Match Report | Stamford (H)
Halesowen complete yet another turnaround with win against Stamford on a Good Friday at The Grove
Match Report
The Yeltz fell behind for the 15th time inside the opening 15 of this season in the league. The goal came from a free kick into the box that Joe Burgess knocked out to Josh Cavallo just outside the area, who found the bottom right for his first goal in English Football. Our equaliser had to wait, but it came less than a minute after the break when Ryan Wollacott, bandaged up and wearing Jim Kellermann’s number 16 shirt after a head injury six minutes into the game volleyed in from a Rob Evans cross.
Russ Penn’s side came out firing in the second half, and we took the lead two minutes after the equaliser. A cross from the by-line by Jordan Ponticelli was bundled into the net by Fin Holmes for his first goal since late Feb. The Yeltz added a late third on 84 minutes, when Ben Cassidy drilled a low cross into substitute Kyle Finn, who swept the ball into the bottom left. All three Yeltz goals coming from down the right.
The game started quick with the two sides creating their first attempts at goal in the opening five minutes. The visitors came first, and through a quick break forward, as a long ball was controlled by Kai Tonge down the left. The latter slid the ball to Leon Lobjoit in the middle, who fired over the bar. Our first effort arrived through two unlikely sources, as Mitch Roberts threaded the ball to Todd Parker on the left of the box to force Tom Jackson to come out and smother.
The visitors goal came three minutes after the Parker opportunity, and to be honest the Yeltz took longer than expected to spark into life. When it arrived though, my days did we come close. Just before the 20th minute, our first shot since the Parker effort arrived, as Jason Cowley chased ball down 1v1, but failed to find the finish to trouble Jackson. Three minutes later a brilliant sprint down the right from Ben Cassidy, saw the fullback whip a cross into Cowley. The latter forced the save down to the left, before Fin Holmes smashed the rebound over from yards out at the far post.
The chances kept coming after the hour mark, and it was incredible how Stamford didn’t unbuckle. Lady Luck certainly shone in their favour during this period. A 25th minute Connor Bartle effort flew over and hit the top of The Shed, before the incredible five minute Yeltz onslaught. A free kick was won by Jordan Ponticelli, after being brought down by Joe Burgess The delivery from Josh Smile was dropped by Jackson, but Cowley’s shot from it was blocked.
The inevitability of a Yeltz goal seemed palpable, as Cassidy hit a ball over the top down the right to Ponticelli. The latter set an eye to goal, but his effort went agonisingly wide. A carbon copy of his low driven effort in the first half at Real Bedford last weekend. On 33 minutes, Parker’s second shot of the 45, saw his effort fly over the bar, before a 36th minute whipped Ponticelli cross towards the bottom corner was blocked, and a Cassidy shot minutes later was only just kept out. Quite incredible, hey?
The Yeltz were very nearly punished for the countless missed chances, as the Daniels strode forward themselves. The first time they had since the goal really. A Josh Cavallo break down the left up against Wollacott, saw the Australian dig out a cross to the back post. Tonge waited for the ball, and headed it onto the bar, before George Hobbins failed to put the rebound in. Three minute from stoppage time, a Lobjoit shot was blocked by Evans, which resulted in a corner from Bartle, which found Alex Collard, who headed over at the back post.
Back to the Yeltz, our final opportunity before the four minutes of first half stoppage time which resulted in nothing arrived a minute before the 45th. It was quite amazing how we hadn’t scored in the half. A Cassidy ball found Cowley, whose shot was saved for a corner. The delivery from Roberts was somehow not turned in from a goalmouth scramble. A quite remarkable scramble which resulted in a blocked shot which went just wide for a second corner, cleared by Collard.
The two swift Yeltz goals after the break were a huge relief, but the job was not done as the intensity of Russ Penn’s side seemed to drop ever so slightly. A 54th minute Holmes shot was blocked by Jack Keeble, before a Roberts pass to Holmes down the right, saw the wide man nutmeg one and put a cross in at the by-line. The low delivery found Cassidy in the middle, who latched onto the ball but shot just over the bar. The visitors went up the other end, and the always involved man, Lobjoit was found on the right of the area, and forced a remarkable reflex save from Dan Platt. The first time he had been tested, and he made the wait thoroughly miserable for the visitors.
Stamford turned to the bench. The first half substitution which saw midfielder Jake Duffy go off was no doubt a blow, but the arrival midway through the second period of tricky winger Joao Varela certainly livened them up. The substitute just over five minutes after coming on, took on Yeltz sub Reece Mitchell down the right of the area. Varela passed the ball backwards to the support of midfielder Hobbins, who struck an effort just over the bar, before a Holmes shot straight up the other end was saved.
Our third six minutes before the 90 was so dearly needed, and it was nice to see Kyle Finn on the scoresheet for the first time since Jan 3rd. The Yeltz nearly added a fourth a minute later, as assist man for the first, Evans, hit a long throw from near to the Sponsers Lounge to Milan Butterfield, who headed straight at Jackson. The game petered out as the game reached the 90th, and despite Stamford going close to a 95th minute consolation, that was all she wrote on Good Friday of 2026 at The Grove. Three much needed points ahead of next week’s huge games.
Attendance: 1,356
Teams
Yeltz XI: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy (Jak Hickman 90+1’), Josh Smile (C), Ryan Wollacott (Reece Mitchell 62’), Mitch Roberts, Todd Parker, Jason Cowley (Ty Barnett 90+1’), Milan Butterfield, Jordan Ponticelli (McKauley Manning 90+1’), Rob Evans, Fin Holmes (Kyle Finn 79’)
Unused Subs: None
Stamford XI: Tom Jackson (GK), Michael Armstrong, Ryan Wilson, George Hobbins, Jack Keeble, Alex Collard, Joe Burgess (Joao Varela 67’), Jake Duffy (Connor Bartle 22’ (Aaron Cashmore 67’)), Kai Tonge, Leon Lobjoit, Josh Cavallo
Unused Subs: Jon Challinor & Michael Frew