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Halesowen earn a vital point against promotion rivals Kettering Town
Written by Ben Ditchfield
Russ Penn's side continued their struggles against the top half teams on the road but managed to claim a huge point in their battle for promotion in a spectacular showing that should have warranted more than the one point.
In a game that lacked clear cut chances at times, the two goalkeepers made massive contributions towards the end of the game. Dan Jezeph made the first vital stop, when his diving stop with his feet denied Kieren Donnelly, who got a clean contact on the ball with his head from a Conor Tee free-kick.
Both saves came inside the final 10 minutes of the game, and Dan Platt's came just three before the 90th. Isiah Noel-Williams was a bright spark in a lacklustre Poppies attack, and he set the ball rolling when he won it back in his own half from a Yeltz throw in. The winger drove foward and helped the ball on it's way to second half sub Wes York, whose shot took a slight nick off the post, after it made Platt plant fingertips on the ball to force it wide.
"I thought we were outstanding", stated Russ Penn. "I can not believe we did not win the game at the end, i think their keeper won man of the match, which sums it up. Full credit to Kettering, it was a good game, but we were on the front foot throughout. We have to take a point at a place like Latimer Park. It is a tough surface, a bit hostile and they are promotion favourites.
"We had some fantastic chances, in which Dan Jezeph made some brilliant saves. On top of that, we limited them to just the one chance at the end, which Dan Platt pulled out the bag. We look fit at the moment, and the work we put in during pre-season and at the start of the campaign, this is the time where we have to benefit from that. We have the best squad i think we have had all season, we have some big fixtures to come, but so does every other team in this division."
Penn's side came out of the traps reminiscent of a side that were desperate to keep in touch with a team capable of striding away with the league title. Kettering's two games in hand have loomed large over the Yeltz for a while, but all that seemed to fly out of the window inside the opening stages. Ben Cassidy and Conor Tee were a thorn in Ben Hart's defensive responsibilities, as the Yeltz duo put in two early crosses. Tee initially found the head of Connor Johnson in the centre, before Cassidy arched a deep ball out to Charlie Wragg, whose cross was headed out by Alex Gudger.
Kettering slowly grew into the contest, but only by the minimum. Andi Thanoj linked the defense and attack all night, and inside 20 minutes, he found Noel-Williams who battled with Jamie Willets on the left. The latter won the battle and cleared the danger.
Noel-Williams was arguably The Poppies most lively player on the night down the left hand side, but also drifting into the middle at times, which prompted Richard Lavery to keep him on the pitch for the whole 90. Kettering's number 16 worked an area of space well, which led central towards goal. After he ventured into the gap, he tracked back, and planted a cross in a backwards trajectory towards the edge of the area. His cross found Devon Kelly-Evans whose shot deflected into Halesowen's possession.
Ben Hart was not the most well known name on the scoresheet for Kettering this season, with just the one goal for the defender all season. A shot into the side netting almost doubled his goal tally, after he beat Ryan Wollacott for pace and hit his effort from a tight angle. That followed a burst down the right, just minutes earlier. The Poppies number two hit a dangerous ball into the box, which was crucially headed clear by Jak Hickman in the middle.
The Yeltz continued the pressure of their own during Kettering's slight purple patch in the first period, but the best chances fell to the side towards the end of the 45. A free-kick taken by Tee found Wollacott, whose blocked header went out for a corner, which was cleared out by Nile Ranger.
Donnelly should have added his 24th goal of the season, when he smashed an effort off the bar, a strike that allowed Willets to keep the ball alive, which led to a goal line clearance from Gudger. The Yeltz defender was again involved, after he jumped up towards the ball in the box with Jezeph. The Poppies keeper failed to grasp the ball, and instead Willets was almost on hand to tap the ball into an open net.
The opening stages of the second period, saw the continued pressure which overlapped with the first half. In a second 45 where Kettering have found the net more than any other side this season. Lavery's men failed to ignite the dim spark from the first period, which allowed Penn's side to stay in control. Josh Smile showed perfect balance to shift the ball forward and find Milan Butterfield. The midfielder found Cassidy on the left, who spotted the open space that Tee had afforded himself. In a good position which hugged the left hand side, Tee's cross was executed well, but it failed to find the head of a player in mint, as it was blocked away.
Todd Parker attempted a link-up with Donnelly after the Yeltz re-worked the play, but Johnson was on hand to clear. A Cassidy tackle, found Tee, who flew down the left hand side and terrorised Ben Hart, before he crossed for Butterfield to head over the bar. The latter who was almost played in by substitute McKauley Manning, just after the hour mark, but the Yeltz sub failed to spot the opportunity. Either side of the two remarkable saves that highlighted a game that begged for a piece of world class quality, it was the hosts who pushed for the late winner.
The Poppies virtual ever present this campaign, Aaron Powell, linked with Noel-Williams. The latter put in a cross that begged for an end product, but like most of the game, no one in red and black gambled on the delivery, which made way for a comfortable clearance from Tee. The game became extremely tense, and it was our own fans on the egde of their seats, for a rare moment.
The hosts sustained a large period on the ball in the Yeltz half, before a tackle and clearance from Wollacott found substitute Alex Cameron, who earned a reprieve for the side with a free-kick in the Kettering half. A foul that allowed Penn's side to see out the last seconds, and keep their chances alive of staying aflout with their opponents.
Kettering: Dan Jezeph (GK), Ben Hart, Aaron Powell, Devon Kelly-Evans, Connor Johnson (C), Alex Gudger, Andi Thanoj, Nile Ranger (Wes York 71'), Sam McLintock (Terell Pennant 85'), Kyle Storer, Isiah Noel-Williams
Unused subs: Tyree Wilson, Lewis White, Kai Fifield
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman (Reece Mitchell 90'), Ben Cassidy, Josh Smile (C), Jamie Willets, Ryan Wollacott, Todd Parker (Reece Flanagan 90+1'), Conor Tee, Kieren Donnelly (Alex Cameron 90'), Milan Butterfield, Charlie Wragg (McKauley Manning 65')
Unused subs: Musa Ceesay
Attendance - 996