Northern Premier League | Midland Division | Tuesday 20 August 2024
A game as grippingly entertaining as the scoreline would suggest held your interest from first whistle until last. The Mikes had two new signings on the bench Hisham Chiha, a new signing from Peterborough United and Kevin Ngombi while the Flyers, whose squad in recent years has been pretty stable, had an unfamiliar look about it: Manager and players had decamped, apparently, in search of more money.
Proceedings began briskly, and end to end. – though we had to wait nearly a quarter of an hour for a shot on goal, Liam Murphy banging the ball into the side netting. Within minutes, Lye had nearly gone ahead. The Boldmere defence was sliced apart, three marauding, unmarked forwards threatening the home goal. A magnificent reflex save from Jonathan Brown kept out their first effort, Elliot Ball firing just wide with their second. Soon, Lye custodian Matt Hill had to respond in like manner, a diving one hander keeping out Gus Sanchez’s shot. Speedy winger Rio Donaldson was repeatedly leaving Harry Craven in his wake, and the visitors were starting to dominate mid field, taking more and more territory from their hosts.
It came as no surprise when, with 25 minutes gone, Lye took the lead. Generously haired and pony tailed striker Justice Campbell (who also effectively broke up Boldmere movements further downfield) hit an unstoppable bullet from all of 25 yards. The Mikes began to look like a team that had lost the plot, pit-patting the ball around their back line, and not knowing what to do going forward. Visiting full back Syrus Warren-Paul (what wonderful names some of our players have nowadays!) caught a neck injury on the half hour, and soon became the first combatant to be substituted. The virtues of the long ball now occurred to the Mikes, and the half chances began to come. Theo Rowe was moving with his usual effectiveness down the left flank – though, by the time he reached the corner flag, he had two or three markers blocking further progress. On the right, Gus Sanches was sometimes so underused that you felt he could have applied for Unemployment Benefit. The first half’s final ten minutes saw Matt Hill called into action three times – two fine diving parries, and the ball somehow scrambled away from the bottom of the post for a corner, preserving Lye’s half time lead.
Could the Mikes continue this pressure after the break? Before we could find out, the Black Country boys had doubled their account. Slick passing ended up with Lewis Wright, who lobbed the exposed Brown to nestle the ball into the net. Almost immediately, the Mikes had responded. Liam Murphy put a powerful header on to Harry Sweeney’s corner. Hill collected it; but our officials ruled it had crossed the line by the time he did so, and now Boldmere were only one goal adrift. Game back on! The evening’s biggest “Oooh!” arose as Murphy went down holding his head from a challenge. Soon on his feet, it was typical of this sporting match that no one suspected foul intent. With the hour looming, Boldmere were level. Another Sweeney corner led to the ball bobbling crazily round the visitors’ goal area, finally being headed in by Murphy, for his second goal.
Only four minutes later, for the first time in the game, the Mikes were ahead. A polished three-man move was smartly finished off by Jake Collins. 2-0 up to 2-3 down, the Flyers looked visibly rocked, and their back line now went through a nervy five minutes. As the game ebbed and flowed, you realised that our two goalkeepers had lost their vocation in life. They both roared stentorian instruction and correction at their distant colleagues. They should have been Regimental Sergeant Majors. The game’s first yellow card was given to Craven, for interfering with an opposing throw in. Lye subsequently awarded themselves a free kick – and were told by our referee to take the throw in! Elliott Ball should have levelled the scores with twenty minutes to go; but managed to fall over the ball, five yards out. Lye brought on all four of their remaining substitutes in the closing half hour, as they tried to wrest something from the contest – and drew level with embarrassing ease. A free kick, eight yards into the home half, flew into the Boldmere box; and a completely unmarked Sam Hall headed home, unchallenged.
Both teams now went for the winner. An Ollie West twenty-five yarder went close, while a Rowe cross was somehow headed away for a corner. Three minutes from the end of ordinary time, the dam finally broke. The Lye rearguard was sliced open by a three-man manoeuvre, and Collins was there, managing to bundle it in from close range. Five added minutes gave Lye eight minutes to pull things back, and the proverbial kitchen sink was thrown at the Boldmere goal. Sam Hall nearly doubled his tally from a corner, his shot pushed away for a flag kick on from the opposite side. Nerves were now collectively jangling, and it all got a bit too much for Craven. With three minutes left, he complained at length about something to our official; and received a second yellow for his pains. From now on, the home penalty area resembled a Rugby League scrimmage, as massed bodies and desperate hacks upfield conspired to deny an equaliser.
Thus, we reached the final whistle with the Mikes harvesting another three points. You wouldn’t have denied the Flyers a share of the spoils, had they gained it; but you left wanting to congratulate all concerned on providing us with a pulsating encounter.
Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Joe Hull; Harry Sweeney; George Cleet; Harry Craven; Ollie West; Gus Sanches (Lewis Allison 46); Joe Daley (Hisham Chiha 43); Liam Murphy; Jake Collins; Theo Rowe (Kyle Burke 88). Subs. not used: Alfie Taylor; Kevin Ngombi.
Lye Town: Matt Hill; Ethan Green (Kieran Francis 72): Syrus Warren-Paul (Ayo Lekuti 33); Jamie Ashmore; Andy Parsons; Sam Hall; Elliott Ball (Taylor Homer 80); Ewan Edwards; Justice Campbell; Lewis Wright (Cain Smith 77); Rio Donaldson (Alfie Steward 59).