Match Report | Stamford (A)
The Yeltz make it three in three under Paul Holleran with a 4-0 victory at Stamford on Halloween
Brief Overview
The Yeltz took the lead five minute before the half-time interval. A link-up between Ben Cassidy & Samson Hewett saw the latter find Jason Cowley in space to his right. The angle turned tight for the Yeltz striker, but quickly shifted to his left, before bending the ball past Joe Bailey. It took a while to get our second, but it did eventually arrive in the 71st minute. A long throw from Ryan Wynter was headed across goal by Rob Evans to Vanylson Silva, whose task was simple.
Remarkably, our third was scored by a man who had come on just over a minute prior. It was Matt Preston, after replacing Wynter, who popped up to add more misery to the Daniels was an Evans assist, this time from the latter’s long throw. It was a dream game for the Yeltz number 6, as he added to his two assists with a goal in the fifth minute of additional time.
Match Report
It was a weird occasion of a 2pm kick-off on a cold afternoon at the Zeeco Stadium. A change from the usual 3pm start, not because it would give us time to get home to trick or treat, but instead due to Stamford’s floodlighting issues. The unusual kick-off time needed to add something different to an unfortunate plot of no wins since 2019 for the Yeltz at Stamford’s home in Lincolnshire.
There was one change from our team that were victorious late on against Leamington in the week, as Rob Evans replaced Matt Preston in the XI. A nice sight to see, spots were taken on the bench by Jim Kellermann & Callum Ebanks who have both struggled with injuries. The Daniels made the one change as well, from their late win at Bishop’s Stortford. Ant Fenton brought new loan arrival Kai Fifield into the XI for England international Ashley Young’s son, Tyler.
The first effort at goal came our way just three minutes into the contest. A free-kick, after Ben Cassidy was fouled, was delivered into the box by Samson Hewett to Milan Butterfield, whose header looped onto the top of the net. Despite this brilliant early start, both sides were forced to endure a quiet spell of the game. When the match finally livened up after the quarter hour mark, a corner from Hewett came off a man in red, and nearly nestled into the bottom right.
Jason Cowley has enjoyed a rich vain of form in the last two months, scoring 13 goals in just 14 games. He nearly opened the scoring 20 minutes in, after he headed the ball down to Hewett, who played a ball to Cassidy in the middle. The latter was crowded out by young keeper Bailey, and towering centre half Kieran Wallace. The resulting throw in was flicked off the back of Wynter’s head to Cowley, whose shot went just over. The Yeltz number 9 became creator on the half hour mark, as he found a cross, under pressure from Ryan Thomas, that Vanylson Silva will regret not turning home at the back post.
Our opener on the 40th minute was very much deserved, and needed as we headed into the break, but it could have been more. A retrieved cross from Josh Bailey was headed down in the middle by Cowley, where penalty appeals were waved away. Into additional time at the end of the first 45, Silva sprinted down the left. His blistering pace allowing him to fashion an effort at goal, which went just over Bailey’s crossbar.
We squandered a decent opening four minutes into the second half, after a Meredith cross towards the middle, flicked off Wallce who jumped higher. The ball popped out to Hewett, whose shot was scuffed wide. It came to the hour when the hosts had one of their best passages to goal. Matty Walker was found by Thomas up field, and the former’s shot was blocked by Evans, before Thomas received a loose ball and had a cross cleared by Bailey.
Despite this brief flurry forward from the Daniels, we added a deserved second, even if we hadn’t created clear cut chances all game, the balance of play was always on our side. In the 76th minute, Kellermann was introduced having missed midweek due to injury, and almost made an instant impact. Wrestling with Cowley, Zhani Burgess lost out on his dual after a pass forward from Kellermann, but the Yeltz number 9 dragged his shot, and it was blocked by Burgess.
The two other goals were added at the end of the game, Preston’s coming just over a minute after being brought off the bench. Four goals can be seen to have flattered us, but we profited from two late set pieces, and boost our goal difference. Necessary to rectify the goals lost from the Racing Club Warwick defeat. Our nine game run of October is over, but seven more await in November. For the first time since September, we don’t have a Tuesday night game, but up first is a huge match at home to Anstey Nomads next Saturday.
Attendance: 380
Teams
Stamford: Joe Bailey (C), Ryan Thomas (Aaron Cashmore 78’), Kieran Wallace, Ethan Young, Kai Fifield, Zhani Burgess, Sam Warburton, Jon Challinor (Maks Jarzabek 80’), Dan Lawlor (C) (Maxwell Williams 86’), Cam Steiner (Tyler Young 57’), Matty Walker
Unused Subs: None
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy (Neo Dobson 82’), Ryan Wynter (C) (Matt Preston 87’), Rob Evans, Todd Parker, Jason Cowley (Ty Barnett 89’), Vanylson Silva (Callum Ebanks 90+3’), Milan Butterfield, Josh Bailey, Samson Hewett (Jim Kellermann 76’), Dan Meredith
Unused Subs: None