Northern Premier League Midland Division Saturday 9 August 9th 2025
History repeated itself, for a second Saturday running, Mikes (largely a collection of strangers gathered together in the close season) faced a team newly promoted, who consequently had stayed together and so knew each other’s game. Keeper Jonno Brown being absent through suspension, between the sticks they had Ronaldo: well, alright, Ashton Rinaldo, cleared to play by the F.A. at 2230 hours on Thursday!
Boldmere started brightly, Harry Wakefield breaking free and banging one over the bar in the first minute, Charlie Manners doing the same with a headed cross three minutes later. A notable early difference between the teams was that, when the hosts took a goal kick, defenders stayed back: in the visitors’ case, they were well up the park. By the quarter hour, Borough were combining smoothly, particularly down their left flank and, as last week, repeated free kicks were occurring regularly just outside the Boldmere box.
A bumping, barging contest emerged, an Antonio Cristofaro thirty yarder being pushed over the frame by Ronaldo. A great Frankie Ealing tackle saved the Mikes’ day once Daniele Reka had latched onto an awful midfield pass; but it looked as if we were heading towards halftime parity until, five minutes from the break, a long diagonal pass found William Bapaga in acres of space. His cross found Cameron Collins in front of goal, and Mikes had gone behind. Half time: 0-1.
Boldmere made two substitutions in the interval, and things continued as before – until the Mikes were thrown a lifeline seven minutes in. A long curling free kick arrived at a mass of players assembled in the visiting box. In the middle of it all, Freddie Cockerell went down – and our official was pointing to the spot. Harry Wakefield put the penalty away.
Visibly encouraged, for the first time this season flowing moves marked the Boldmere game, Borough conceding corners to keep the marauding Mikes at bay. With eighteen standard minutes left on the clock, a long, deadly accurate pass from Charlie Manners came in from deep on the right wing. Kory Burke headed home to put the homesters ahead.
The visitors, meanwhile, kept cool, and stuck to their game. Boldmere, on the other hand, seemed to run out of creative steam, and started to look vulnerable to the counter attack. Seven minutes from going behind, one such foray ended with Luke Rowe heading netwards. Rinaldo could only get half a hand to it, and the Borough were level again. With the Mikes now looking hesitant and disjointed at the back, their opponents increasingly took the initiative, and a well worked passing pattern ended with prompter-in-chief Will Grocott firing home what turned out to be the winner, four minutes later.
As in the week previous, the tension of these goal-laden closing stages began to fray nerves, and the last quarter was littered with yellow cards as (once again) the visitors looked for ways to spin out time, while Boldmere desperately tried to make something happen; but apart from Alex Lock going close on the break, no sixth goal came.
The Mikes’ overall performance was marked by commendable guts and effort, though at least two of the players seemed out of position, their contribution suffering as a result; but we saw glimpses of a better brand of football emerging. Let’s hope this comes to maturity!
Boldmere St Michaels: Ashton Rinaldo; Frankie Ealing; Lewis Allison; George Cleet; Danny O’Callaghan; Kyle Burke (Jordan Gough 82); Kaireice Cunningham (Kory Burke 46); Aaron Forde (Nathan Oyemade 46); Freddie Cockerell (Alex Lock 65); Harry Wakefield; Charlie Manners. Sub. not used: Matt Greenaway.
Rugby Borough: Carl O’Neill; Ellis Myles-Tebbutt; Luke Rowe; Oran Jackson (Harrison Sawyer 9); Richard Black; Antonio Cristofaro; William Bapaga (Claudio Dias 65); Cameron Collins; Daniele Reka (Lewis Wilson 68); Will Grocott; Leo Stone. Subs. not used: Luke Downes; Daniel Fraser.