Match Preview | Alvechurch (H)

Feb 136 min read

Updated: 20 hours ago

Halesowen face a re-born Alvechurch side who have a surprising pattern of results

Written by Ben Ditchfield

In the 16th meeting between the two sides since the 1980's, we host an Alvechurch side this weekend, who have have won/lost by one goal to nil, 11 times this season in the league, including a string of five in a row during August and September.

There have been just four goals in the last three meeting, and the most recent one was a 1-0 victory last September for our opponents. It was a game that severely lacked quality, particularly for two sides who were positioned 3rd and 5th in the league table. The Yeltz hardly put any pressure on goalkeeper Ronnie Hollingshead, but neither did our hosts that day, who could only force the one save from the man in goal on that occasion, Lewis Solly.

The Yeltz keeper was unable to keep out the only bright spark of the dull spectacle, as he was beaten by teenager Dan Shaw, who at the time was on loan at The Church from Blackburn Rovers. The second half substitute found space on the edge of the box, before he curled his shot into the top right. A goal and win that sent Alvechurch top of the league for the first time since August 2022.

Ahead of the clash, I spoke to Yeltz boss Russ Penn, to get his thoughts on the match, and our recent form. “Our form is a cause for concern at the moment because it feels like I am playing two different sides. You look at last Saturday, and I don’t even think we got off the bus.

"We prepared for the game well, we got there nice and early, but when we got onto the pitch, we didn’t put in the same performance. At the end of the day, it is my job, the players job and the staffs’ job to get a performance worthy of a win, but we didn’t, and I could think of 10 excuses, but it will always come down to us. Going back to our form, the home performances, I am not so worried about, but the way we play in away games, I am, but all we can do right now is to focus on this game against Alvechurch.

“Looking ahead to this weekend, I expect a much tougher game than the one we had against them, the last time out. They have a new manager, new style of play, and we will be playing on a different surface. I think we were hard done by at their place, even though it was a poor game, which most away games don’t tend to be at this level. On the flip side, I said before our form is brilliant at home, I think we have eight wins out of nine, and we must take real confidence from that.

"Their manager Tim Flowers is someone I respect very much, I think since joining this level, he has gained the mindset of a step three manager, which is vital. He plays a way where he demands to win, although I do believe it is different now he is at Alvechurch, the players he has are better from where he has been previously. I watched them just over a week ago against Bishop’s Stortford and the Tuesday just gone against Bromsgrove in the Senior Cup, and I know from that they are a team that we need to show full respect.”

Penn also spoke about defender Ben Cassidy ahead of the match, as he gets set to play against his former club, as well as the Yeltz bosses’ feelings of the squad in general. “Ben has been great this season for us, but like most of the players we have found the last month difficult, and he falls into that category with every player in the squad. He is one for the future, he has played many times this season, and a lot in such a short amount of time in the early part of his career, not just here or at Alvechurch, but for many clubs. He has played a lot off the bench this season, it is not because I am managing his minutes.

"I just always say to every player, make me play you and then there is no reason why you shouldn’t be playing every week. Ben was starting for us every week in that great spell of just one defeat in 14, 15, throughout October to December, I am just so critical of my players, and I just want more and more from them so they know that I want them to set their own standards. He has probably played the most games this season, not necessarily the most minutes, so that shows you how important he is for us.

"Turning my attention to Reece (Flanagan), I think now is the time for him to start this weekend. We have had to manage him more than anyone due to his injury, because you can’t just throw someone into the deep end after the setback he had. You have to progress his minutes on and off the pitch and make sure everything is right, and he himself has to feel the same way. I think now we are at that moment where we should check him out and throw him in. I have no worries about Reece, he knows the game and his body, so I will have no second thoughts about starting him.”

Alvechurch come into the game against us, after their match last weekend against AFC Sudbury was called off due to forecasted snow. They played mid-week against Bromsgrove in the Worcestershire Senior Cup semi-final, where they defeated The Rouslers by another one goal to nil scoreline, as they made the cup final. Their last league game was a week and a half ago, and yes another 1-0 win over Bishop’s Stortford, who were fresh off a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of us. Bradley Stretton got the only goal of the deserved win for the home side, a win that means Alvechurch now have four victories in their last five league games.

Their boss, Tim Flowers started his managerial career late, back when he was 51 in 2018. He spent just under two years at Solihull Moors, before he spent periods of time in the hot seat at Macclesfield, Barnet, Stratford Town and Gloucester City, a set of clubs where he didn’t spend longer than six months at any of the four, but a set where he gained pivotal experience and knowledge of step two and three of the non-league pyramid.

His longest spell in management since Solihull, came when he spent eight months at Redditch, where he led them to a play-off semi-final, before he departed last November while they were 6th and just a point off the play-offs, to take over at the vacant Alvechurch role, where he replaced the man who was in the dugout for the most fixture between us and them, Jimmy Fry. He has since overseen 15 games in all competitions.

Prior to the New Year, The Church did not have a single player who had scored more than five times this season, in what was then an atrocious record of just 28 goals scored in 27 games. Since the turn of the year, they have scored 13 goals in just six matches, a run that has seen Dylan Allen-Hadley pick up six of them.

Allen-Hadley had scored just three in his previous 25 appearances for the club, before his change in form, but his recent upturn in goal output has certainly been a gift that has kept on giving. Joe Willis, Dan Sweeney and Ammar Dyer have all scored four, but despite all the main goals coming from these four, Shay Willock is the player at the club with the best goals per game ratio, in the league in particular, of 0.5 per game.

The proof may be in the pudding in terms of their lack of goals in one net, but at the other they are stingier than most. Flowers side have conceded just 27 goals this season in the league, the second lowest in the division, 14 of which have come away from home, a league best. Amongst their defensive accolades on the road, the best is by far their away clean sheet tally of six, a statistic that is one better than the next best, Stratford with five, and three better than the highest tally which proceeds that. They have also conceded the fewest number of goals in the division in the second half of matches this season, and the fewest in the 15 minute period before half-time and before full-time.

Key Seasonal Stats

Halesowen

League Position - 5th

Season Record - PL34 17W 4D 13L 57GS 44GC

Form (Last 5 Games) - DWLWL

Top Scorer - Kieren Donnelly (20 Goals)

Most Appearances - Ryan Wollacott, Conor Tee, Todd Parker & Jak Hickman (33)

Most Starts - Ryan Wollacott (33)

Biggest League Win - 5-0 vs Lowestoft Town & Barwell (Away - 5th November & 14th December)

Biggest League Defeat - 4-0 vs Hitchin Town (Home - 21st September)

Longest Unbeaten Run - 6 Games (5th October - 16th November)

Longest Winless Run - 3 Games (30th November - 14th December & 26th December - 14th January)