Barnett.
The first dangerous ball into the box came from Trialist A and was cleared at the back post by former Yeltz player Josh Quaynor. It was the visitors who opened the scoring, and it was deja vu from the meeting in February as Charlie Pavey put the ball in the just before the quarter hour mark from a Jourdain Masidi cross. Stour nearly doubled the advantage three minutes later, as Masidi realised fellow new signing Jack Tolley down the right. The winger went towards the edge of the box, but dragged his shot wide.
Our best chance had to wait until the 22nd minute, as a pass from Todd Parker through the Jason Cowley down the right saw the Yeltz number 9 cross for Ebanks. At the far post, the new arrival from Buxton had the goal at his mercy, only for a stupendous tackle to come in from Harvey Portman to deny us the equaliser. Instead, it was the Glassboys who found the net, and again it was Pavey haunting us. The scorer of the third in our 3-0 defeat to them earlier this year curled a shot past Platt’s left hand after receiving the ball from former Yeltzman Charlie Wragg.
It took us 45 minutes to go two down to Stour in Feb, but this time around it took just 25. There was one difference though, it allowed us the time to turn it around before the players headed in for the break. A four minute brace from Ebanks, his first two at The Grove, saw us level in super quick time. As the game edged towards the end of the first 45, chances were plentiful, but only one went our way, the last of the half. A tackle from another former Yeltz player Ash Carter went out for a corner. The Kellermann delivery dropped to Cowley at the back post. The latter found Parker in space just inside the area, whose shot was blocked.
The high tempo and four goals of the first half wasn’t quite matched in the second, and the only shot at goal in the first quarter of the hour of the second period was a Pavey shot on the edge of the box which went straight at Platt. Russ Penn refused to delve into his options on the substitutes bench until the 68th minute, and just before that was our first shot of the half. In the middle of the park, Ebanks shielded the ball out wide to Dan Meredith on the counter. A corner was won as Masidi knocked the ball out, and Trialist A’s delivery found Milan Butterfield, whose shot deflected just wide.
The clock ran down, 25 minutes to go, 20 to go, 15 to go, even 10 to go. The game was still level. The only sniff of a goal came from a Ben Cassidy sprint down the right, cross which was headed out by former Yeltzman Nathan Hayward, and resulting shot which flew over by Meredith. The second half was dying out, but arising for the big moment was Cowley, who lobbed the ball over Charlie Price, Harborough Town esc, to send us into an 82nd minute lead. The goal didn’t win us the game, as Pavey completed his hat-trick from the spot, but after Portman fired over in stoppage time, that Cowley goal ended up retaining our sixth Brookes-Clark Charity Shield 🏆
Match Stats
Goals – Ebanks x2 & Cowley
Assists – Wynter x2 & Meredith
Squad Info
Team – Dan Platt (GK), Ethan Sephton, Ryan Wynter (C), Todd Parker, Jason Cowley, Callum Ebanks (Ty Barnett 71’), Trialist A, Milan Butterfield, Trialist D (Ben Cassidy 68’), Jim Kellermann (Trialist B 90’), Dan Meredith
Unused Subs – Matt Preston, Trialist E, Luke Austin, Gael Mfuamba (GK), Patrick Wood
Halesowen Town 1-3 West Brom XI
Match Report
Our final pre-season fixture was the most intriguing of them all. How would we match up with potential stars? What team would they play? What team would we play? Well, the answer to the last question got the first answer. Before the game, Vanylson Silva ’Trialist A’ was announced as our latest new signing, and he was one of four changes made from the No9 Derby on the Tuesday. The other changes, Matt Preston, Ryan Wollacott, and the return from injury of Lewis Ison, who hadn’t played since our opener against Lye Town three weeks prior.
The answer to how well the Baggies academy lads would play? Quite well. They were in the asendacy from the start. Inside 90 seconds, Remar McNeil burst through the middle and played the ball to Jack Bray on the right of the area. Dan Platt came out to smother the ball behind. Just minutes later, the Baggies took the lead, and it was a stupendous free kick past Platt’s left from Halesowen born winger Cole Deeming that placed the ball home. West Brom’s number 21 was at it again shortly after, drifting the ball into Bray in the middle. The latter’s dink over the top found McNeil, saw the latter sprint down the left, but marshalled well by Ryan Wynter blocked a shot from the by-line.
Our first shot had to wait until the 16th minute. A Wollacott header on the outside of the area saw the ball drop for Callum Ebanks, whose swivelled shot was scuffed into Joe Wallis’ gloves. Two minutes later, Dan Meredith floated a ball out to Ebanks down the right. The latter placed a cross into the area to Ison, whose first tike strike was blocked on route to goal. A huge mistake on 20 minutes saw Harry French run towards the area on the right shoulder of Preston. The latter did well to go with the former all the way, before having his shot blocked.
The outstanding defender from Preston was important, as we found the equaliser 15 minutes later. An Ison corner dropped to Wynter at the near post, who popped the ball in from two yards out. A poor reaction to this goal was well documented by Paul Holleran post match, and he was right. The away side retook the lead two minutes later, as Deeming found the net from the edge of the box to add his second goal of the half.
The Baggies youngsters didn’t quite follow the same intensity in the second half as they had for pretty much the whole of the first. A Barnett header that flicked off Wynter into the keepers gloves, a Silva blocked strike which drifted away from goal, and a missed 1v1 from the latter were the only efforts we were able to craft in the second 45. The visitors had to wait until 15 minutes before stoppage time to have their first shot on target, as Kayden Lucas had a shot from distance was almost fumbled by Platt into the path of Jaiden Francis-Caesar. In the end, Francis-Caesar added the third with a right footed strike into the bottom left won the game for the visitors.
Match Stats
Goals – Wynter
Assists – Ison
Squad Info
Team – Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Matt Preston (Vanylson Silva 46’), Ryan Wynter (C), Ryan Wollacott, Todd Parker, Lewis Ison (Jim Kellermann 63’), Jason Cowley (Ty Barnett 55’), Callum Ebanks (Trialist E 82’), Milan Butterfield (Trialist D 46’), Dan Meredith (Ethan Sephton 46’)
Unused Subs – Trialist C
Overall Pre-Season Player Stats
Goals Scored
- Callum Ebanks – 4
- Jason Cowley – 4
- Ryan Wynter – 1
- Trialist A – 1
- Lewis Ison – 1
- Ty Barnett – 1
- Patrick Wood – 1
Assists
- Trialist A – 3
- Luke Postle – 3
- Ryan Wynter – 2
- Dan Meredith – 2
- Lewis Ison – 1
- Callum Ebanks – 1
- Rob Evans – 1
Goals Conceded
- Patrick Wood – 0
- Gael Mfuamba – 1
- Rob Evans – 1
- Matt Preston – 2
- Ryan Wollacott – 4
- Dan Meredith – 7
- Ethan Sephton – 7
- Ben Cassidy – 7
- Dan Platt – 8
- Ryan Wynter – 8
Minutes Played
1. Milan Butterfield – 502
2. Jason Cowley – 435
3. Jim Kellermann – 424
4. Ryan Wynter – 405
5. Ethan Sephton – 396
6. Ben Cassidy – 367
7. Vanylson Silva – 361
8. Dan Platt – 360
9. Todd Parker – 360
10. Callum Ebanks – 351
11. Dan Meredith – 315
12. Matt Preston – 303
13. Rob Evans – 235
14. Ty Barnett – 224
15. Trialist D – 166
16. Luke Postle – 164
17. Gael Mfuamba – 159
18. Ryan Wollacott – 135
19. Patrick Wood – 103
20. Lewis Ison – 79
21. Trialist B – 74
22. Trialist C – 21
23. Luke Austin – 13
24. Zak Tolley – 13
25. Trialist E – 2