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Halesowen end a three match winless streak with a 2-0 win over Stamford
Written by Ben Ditchfield
In the clubs first match for two weeks, the Yeltz recorded a 2-0 victory over Stamford on Tuesday night, following a streak off three successive defeats with the side also recording a first clean sheet at home since the 24th of September.
Halesowen took the lead just after the half hour mark through Josh Smile's first goal for the club, on his 24th Yeltz appearance and his first league goal for any club, since a strike for Maidenhead in September 2019 against Wrexham. He started alongside new Yeltz loan recruit Kacy Butterfield in the midfield, who replaced Todd Parker who was absent from a Yeltz matchday squad for the first time since February last year. Smile opened his account thanks to a corner from Conor Tee, which was delivered up to the edge of the box where Ryan Wynter knocked the ball down, before it made it's way to the Yeltz number four, who curled a beautiful strike into the top left. A goal that now means the side have scored more goals in the final 15 minutes of the first period, than any other side in the league this season.
The second came five minutes after the break, courtesy off a penalty that was won by Kieren Donnelly, who burst onto a through ball and was taken down by George Hobbins inside the area. Tee stood over the ball and dispatched cooly into the bottom left to make it three from three for him in a Yeltz shirt from the spot and secure his ninth goal of the campaign.
"From start to finish we were excellent", said Yeltz boss Russ Penn. "It took us 10 minutes to get into it, but after that we were so well organised and disciplined, we looked recharged. It's been a tough month but we have now stopped the rot and are looking to build another run.
"We were tight, Dan didn't have a save to make, and we always looked a threat on the break. Those breaks seem a bit stressed and forced at times but that is expected when your going through a tough run of defeats." Penn also shared words on recent signing Butterfield, "He made a huge difference today, he showed such quality, is fit and raring to go, we had him at Kiddie and he was a great player for us."
Stamford who were without their top scorer Jack Duffy for the match, were a side who prior to the game had scored 19 first half goals this league campaign, a record that only four sides bettered, initially started the first half hour on the front foot. Just before the 10th minute, Charlie Marzano's attempted through ball on the left, was only just swept up by Dan Platt ahead of Tobias Liversidge. Two minutes later, Daniel's captain Rob Morgan, ran down the by-line, to win a corner that was sent in by Liversedge to Cosmos Matwasa, who failed to get a clean contact on the ball at the far post.
Liversidge then hit a ball out wide to Tendai Chitiza, who cut inside and with a bit of luck retained the ball, which allowed him to find Morgan who rushed into the box, to fire wide. A huge block from Ryan Wollacott followed, Morgan who ran through a brick wall for the away side in the first half, raced past Butterfield in the middle and almost over hit a pass out wide to Chitiza, who someone kept the ball in. On the left, he cut inside and past Jak Hickman into a central position to hit the deflected strike.
The Yeltz created a few chances of their own in the half, Tee's 25th minute free-kick on the far left centre was darted in towards Butterfield at the back post. The new arrival headed down to Smile, whose shot on route to goal and in a similar position to his opener, was blocked by Joe Burgess. The goal breathed a new life into Penn's side, who went on to complete 60 minutes of total domination.
Just before half-time, several changes went begging for the side, the first through Donnelly, who benefited from Jordon Cooke's slip to hit a cross off-balance onto the opposite side off the wing to Tee. The Yeltz number 8 tracked back to create an opening to hit over. Donnelly then hit a shot just wide of Thomas Jackson's post, before a Jak Hickman sprint down the right in the second of four minutes added on, won a corner after a tackle from George Hobbins. Tee took it, but the corner was hit straight down the centre and into Jackson's palms, before the Yeltz re-worked the ball into the box with Hickman, whose cross was inches away from a Yeltz head.
The second 45, was all Halesowen, and the away side arguably should have been reduced to 10 men, just five minutes after the second goal. An awful challenge from George Hobbins saw him receive no more than a yellow card, to many Yeltz fans disgust. Hobbins was then part off a triple Stamford substitution, minutes later, which saw the introduction of former Yeltz striker Richard Gregory, for the first time since early December for The Daniels, following a spell on the sidelines due to injury.
The Yeltz had two guilt edge chances in the minutes that followed the hour mark. Alex Cameron, played the ball backwards on the left too Tee, who tried a whipped shot into the bottom right, only for a block and clearance. Donnelly almost had a tap-in after the Yeltz re-worked the ball back into the final third, but Cooke was there for the visitors to nick the ball away from him on the verge off the goal line, which then resulted in a Ben Cassidy shot, which was blocked.
The stars very nearly aligned on his debut for Butterfield, who a quarter of an hour before the 90th, stole the ball off Morgan in the middle off the park. He sprinted towards the box, with no viable options around him and the adrenaline pumping so took on the strike from 25 yards out that was inches from nestling into the bottom left.
On the cusp of the 80th minute, Donnelly, who was a nuisance for the Stamford backline, particularly in the second period, found space down the right to sprint towards the by-line. He squared the ball across too second half substitute McKauley Manning, who in space lifted a strike over the bar. Manning, who then almost created a divine moment in the second minute of six added in the 90th. He spotted Jackson off his line and went for an audacious lob/chip combination that drifted just wide off the Stamford's number ones left post.
The win means the side go just two points off the top of the league and record just a second clean sheet in 10 games. The club now have the fourth best home record in the league this season and have picked up over 65% of the points available in the 13 games played at The Grove so far this campaign, almost 5% more than what we managed in the same amount of home games at this stage last season.
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman, Reece Mitchell, Josh Smile, Ryan Wynter (C), Ryan Wollacott, Ben Cassidy (Luke Postle 90'), Conor Tee, Kieren Donnelly, Kacy Butterfield, Alex Cameron (McKauley Manning 73')
Unused subs: Nat Kelly, Pa Njie, Lewis Solly (GK)
Stamford: Thomas Jackson (GK), George Hobbins (Conor Bartle 61'), Charlie Marzano (James Blunden 61'), Joe Burgess (Josh Burniston 75'), Jordon Cooke, Ashton Offler, Tendai Chitiza, Robert Morgan (C), Cosmos Matwasa (Richard Gregory 61'), Lee Shaw, Tobias Liversidge (Bill Bennett 68')
Unused subs: None
Attendance - 570
Man of the match - Conor Tee