.png)
Halesowen go top with a 2-1 victory at Top Field against struggling Hitchin Town
Written by Ben Ditchfield
Russ Penn celebrated his 50th game in charge with a 2-1 win over Hitchin to make it six unbeaten for the first time since November and three consecutive away matches without defeat this year as the side overtake Bedford Town and Kettering Town to reach the summit.
Conor Tee opened the scoring with his 13th goal for the club, after his shot took a deflection and deceived Hitchin keeper Seb Stacey. Kieren Donnelly added to his assist for the first, with a goal for the second, just nine minutes into the second period to mark his 25th goal of the season. Hitchin hardly forced Platt into a save, but managed to snatch a goal in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time. Brad Bell scored his first league goal of the season, in his 13th game of the campaign, after his finish followed some neat Canaries play down the left.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game with them battling for survival, which it was in the first half, but i thought we controlled the second 45," stated Russ Penn. "As we enter the final games of the season, it will become cagey and ropey and teams will struggle to get their foot on the ball at times. I always say whoever has the most endeavour, runs hardest and has pieces of quality will prevail, and that is what we did today. All we wanted today was the three points, which we got, and now we get to enjoy the week and look forward to a huge home crowd next weekend."
The Yeltz started the opening 20 minute spell on the front foot, as they won three successive corners and completed a number of sprints down the left wing. Tee drifted a ball out wide to Ben Cassidy, before he returned the favour to Tee, whose cross went out of play. Donnelly had his first sight at goal inside just 10 minutes, when he got a shot away from outside of the area. The ball had plenty of curl on it, but went straight into the gloves of Stacey, who was making just his 15th league appearance of the season in goal for the hosts.
McKauley Manning went on a run down the by-line, and knocked the ball off Hitchin captain Ciaren Jones and out for a corner. Tee copied Manning's run down the line, but this time beat the Hitchin defense into the box, where his cross went into Stacey's palms. A third successive run down the by-line in a matter of five minutes, saw Cassidy marauding tight through the Hitchin backline. Hitchin's top appearance holder this campaign, Lewis Franklin, got his foot to the ball, but bad to settle for a corner. The ball was whipped into the box by Tee, but was headed away by his Franklin's teammate and attacker Dan Stokoe, who passed his defensive assignment. Another corner followed, which Manning hooked into Stacey's gloves, and allowed the hosts to counter. Liam Brooks sent a ball that searched into the middle for a player in yellow and green, but instead fell straight into the gloves of Platt.
The Yeltz had a huge let off just after half hour mark, after some brilliant hold up play by Jake Hutchinson, who signed for Hitchin just last night. The swift counter saw the new arrival find Brad Dixon-Smith on the left, whose cross to the back post beat Platt, but not the post, as the ball ricocheted out. The final 10 minutes of the half became open and tight, as both sides seemed content with a 0-0 as they headed into the break. A ball swept forward from Jones to Stokoe, saw the Hitchin frontman force Platt to claim another cross. Manning played a ball over to Donnelly on the right, but Jones got back quick to force the intervention of the cover defender, Toby Syme, who snatched the ball off him to clear.
The two Yeltz goals followed each other in a five minute period at the start of the second period, a 45 minutes where Hitchin failed to lay a glove on Penn's side. The latters team had a dominant and pressure free final half an hour. Cassidy hit a ball long towards Manning, who brought the ball down. He had a lot of work to do on the edge of the area, so he was crowded out and off the ball. Jamie Willets had an effort that skimmed past the post when Syme failed to stop a corner, which was taken by Reece Flanagan. The returnee to the XI, delivered it on top of Stacey, who punched the ball onto Willets' head, and wide. A Milan Butterfield overhead kick that went just over the bar followed, after some brilliant play from Jak Hickman on the right.
The Canaries chances were extremely limited in the second 45. A period of expert defending from Willets and Ryan Wynter prevented the hosts from entering the Yeltz final third for the majority of the half. A Hitchin free kick on the right by-line, delivered in by Brooks, found Jones in the middle. Willets got to the ball ahead of the Canaries captain, and Wynter dealt with the Hitchin attack that soon followed. A ball forward from Brooks, searched for Hutchinson. The Hitchin striker who scored 22 goals in 36 appearances, in his last spell at the club, chased after a ball, which went straight through to Platt.
The Yeltz almost made it three just 10 minutes before the 90th. A deflected strike went out for a corner, which saw Hickman stand over the ball, and deliver to the back post. Willets got his head on it in the middle, but Syme was able to latch onto the loose ball, and clear. Penn made four changes to his team during the half, as Reece Mitchell, Todd Parker, Alex Cameron and Charlie Wragg all came on, to give fresh legs in their attempt to see the game out. Parker held off Stephen Gleeson, in Halesowen's last attack of the match, before the midfielder put in a cross which was miscued out for a corner. Manning stood over the corner flag on the right, but could only find the gloves of Stacey. The Yeltz rode the slight Hitchin tidal wave at the death, to send themselves top of the league for just the ninth day in the last seven months, since the season began.
Hitchin: Seb Stacey (GK), Lewis Franklin (Enock Ekongo 80'), Brad Dixon-Smith, Toby Syme, Josh Odell-Bature (Kye Tearle 78'), Ciaren Jones (C), Dan Stokoe (Brad Bell 57'), Stephen Gleeson, Jake Hutchinson (Will McNeill 90+2'), Liam Brooks (Billy Heaps 85'), Harry Titchmarsh
Unused subs: None
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman, Ben Cassidy, Josh Smile, Ryan Wynter (C), Jamie Willets, Reece Flanagan (Todd Parker 76'), Conor Tee (Reece Mitchell 51'), Kieren Donnelly (Alex Cameron 83'), Milan Butterfield, McKauley Manning (Charlie Wragg 87')
Unused subs: Ryan Wollacott
Attendance - 702