Northern Premier League Midland Division Saturday 13 December 2025
The Mikes rang the changes following their defeat at Wellingborough the previous week, facing a team running into form, having gained draws against Mickleover and Belper (two of the leading teams) in their last two games. A scrambling game, with little connected play, emerged, possession continually changing hands, aided by misdirected passes, and opposing giants Pedro Lima and Calum Flanaghan dominating in the air. The Greenbacks (like ourselves with quite a changed squad, since we’d last played them, in September) had more of the territory in the opening exchanges, but shots on goal were rare – though Oscar Barry went close with a thirty-yard fizzer, and Samson Hewett wasn’t far away with a speculative effort from even further out. After our referee had suggested to Jonathan Brown that he’d like to get a move on when taking goal kicks, the deadlock was broken on thirty-eight minutes. Brown dived to push away a Bedworth free kick…and there was Maxwell Ngbeken-Itota to fire home the rebound… an exact replica of the first goal conceded against Wellingborough, a week previously.
The hosts were better throughout the second half; but ironically, their early pressure led to the visitors’ second goal. With fifty-five minutes gone, there were eleven Bedworthians behind the ball to defend a Boldmere free kick. From the resulting clearance, Hewett took off up the right wing fired a vicious cross shot which Brown beat out only to see it rebound off the unfortunate Jack Burgess for an own goal. When you are down on luck etc.
The usual parade of home substitutes now arrived, Aris Christophorou and Pedro Lima needing to retire from the fray, having soaked up an amount of punishment. With Jack Burgess and Connor Armstrong showing plenty of skill in midfield, Ben George and Jordan Gough holding the centre of defence, and Daniel O’Callaghan moved upfield, the Mikes’ game improved, Freddie Cockerell going close with a quarter of an hour to go. Visiting custodian William Highland was injured, making a scrambling save, with three minutes’ standard time left. The homesters’ frustration nearly boiled over as time ticked away (we had six minutes added), but fortunately an off-the-ball incident went no further than verbal handbags. With thirty seconds left, Highland made a fine save, as a Boldmere free kick avoided a five-man wall…and there was Tolani Omotola to squeeze the ball home to reduce the arrears. By now, faint heart supporters had left, and his success was met with no more than silence: the Mikes had lost again.
Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Kye Bilton; Brett Lloyd; Aris Christophorou (Daniel O’Callaghan, 60); Pedro Lima (Ben George, 78): Connor Armstrong; Jack Burgess; Fraser Doyle (Charlie Manners, 66); Tolani Omotola; Kyle Byrne (Freddie Cockerell, 60); Ben Lund (Jordan Gough, 78).
Bedworth United: William Highland; Joe Anthony; Connor Mooney; Elliott Parrott; Ben Blakeley; Calum Flanaghan; Samson Hewett; Oscar Barry (Charles Gordon, 82); Ryan Boothe (Harvey Westwood, 71); Louis Monaghan; Maxwell Ngbeken-Itota. Subs. not used: Nathaniel Kelly; Charlie Watts; Oliver Sayer.