Northern Premier League | Midland Division | Saturday 8 February 2025
Anyone who doesn’t think it’s a funny old game should have watched this one. New Manager Ben Roberts (in charge until the end of the season) introduced two new faces, attacking midfielders John McHugh and Taylor-Jay Hart. Demico Burton (who is proving to be something of a “play anywhere” performer) made a decent fist of turning out at left wing, Theo Rowe moving to the right flank. Lewis Allison (despite retaining the number 5 shirt) was stationed at inside right. Former Mikes Ryan Shaw and Liam Murphy appeared in the Greenbacks’ colours.
With unfamiliar faces in midfield, Boldmere were the less fluent team throughout, and sometimes seemed at a loss as to what to do with the ball, going forward. The visitors, by contrast, had more idea of where their men would be, and had the better of a scoreless first half. Indeed, they must have counted themselves unlucky to be on level terms at the break, having had five serious attempts at the home goal, Elliott Parrott hitting the bar from twenty yards, forty minutes in.
Would we see a repeat of last week’s drubbing at Grange Park, where we held the opposition, up until the interval, only for the floodgates to open thereafter? On sixty-five minutes, Boldmere made their eighth misplaced pass – and then went ahead. From a corner (only their second) Kevin Ngombi powerfully headed the Mikes ahead. The lead lasted only three minutes. Pierre Phillips downed George Dunkley just outside the box. The resulting free kick was headed away on the far side, played back into the scrum…and there was Parrott to ram it home from ten yards.
Substitutes now began to appear, the two newcomers eventually being replaced by more familiar faces. Bedworth continued to have more of the territory, but Boldmere were looking dangerous on the break. With a quarter of an hour’s standard time left, on one such foray a great shout went up, when the considerable bulk of Kevin Ngombi hit the floor. Was it inside, or outside, the penalty area? Our referee consulted his linesman (assisted by a posse of visiting defenders, gesticulating wildly), and eventually pointed to the spot. Theo Rowe calmly put the penalty away, to give the Mikes the lead.
As time ticked inexorably by, our physio came on to treat the discomfited Ngombi – remarkably, the only time such succour was needed in a foul-strewn game. Parrott now gained a yellow card for trying to bag a corner when a goal kick was required. You sensed it just wasn’t going to be the Greens’ day when, throwing men forward in search of an equaliser, a throw in was disallowed, for a raised foot as the ball was delivered.
Three valuable points, then, for the Mikes. What, perhaps, was more significant was that a defence which had leaked fifteen goals in the last four games had, this game, only conceded one.
Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Ben George; Pierre Phillips; George Cleet; Lewis Allison; Oliver West (Mason Rees 63); Theo Rowe; John McHugh (Stephen Palmer 81); Kevin Ngombi; Taylor-Jay Hart (Jake Wilkes 86); Demico Burton. Subs. not used: Charlie Manners; Tyler Donaldson.
Bedworth United: Liam O’Brien; Ryan Moore; Luke Rowe; Elliott Parrott; Nat Kelly; Ethan Patterson; George Dunkley: Ryan Shaw; Jonathan Letford (Maxwell Ngbeken 81); William Grocott; Leo Stone (Liam Murphy 72). Subs. not used: Joseph Mugunda; Callum Morris; James Bethan.