Match Preview | Stratford Town (A)

6 days ago6 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Top of the pile Halesowen travel to The Arden Garages Stadium to face an inconsistent Stratford Town in a huge clash

Written by Ben Ditchfield

The new league leaders who claimed their place at the summit for the first time since August, make the short trip across to Warwickshire against a fifth placed Stratford side who have won just three of their last seven matches.

This is the eighth match between the two sides on recent record, and Halesowen have won three of the previous seven, but just one of the five played in the league. The three victories subsequently all came in succession between September 2019 and September 2023. Conor Tee and Kieren Donnelly are the only two players currently in the Yeltz squad, who have scored against the Warwickshire side. The duo scored in the last meeting against them in September, with Tee also notching a goal against them for Bromsgrove, in November 2023.

The most recent game at The Arden Garages Stadium came in February last year, in a game that saw Stratford come away with all three points thanks to Jack Storer's goal two minutes after half-time. The last meeting bstween the two, in what was Russ Penn's 20th league game in charge and first against the Bards, came back in September. Despite a slow and cagey first half an hour, the Yeltz took the lead 10 minutes before half-time, after Bards keeper Jacob Weaver plamed out to Tee for a tap in. In the second minute of first half stoppage time, Lewis Ison lifted a ball over the top to the perfectly timed run of Callum Ebanks, who slotted home. Donnelly regained the lead for Penn's side, following an acrobatic effort in what was former Yeltz star Jordan Ponticelli's first touch in a Halesowen shirt, which allowed the ball to fall to the Yeltz top scorer, whose shot deflected off Weaver and into the net.

Just as it looked like things were going smoothly for Penn's Halesowen, Stratford equalised in the 84th minute through Reece Styche, now of Telford United. Ryan Wynter's giveaway to Ebanks set up Styche who fired low into the bottom left, in what was his only goal for the club this season in the eight games he played before joining The Bucks in October. Stratford got their winning goal in agonising fashion for the Yeltz, in the fifth minute of added time through Lewis Wilson. Finley Brennan's ball into the box fell to Owen James, whose deflected shot deceived the diving Platt, before it fell to Wilson to tap in from close range.

The defeat to Stratford put Penn's side into three defeats in four in the league and four defeats in the first 11 league games of the season. Since then though, the side have lost just four of 15 league games, which included a six game unbeaten run straight after the defeat to them. The clubs last match came on Tuesday night, as Conor Tee's brace wrapped up all three points despite a challenging and physical second half battle against Royston Town. Tee scored inside a minute, before getting his second half way through the first period. Royston replied almost instantly through Harrison Rookard, but the Yeltz held off a proper second half test against The Crows to see out the win.

Stratford's last match was a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Spalding United last weekend, falling victim in the latters current 10 game unbeaten league run. The defeat will not be the most unsettling part of the game for boss Paul Davis, but the manner of it differs his perspective on the outcome against a Spalding side who despite their good run, had prior to the game only beaten one side by more than two goals since October. The Bards were on the back foot from start to finish, taking a 1-0 deficit just 20 minutes in from Joe Nyahwema's goal. Darnell Johnson added more misery to the away side 10 minutes later, before Spalding added a third 10 minutes after half-time through Abduramane Sano Sani.

Stratford have spent the last nine seasons at step 3 since their promotion back in 2015. The side finished sixth last season and outside the play-offs on goal difference, with the side not quite getting helped out by Mickleover's 12 point deduction at the end of the campaign. After their bright and promising showing so far this season, the side will be on the look out to finish in the top five for just the second time in a decade, having only previously ended a season in the play-off spots in the 2018/19 campaign, where they lost in the semi-final to eventual play-off winners Kings Lynn Town.

Our opponents on Saturday have gone through a recent change at the top of their management team. Paul Davis is the fourth newest boss currently active in the division, after taking charge in mid November, following previous boss Gavin Hurren's move to Hednesford. Davis was initially joined by Stratford defender Chris Hussey as joint boss, Hussey who played 20 games this season on the pitch for the side.

The pair won their first three league games in charge, all without conceding a single goal, and at the end of December, the duo were given the full support of chairman Jed McCrory, who stated the lack of necessity to appoint a full time manager, due to the pairs amazing start as caretaker bosses. Since the decision, Hussey has left the club and left Davis to serve in the dugout alone, with the side winning just three of their last seven. The side have though showed a huge side of their character, having picked up four huge points of late, in a 4-0 demolition of Telford United and a 3-3 draw against Kettering, a game that saw Stratford go down to 10 men while 1-0 down.

Stratford have three former Yeltz players currently in their squad, Paul McCone, Joshua Hawker and Ashley Sammons. McCone, a former Yeltz captain, featured 93 times in the three seasons he spent in Yeltz blue, all of which he wore the captains armband. Hawker made 100 appearances from 2019 to 2023, while Sammons featured for the club in the 2019/20 and 2022/23 seasons, where he featured in 53 matches, accompanied by a pretty remarkable 10 goals from midfield. Since their arrivals at Stratford, McCone has featured 113 times, Hawker 43 times, and Sammons in seven matches since the latters late arrival last month.

Stratford have three ever presents in their side in the 29 matches they have played in all competitions across the season. McCone, Dan Lafferty, Tom Solanke and Lewis Ison are the four in question, with the latter the only one to have started all 29 games. Lafferty is their highest scorer this season with 11 goals, and their biggest success story, having scored just eight times in 34 games last season. Ebanks is close behind on nine, having featured in five less games than Lafferty.

Only Banbury and Alvechurch have conceded fewer goals than Stratford this season in the league, a Bards side, who also have the third lowest goals per match ratio out of all 22 sides. Despite their high league position, they have only scored first in half of their 26 league games, but in the 13 when doing so, they have dropped just four points from their winning positions, the lowest tally in the league. The side have also been on the losing side just once in the last 44 occasions since the start of 2023 when scoring first in the league. The Yeltz will need to be aware of the necessity to not leave the match in the balance on Saturday after the 75th minute, as Stratford have conceded just three times in the final 15 minutes of their games this campaign, three goals less than the leagues next best, of six goals conceded.

Key Seasonal Stats

Stratford

League Position - 5th

Season Record - PL29 12W 7D 10L 42GS 35GC

Form (Last 5 Games) - DWLWL

Top Scorer - Dan Laffery (11 Goals)

Most Appearances - Lewis Ison, Paul McCone, Dan Lafferty & Tom Solanke (29)

Most Starts - Lewis Ison (29)

Biggest League Win - 4-0 vs AFC Telford United (Home - 1st January)

Biggest League Defeat - 3-0 vs AFC Sudbury & Spalding United (Away - 16th November & 18th January)

Longest Unbeaten Run - 5 Games (7th September - 5th October)

Longest Winless Run - 5 Games (17th August - 10th September)