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Halesowen's number 9 Kieren Donnelly scores dramatic late equaliser in the number 9 derby following a mad final 15 minute period at The War Memorial Ground
Written by Ben Ditchfield
Kieren Donnelly's 16th and 17th goals of the season earned Russ Penn's side a dramatic point after falling a goal behind just before added time in an astonishing 2-2 spectacle.
Donnelly opened the scoring just after the half hour mark to become the first Halesowen player in 35 years to score in eight league games in succession. An opening 10 minute period of relentless pressure prior to the goal cleared the pathway for the Yeltz number 9 to profit from a failed clearance in the box from Stourbridge, to touch the ball past Ollie Taylor.
Out of nowhere and following a perfect 75 minute period from Penn's side, a bolt out of the blue came just eight minutes from the 90. Over 60% of the last 150 goals they have scored have come in the second half, so if was no surprise when Glassboys captain Joel Kettle managed to bundle the ball into the net following a long throw from Alex Worley, to earn his first league goal of the season.
A minute before the 90, Stourbridge seemed to have stolen all three points after second half substitute Ethan McLeod headed in from a corner. The script was still to be written though, as Kieren Donnelly stepped up as he has so many times this season to smash into the back of net from a tight angle after a run down the by-line to spark dramatic scenes.
"We shouldn't have put ourselves in a losing position with a minute of normal time to go", said Yeltz boss Russ Penn. "We should have put the game out of sight with the chances we had, but we showed great character to come back and earn something.
"For 75, 80 minutes i thought we were excellent, looked like a proper team and for 80 minutes managed the game really well. It was a proper ding-dong battle but we were the better team on the day and gave them a proper game.
"The dominance and character we showed today is a real positive looking forward, we came for three points but in the circumstances we will take a point at a tough place to come to"
Penn's side dominated the first half hour before they eventually opened the scoring. Inside just five minutes, Josh Smile picked up possession in the midfield before he spread a ball out wide to McKauley Manning back from suspension, who drifted in towards the box before a shot was fired over by Conor Tee.
Just after the 10th minute, Reece Mitchell found an opening to thread a ball through midfield to Jordan Ponticelli, he worked it forward only for a strong tackle from Worley to break up the play. Stourbridge's number three almost gifted the Yeltz with a 15 minute lead, after his horror miskick in the box fell to Manning who failed to direct the ball on target.
The Yeltz pressure grew and three minutes before the half hour mark, Jessy Bavanganga could only clear as far as Conor Tee. His pass to Ponticelli allowed the Yeltz number 10 the space and time to let fly from 25 yards out and hit just wide of Taylor's post. Kieren Donnelly robbed the ball off Jordaan Brown but failed to beat the outrushing Stourbridge keeper, just a few minutes before he did beat him and finally made the pressure pay off.
After 32 minutes of complete domination, the Yeltz opener finally provoked the hosts into a response, as five minutes prior to the goal, space opened up for Worley on the left after a ball from Dominic Lewis in midfield. The young defender brought in from Stratford during the summer, cut inside onto his right but a huge block from Ben Cassidy stopped an almost certain leveller.
The final actions of the first period saw an even better defensive intervention, as Todd Parker at the heart of a Yeltz counter played a ball through to the one on one Donnelly, but an outrageous tackle from the inrushing Bavanganga, who made up a lot of ground to clear away the danger. A late bicycle kick from McKauley Manning in stoppage time almost raised the roof from the Yeltz fans at the other end of the ground, only for the ball to fall into the gloves of Taylor.
Halesowen continued their pressure going into the second period, as Ben Cassidy drove towards the box before a one-two with Ponticelli allowed the Yeltz defender to burst into the box unmarked and force a last ditch tackle. 10 minutes into the second half, Josh Smile sent a ball through Stourbridge's defensive line to Ponticelli, as he shaped an opening to shoot, Dom Lewis's intervention allowed for Stourbridge to recover possession.
Just prior to the Glassboys equaliser, a 72nd minute effort from Donnelly after he put on a press to rob the Stourbridge keeper of possession on the edge of the box almost doubled the lead, only for a quick recovery from Stourbridge's number one to force Donnelly wide and save his shot from close range.
Three minutes later, Ben Cassidy's ball into the box wasn't dealt with, which allowed the ball to end up to Tee on the far left hand side of the box, whose shot from close range was blocked on route to goal. A rare Stourbridge chance saw second half substitute Souleyman Mandey fail to add to his four goals this season as his free kick dipped just over the bar.
The 10 minutes of madness then followed as Stourbridge scored two in seven minutes to turn the game on it's head, before an additional seven minutes allowed the time for the last minute Yeltz equaliser to make it six league games without defeat and continue the run of having failed to lose when ahead at the break, stretching back to March 2023.
Stourbridge: Ollie Taylor (GK), Jessy Bavanganga, Alex Worley, Dominic Lewis, Jordaan Brown, Joel Kettle (C), Sam Unitt (Ethan McLeod 68'), Alex Moore, Ethan Freemantle, Alex Bradley (Souleyman Mandey 68'), Jack Fletcher (Jourdain Masidi 76')
Unused subs: Nathaniel Dixon, Elliott Durrell
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Reece Mitchell, Josh Smile, Ryan Wynter (C), Ryan Wollacott, Todd Parker (Jak Hickman 80'), Conor Tee (Nick Clayton-Phillips 90+2'), Kieren Donnelly (Nat Kelly 90+6'), Jordan Ponticelli, McKauley Manning (Musa Ceesay 58')
Unused subs: Adi Yussuf
Man of the match - Kieren Donnelly
Attendance - 1,834