Match Preview | Stratford Town (A)
Halesowen travel to The Arden Garages Stadium on a Tuesday night for the third time this season in a huge 6th vs 9th encounter
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
Dan Jezeph – Goalkeeper
The 28 year old signed at the end of last month from step 4 side Rushden & Diamonds. The former Wasall academy man featured in all but one of Kettering Town’s league games last season. Jezeph signed for Rushall Olympic in the summer where he made 10 league appearances before making 21 league appearances for Rushden. He has made one league appearance since joining the Bards.
Jacob Weaver – Goalkeeper
The 28 year old first choice for the Bards featured in 32 league games last season, conceding just 34 goals. The former Birmingham City academy player has featured in all but 1 of Stratford’s league games this season.
Harry Reilly – Right Back
The 29 year old right sided defender signed for Stratford this summer after a successful individual year at Banbury United last season. The right back featured in all but 4 of the Puritans league games in the last campaign, keeping 18 clean sheets. Reilly, who has played in America from May 2019 to August 2020, has made featured 14 times this season, all of which starts.
Kory Roberts – Right Back
The 27 year old right sided defender who can play right back and centre half signed in the summer after a step 4 promotion winning campaign with Hednesford. The former Walsall academy player has featured 10 times this season, all of which in the starting XI.
Paul McCone – Centre Back
The 34 year old ex-Yeltz captain was one of their longest serving players having joined in the summer of 22 from us, but he left the Bards in July to join Bromsgrove Sporting, before returning back to Stratford in August. The former Wolves academy player and centre half featured in all but two of the Bards league games last season, and has featured 10 times this campaign, all starts.
Bo Morris – Centre Back
The 19 year old signed for the club from Bromsgrove in early last month. The central defender made 3 league appearances for the Rouslers last season, before making 6 appearances this season, which included 5 starts. The teenager has featured 7 times for the Bard since his arrival, all of which as a substitute.
Dan Vann – Centre Back
The 26 year old centre half has been at the Bards since the summer of 2019, having 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 10 appearances, all of which starts.
Fin Brennan – Left Back
The 23 year old left back signed in the summer of 24 from step 4 Leighton Town. The former MK Dons academy player featured in all but 1 of Stratford’s league games last season, and has made featured in every Bards game this season, failing to start just the once.
Femi Olofinjana – Left Back
The 20 year old signed at the start of last month 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 two league appearances, both off the bench.
Josh Hawker – Central Midfielder
The 31 year old ex-Yeltz midfielder has been at Stratford since December 2023. The central midfielder played for the Yeltz from 2019-2022 and the summer of 2023 until he joined the Bards. The former Birmingham City academy player has featured 10 times this season, 9 starts, having played in all but 2 of their league games last season.
Dan Lafferty – Central Midfielder
The 33 year old has been at the club since 2021, and featured in every Stratford league game last season, and was the club’s top scorer with 11 goals. The former Coventry City academy player has made 16 league appearances this season, including 12 starts, and has scored 4 goals.
Jourdain Masidi – Central Midfielder
The 27 year old, born in the DR Congo, signed in the summer from Stourbridge. The central midfielder featured 36 times in the league for the Glassboys last season, and has made 16 appearances for Stratford this season.
Rico Patterson – Central Midfielder
The 22 year old signed earlier this month after a spell at Welsh top tier side Aberystwyth. The central midfielder who played in the Birmingham City academy has featured twice, both off the bench.
Lamine Sherif – Central Midfielder
The 26 year old midfielder, born in Guinea, signed for the Bards before the most recent match from Spalding United. The central midfielder featured 23 times for the Tulips last season, and 8 times this campaign before making the move.
Lewis Ison – Attacking Midfielder
The 27 year old was a standout for Stratford last season, not only featured in every league game, but scored 10 goals from midfield, which also included a hat-trick against AFC Sudbury in February. The midfielder has managed just the 1 goal this season, but has featured 16 times, all starts.
Max Lott – Attacking Midfielder
The 18 year old who joined on loan from Aston Villa at the start of the month has featured 6 times this season, twice in the starting XI. The attacking midfielder has scored the 1 goal.
Austin Samuels – Right Winger
The 25 year old and newest recruit at the Bards, signed last week 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 could make his Stratford debut on Tuesday.
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 13 league appearances this season for the Bards, starting 10 of those.
Henry Landers – Striker
The 25 year old joined in the summer having scored 9 goals in the National League North for Leamington last season. The forward has started 13 of his 14 league games this season, and scored 3 goals.
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 for a month, and started 9 of his 11 league appearances, scoring twice.
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 once for the Bards since arrival, off the bench, and featured for Cov’s academy last season.
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 four league appearances, all but one of which starts, and scored three goals (a hat trick vs Bishop’s Stortford).
Owen James – Left Winger
The 25 year old, who left the club to join Didcot Town in August, has since returned. The former Oxford United academy man scored 6 goals in 38 league appearances for Stratford last season, and has currently matched that goal tally this campaign in 20 less appearances.
Statistical Insight
Stratford
- No other side in the league have a higher scored first percentage at home in the Southern Premier Central this season than Stratford’s 84% (11/13)
- Only us (24) & Leiston (18) have scored more second half goals at home this season in the Southern Premier Central than Stratford’s 17.
- Only Bromsgrove Sporting (12) have conceded more goals in the 15 minute period after half-time than Stratford’s 10.
- Only Harborough Town (12) have scored more goals through substitutes in the Southern Premier Central this season than Stratford’s 9.
Halesowen
- Only Spalding United (41) have scored more second half goals this season in the Southern Premier Central than our 37.
- Only Spalding United (18) have scored more goals in the Southern Premier Central this season after the 76th minute than our 16.
- No other side in the Southern Premier Central this season have conceded more goals in the first 15 minutes than our 11.
- Only Stamford (21), Barwell & Stourbridge (18), AFC Sudbury (17) & Alvechurch (16) have had more games this season in the Southern Premier Central without a first half goal than our 15.