Match Preview | Bury Town (H)
Halesowen look to make it two wins from two this week with the visit of Bury Town who have lost just once in 15
Head to Head
There has been just the one meeting between the two sides, and that came in this season’s reverse league game. That game saw the Yeltz come away from Suffolk on Russ Penn’s birthday with a disappointing 2-1 defeat. The Yeltz got off to a shaky start in the pretty nice November sun, as an Ollie Canfer header bulged the net inside 10 minutes. Our response was good, and minutes later Fin Holmes profited from a quick reaction to a mix-up at the back to slam the ball into the top left. The hosts controlled a large proportion of the proceedings in the minutes that followed, and another goal felt inevitable. And indeed it did. In the 32nd minute, George Quantrell found the bottom left with a sweetly hit low driven effort. The Yeltz pushed hard for an equaliser in the second 45, but the goal never came and the three points were Bury’s
Russ Penn’s Thoughts
“Home form is crucial for the run-in. We got a good reaction from the Stourbridge game with the result on Tuesday night against an in-form side, but now we need to back it up against another side at the top of their game in Bury. They are a tough side. We saw that in our defeat to them in November at their place. A good possession based side, Bury are, but I thought on the day we were under-par, and gave them too many good chances. It was a tough game because we went into the game without much to go off given they were a newly promoted side we had no history with, but when we figured them out I thought we were the better side in the second half but just failed with that cutting edge up front. Something we obviously have in abundance now.”
Russ on the arrival of Mitch Roberts
“Mitch is a top player. I tried to sign him when I was at Kidderminster, when he was at Solihull back in his Birmingham days, but it never came through. We actually tried to sign him here at the Yeltz all the way back in November, but he opted to sign for Gloucester having known their manager and the move suiting him more. We’ve kept in touch, and with his lack of game time, and with him being a local lad born in Hagley, we thought it was a good idea to bring him in, and know he is here I’m confident he will improve us for the remainder of the season.”
Opposition Preview
Charlie Beckwith – Goalkeeper
The 26 year old signed in October 2023 from step 5 side Lakenheath. The shotstopper formally of Leiston at step 3, featured in both of Bury’s play-off games at step 4 last season, and missed just two of their regular season league games. Beckwith has featured in 31 of their 35 league games this season.
Joe Carroll – Left Back
The 22 year old signed in January 2024 from step 4 Stowmarket Town. The full back, and product of the AFC Sudbury academy, featured in just five league games for Bury last season in an injury hit campign. This season though, Carroll has been a highly influential player, and featured in all 35 of their league games, 30 of which in the XI.
Charlie Collard – Centre Back
The 17 year old is in his first season of senior football, and has made two league appearances this season at centre half, both of which off the bench.
Lewis O’Malley – Centre Back
The 24 year old signed in the summer of 22 from then step 4 side Sudbury. The centre half featured in both of Bury’s play-off games last season, and missed just three of their regular season league games. The former Cambridge United academy man has featured in 31 league games this season, 24 of which in the XI.
Taylor Parr – Centre Back
The 32 year old signed in the summer of 24 from Royston Town. The centre half featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, scoring in the semi-final, and 36 of their 42 regular season games. The former Cambridge United academy man has featured in 29 league games this season, 26 of which in the XI.
Joe White – Centre Back
The 29 year old signed for the club all the way back in March 2015. The centre half, who came though their academy, featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and 35 of their 42 regular season games. This season, White has made 32 league appearances, 23 of which in the XI.
Mikey Davis – Right Back
The 26 year old signed in the summer of 24 from step 4 side Cambridge City. The full back who can also play out on the wing in the attack, featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and missed just two of their regular season games. The former Grimsby Town academy man is the only Bury player to have started all 35 of their league games this season.
Tom Hughes – Central Midfielder
The 25 year old signed in the summer from step 2 side King’s Lynn Town. The scored five and assisted three in 31 National League North games last season. The former Ipswich Town academy man, who he featured three times for in the first team, has made 32 league appearances for Bury this season, all of which starts.
Ryan Jolland – Central Midfielder
The 29 year old, like White, has been at the club since March 2015. The former Ipswich Town academy man featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and 37 of their 42 regular season games. This season, Jolland has made 19 league appearances, 10 of which in the XI.
Ethan Mayhew – Central Midfielder
The 24 year old signed in the summer of 23 from step 4 Hadleigh United. The midfielder featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and 39 of their 42 regular season games. This season, Mayhew has scored twice in 32 league games, 23 of which in the XI.
Ally Conway – Attacking Midfielder
The 27 year old signed in the summer from step 4 side Newmarket Town. The attacking midfielder scored five goals in 31 league games for Newmarket last season. For his new side, Conway has scored twice in 30 league games this season for Bury, 18 of which in the XI.
Jamie Mauge – Attacking Midfielder
The 19 year old signed on loan from Ipswich Town last month. The midfielder featured in the Tractor Boys’ academy last season and on loan at Bury, where he made eight league appearances. This season, Mauge featured 13 times across Premier League 2 and the Premier League Cup for Ipswich, seven times in the league on loan at Needham Market. Since arriving back on loan at Bury, Mauge has made four league appearances, one of which in the starting XI.
Max Maughn – Left Winger
The 24 year old signed in the summer of 2019 after being released by League Two side Colchester United. The wide man featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and missed just one of their regular season games, which saw him score five times. This season, Maughn has scored once in 32 league appearances, all but one of which in the starting XI.
Ollie Canfer – Striker
The 37 year old signed in November from Stowmarket, but first signed for the club back in October 2015. The veteran striker featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and 25 of their 42 regular season games, where he scored a total of seven goals, two of which in the play-off semi-final. Canfer made a total of four league appearances for step 4 Felixstowe & Walton and step 5 Stowmarket earlier this season. Since arriving back at Bury, Canfer has scored nine goals, one of which against us in the reverse league fixture, across his 24 league appearances, 16 of which in the XI.
Jamie McGrath – Striker
The 27 year old signed in October from Needham. The striker scored three goals and assisted two in 41 of Needham’s 42 National League North games last season. This season, McGrath scored once in nine league games for Needham earlier this season, but since arriving at Bury, he has scored 10 goals in 20 league appearances, all of which starts.
Cemal Ramadan – Striker
The 29 year old signed in November 2018 from Leiston, after first joining the club three years earlier. The striker featured in both of Bury’s play-off matches last season, and all 42 of their regular season games, where he scored 27 goals in the league. This season, Ramadan has scored four times, once from the spot, in 26 league appearances, 10 of which in the XI.
Callum Page – Right Winger
The 24 year old signed in January from fellow Suffolk side Sudbury. The right sided winger scored eight goals in 38 league games this season for the Suds, before three goals in 26 league appearances for them this season. Since arriving at Bury, Page has scored twice in eight league appearances, all but two of which in the starting XI.
George Quantrell – Right Winger
The 23 year old signed in the summer from Leiston. The winger scored 13 goals in 40 league games for the Blues last season. Since arriving at Bury, Quantrell has scored seven league goals, and featured in all 35 of their league games, 30 of which in the XI.
Statistical Insight
Halesowen
- Only Spalding United (55) have scored more second half goals this season in the Southern Premier Central than our 43.
- Only Spalding United (18) have scored more goals in the Southern Premier Central this season in the 15 minute plus stoppage time period before half-time than our 16.
- Only Spalding United (27) 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.
Bury
- Only AFC Sudbury & Stourbridge with 16% (3/18) & Stamford with 18% (3/16) have a lower scored first percentage away this season in the Southern Premier Central than Bury’s 29% (5/17)
- Only Spalding United (29), Quorn (24) & Real Bedford (19) have scored more second half away goals this season in the Southern Premier Central than Bury’s 17.
- Only Harborough Town & Spalding United (3) have conceded fewer goals in the 15 minute plus stoppage time period before half-time this season in the Southern Premier Central than Bury’s 6.
- Only Leiston & Needham Market (23) & Real Bedford (25) have used fewer players this season in the Southern Premier Central than Bury’s 26.