Match Preview | Stamford (A)
Halesowen travel to the Zeeco Stadium for the second time in five months to take on a struggling Stamford who haven’t scored yet this league season
Head to Head
The Yeltz are winless in their last four matches at the Zeeco Stadium, a 2-2 draw, 2-1 defeat, 3-0 defeat and 2-2 draw the results, in order. Our last away win at the Zeeco was 2019. We have kept three clean sheets in our last five games against Stamford, but all of them have come at The Grove.
Russ Penn’s Thoughts
“It is really important to keep our unbeaten run going particularly at a tough ground like Stamford. We saw the effects of what a good bit of form can do for you last season when we made it all the way to the play-offs fairly comfortably. It brings up the morale of the squad when you can pick up points wherever you go. We have had a good start to the season, and go to Stamford full of confidence. But we have to respect our opposition. They have are winless in three, and I know what that is like because I’ve done it here and at Kiddie. What they will do tomorrow is strip everything back to basics, and fight for absolutely everything. They are hurting at the moment and we have to remember that a different kind of battle awaits us to the one we had last weekend. One things for sure is that defensively they will not give us lots of opportunities. They may have lost their opening three games but they have only conceded two goals, which is three less than us and we’re unbeaten. I have watched their three games and they could easily won all three. Their place is a difficult ground to win at as we saw in April, and in Graham they have a superb coach who will not panic. For the game, I want us to defend better as a team. We have conceded some sloppy goals, even if teams haven’t carved us open this season, defending set pieces has been an issue that needs to be solved ASAP.”
Opposition Preview
New Arrivals
Stamford were one of the most active sides in our league during the summer in terms of arrivals. 12 players have arrived in Lincolnshire since the end of last season, and a number of them are familiar Southern Premier Central faces. In a rampant late June, the Daniels made seven new signings in just eight days. The first arrival was Kyle Rowley, a 28 year old defender who featured 31 times for Redditch United last season. Two days later Luke Johnson joined from Royston Town, a wide player who scored seven times for the side who finished 11th across his 38 league appearances. Only two Crows players featured more. On the 26th June, Stamford made the triple signing of Herve Pepe Ngoma, Matty Miles and Cameron Johnson. 29 year old defender Ngoma featured 37 times for Barwell last season, attacking midfielder Johnson featured for step 5 Sheffield FC, step 4 Shephed Dynamo, and step 5 Lincoln United last season in that order, scoring six goals in seven game for the latter, before ending the season at step 3 Matlock Town. While Miles initially joined from AFC Sudbury where he had featured 38 times last season, but swiftly left Stamford after two months to join St Ives Town. In the coming days and into the start of July, Stamford added the additions of Jack Thomas, Rhys Sharpe, and Evan Payne to their already five new arrivals, but the most eye catching signing came later in the month in striker Fletcher Toll. The 21 year who joined on loan from King’s Lynn Town featured for step 4 Corby Town last season, and scored a huge 33 goals in 49 games. As if their nine new faces wasn’t enough, this month Stamford added three more players to their stacked squad, Freddie Allen from Doncaster Rovers, Jason Law from Spalding United, and Ryan Wilson on loan from Mickleover Sports.
Summer Departures
The departures in Lincolnshire this summer were not quite as frequent as the arrivals, but there was still six of them, including one player who was loaned out for a month. The biggest player out the door was no doubt their man of six years who made 223 club appearances James Blunden. The defender scored eight goals last season, which the second most for Stamford in the league throughout his 34 appearances. Alongside their captain, two more influential players decided to depart for a new adventure in the summer, Tendai Chitiza and Ashton Offler. Midfielder Chitiza featured 40 times last season, the third most of any Daniels player in the league, while Offler featured 29 times, just one of which off the bench. A current and former Yeltz man followed Blunden, Chitiza, and Offler through the exit in Richard Gregory and Luke Redfern. The former left to join back up with the Yeltz after making 13 appearances for the Daniels last season, while Redfern left to join step 4 Anstey Nomads after just four appearances in an injury hit season for Stamford during the last campaign. The final departure was a loan deal, as Lee Shaw who missed just one league game for Stamford last season left for a one month match fitness loan, which will stretch from the start of August to September with step 4 Grantham Town.
Players to Watch
Just like we did against Real Bedford, let’s look through Stamford’s most likely XI for the match. In goal Tom Jackson has remained at the club, and what a goalkeeper he is. Alongside a clean sheet and just two goals conceded this season, he kept 15 clean sheets and conceded just 51 goals in 42 league appearances last season. The wing back positions will be most likely taken up by Charlie Marzano and new arrival Rhys Sharpe, both of whom have started the previous three games. The former who scored against us at the Zeeco in April. At centre half, new signings Kyle Rowley and Herve Pepe Ngoma could have been the partnership, but the latter has not featured yet this season. Instead Rowley will most likely play alongside ever present defender Jordon Cooke who missed just one league game last season. The midfield will more than likely start with new arrival Jack Thomas who has started all three games this season, and he could play alongside Harry Vince, George Hobbins, Ryan Wilson, Tobias Liversidge, or for an attacking option in Jason Law, who knows, one things for sure Stamford have a lot of options in that area. If I was to predict based off their opening three fixtures, a trio of Thomas, Vince and Hobbins is more than likely. In the forward line Luke Johnson will no doubt start, but alongside who? Striker Fletcher Toll who has started twice in the opening three games, while Joao Varela had a brilliant game against us in April, and could start out wide. The return of Jack Duffy for his first league game after missing five last weekend is a positive for the Daniels, and as their top scorer last season it is hard to see him missing this weekend’s contest.
Statistical Insights
Stamford
• Going winless for three games in a row in their opening three league games is an unknown for Stamford, as before this campaign the club had not reached the feat since 2015.
• Only Banbury United (17) kept more clean sheets last season than Stamford’s 15.
• Despite having failed to score in their opening three games this season, last season Stamford scored first in 66% of their 42 matches (28/42), which was a higher percentage than any other side. In fact the next best was 61%. They also scored the first goal in 71% of their home matches (16/21).
• Only Harborough Town and Stourbridge (17), and Banbury United (18) conceded fewer first half goals last season than Stamford’s 19.
Halesowen
• Only AFC Telford United (41), Spalding United (35), and Bromsgrove Sporting (32) scored more first half goals last season than the Yeltz’s 30, tied with Lowestoft Town, Bedford Town & Royston Town.
• Only Spalding United (19) and AFC Telford United (17) scored more goals in the 15 minute period before half-time in the league last season than the Yeltz’s 15.
• No other side in the league last season conceded fewer goals in the 15 minute period before half-time in the league last season than the Yeltz (5).
• Only AFC Telford United (23), Spalding United (21), and Bedford Town (19) won more points from losing positions in the league last season than the Yeltz’s 18, tied with Redditch United.