Match Report | Anstey Nomads (H)
Another first half collapse leads to a rare home defeat as clinical Anstey take all three points
Brief Overview
The Yeltz went a goal down on 10 minutes, after a pass from Harvey Kirby-Moore to Elliot Hartmann saw the latter’s cross diverted out for a corner by Matt Preston. The delivery from ex-Yeltz defender Oscar Tonge was headed in by captain Jordan Annable. The away side added a second five minutes later, when Courey Grantham stole the ball off Todd Parker on the half-way line and found Tendai Chitiza through down the left. The latter cut inside onto his right foot, and curled the ball into the top right.
Two quickly became three for the visitors, adding the third five minutes after Chitiza’s brilliant strike. Grantham added to his assist for the second, by lobbing Dan Platt from over 40 yards, after the latter’s clearance outside his area. Having scored three goals in 12 league games before this match, Grantham grabbed his second of the game on 36 minutes, and eventual hat-trick four minutes before first half stoppage time.
5-0 down at half time. We’d seen this before. Thankfully we managed to make the scoreline at least half respectable in the second half. Our first came on 72 minutes when Samson Hewett’s corner was headed into the net by Vanylson Silva. The Yeltz winger added to his goal five minutes later, when he found Neo Dobson in the centre of the box, who had a simple tap in for his opening goal for the club. In the sixth minute of injury time, we added a third through a Jason Cowley penalty, after Josh Bailey’s cross into the box warranted a spot kick from a handball.
Match Report
It was a typical flat November afternoon, as the Yeltz got the fourth month of the campaign underway. Confidence was high after the three successive wins, and Paul Holleran signing the deal to keep him as a manger till the end of the season only added to the optimism. Anstey were coming in after just one win in five, but when you look at the sides they had faced in that period, it’s understandable why there points tally may have dried up in recent weeks. Add that into their two matches against National League North side Macclesfield in the FA Cup.
From last weekend’s 4-0 victory at Stamford, Holleran made just the one forced change, as Ryan Wynter’s injury meant Matt Preston returned to the XI. Jason Cowley took the captain’s armband in Wynter’s rare absence from the matchday squad. Anstey made just the one change as well, from their midweek defeat at home to league leaders Real Bedford. Captain and centre half Jordan Annable came into the XI following an injury absence, replacing midfielder Jonty Bouch who dropped to the bench.
Rather foreshadowing the rest of the half, the visitors got a seventh minute free-kick, creating the opening chance of the game. Taken by Elliot Hartmann, the ball was met by Courey Grantham, whose header across goal to Harvey Kirby-Moore could only see the latter head down at the ground, where Dan Platt claimed comfortably.
The away sides two goals followed, and a minute before they made it three, a big chance was missed. Flying forward, Grantham got ahead of our backline and passed to Kirby-Moore to his right. The Anstey number 11’s shot flew over the bar, before the flag was raised. In the end, we went four down on 36 minutes, but it could have been just 22. It was Platt to the rescue to deny the fullback, Hartmann, after the Anstey defender cut inside and hit his point blank shot towards goal.
Our best chance of the half came six minutes before first half stoppage time. Space opened up for Josh Bailey down the left, who floated a cross towards Cowley in the box. The Yeltz number 9 headed the ball towards goal, and just missed the top left corner of Harley Price’s net. Anstey adding their fifth wasnt quite the last action of a miserable half for the Yeltz, as a sixth was almost added in the second minute of injury time.
We had to come out of the traps quickly in the second half in any attempts to rescue something from a dismal performance, and to our credit we did. Five minutes into the second period, Samson Hewett nearly found the bottom right, after some good work down the left from Vanyslon Silva. Six minutes later a corner from Rob Evans made it’s way through the box and to Cowley. The latter was taken a bit by surprise at the ball dropping to him, and could only head a tame effort at Price.
It was Silva who was key to our first two goals, but despite adding our second with nearly 15 minutes still to play, we were largely unable to trouble the Nomads. Four substitutions were made in the half, most notably Neo Dobson who got his goal, but Jim Kellermann also made an impact. A minute before the 90th, a cross from the Yeltz midfielder found Cowley in the area, whose header looped on top of the net. The Yeltz number 9’s ninth league goal of the campaign wasn’t far from enough to salvage anything from the match. Not often you score three second half goals and no get a point, but the damage was done in the first 45.
Attendance: 1,057
Man of the Match: Dan Meredith (chosen by Himley Fencing)
Teams
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy (Callum Ebanks 86′), Matt Preston, Rob Evans, Todd Parker (Jim Kellermann 65′), Jason Cowley (C), Vanyslon Silva, Milan Butterfield (Lewis Ison 65′), Josh Bailey, Samson Hewett (Neo Dobson 74′), Dan Meredith
Unused Subs: Ty Barnett
Anstey: Harley Price (GK), Elliot Hartmann, Darien Wauchope, Jordan Annable (C) (Jonty Bouch 46′), Jesse Omoregbee, Tobias Liversidge (Rubyn Gill 78′), Oscar Tonge (Kevin Bastos 76′), Henry Bestwick, Courey Grantham (Fletcher Poole 65′), Tendai Chitiza, Harvey Kirby-Moore (Alfie Smith 85′)
Unused Subs: None