Boldmere St Michaels 0 – Worcester City 2
Northern Premier League Midland Division
Saturday 22 March 2025
With George Cleet and Steve Palmer out with viruses, and Theo Rowe, Oliver West and Mason Rees released (presumably to ensure the books balance at season’s end), the Mikes had a young and unfamiliar look, Kye Bilton making his first start, Danny Wood his debut.
City began on the front foot, attacking down their right, but not causing the Mikes’ rearguard too much discomfort. Twelve minutes in, Jonathan Brown bawled, “Have a go”, as Boldmere were awarded a free kick just outside the visitors’ box. Nathan Oyemade did, and hammered the bar, in the nearest Mikes came to scoring in the first period.
By now, the hosts were coming into the game more, but weren’t helped when Ben George, positioned upfield for this fixture, caught a clearance full in the face. He was substituted at half time. The home midfield was looking like a collection of strangers – which indeed it was – but resulting chances offered to the visitors were fired well wide; until the game’s quarter mark, when Liam Lockett (who had an interesting duel with Lewis Allison all afternoon) fired a rocket just wide of the goal’s top left corner. He repeated the feat from ten yards on the half hour – and ten minutes later, received a pass in oceans of space. Bearing down on the Mikes’ goal, he finished clinically, and the Faithful were one up at the break.
Five minutes into the second period, more misfortune came the homesters’ way. Charlie Manners, who’d been harshly booked in the first half for what looked like a hard but fair challenge, bundled into opposition keeper Daniel Moore, after he’d just collected the ball. A second yellow reduced Boldmere to ten men. Rough justice, but symptomatic of the Mikes’ competitive attitude.
From now on, City increasingly turned the screw, and some massed defence, and superb Brown saves, kept them at bay. Shay Palmer headed over from a corner, and Jake Allen needed physio Chloe’s attention after massed defenders somehow cleared the home goalmouth. With further pressure, Felix Miles must have wondered what he had to do to score: having hit the bar, an acrobatic Brown dive pushed away his follow up. An outstretched Brown leg denied him with a quarter of an hour left, and a Kyle Belmonte shot was pushed away from the frame’s top left aperture. In the middle of all this, Demico Burton, Nathan Oyemade and Kevin Ngombi were all having fine games, Ngombi getting a shock when a Jake Wilkes pile driver hit him on the back of the head.
With six minutes’ standard time left, a Boldmere shout for a spot kick was turned down, as bodies fell like a pack of cards in the visiting penalty area. Tempers started to fray as we reached the full ninety, and our referee had solemn words with three of our combatants. Ironically, the goal that sealed the result arrived with only ninety seconds left. Boldmere were pressing hard for an equaliser. The ball was punted out of the heart of defence, and a skillful overhead kick released Miles, who lobbed the ball over a stranded, distraught Brown. Much joy from the sizeable visiting support (a 300+ crowd, on this Non-League Saturday, being the best turnout of the season); comfort for the home contingent, from a battling display.
Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Lewis Allison; Pierre Phillips; Jake Allen: Demico Burton; Ben George (Jake Wilkes 46); Nathan Oyemade; Danny Wood (Frankie Ealing 78); Kevin Ngombi; Charlie Manners; Kye Bilton (Kieron Berry 76). Subs. not used: Zachary Binns; John McHugh.
Worcester City: Daniel Moore; Logan Stoddart; Adam Mace; Jordan Lyme; Charlie Wise; Shay Palmer; Liam Lockett; Kyle Belmonte; Zach Guinan (Sopuruchukwu Obieri 87); Felix Miles; Taylor Townsend (Elliott Hartley 87). Subs. not used: Nathan Hayward; Dylan Hart; Prince Henry.