ATHIUM MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION

TUESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2012

BROMSGROVE SPORTING 3 BROCTON 2

After taking the M5 to victory over Castle Vale in the previous home fixture, Sporting chose to take a scenic backway to beat Brocton who led 2-0 after dominating the first hour before the Rouslers scored three times in an eventful final quarter to secure an improbable win.

Sporting lined up 4-5-1 but the extra man in midfield was hard to spot as Brocton took the initiative and began to threaten the Rouslers' goal. After Francis had made a good save at his near post and Berks and Skinner wasted good opportunities, they took a deserved lead on 23 minutes when Pickering's shot crept under the goalkeeper's body. Sporting were struggling to get into the game but should have equalised ten minutes before the break. A lucky deflection found Conway twelve yards out but his shot came back off the inside of the post and into the goalkeeper's arms. This was a bad miss and seemed likely to be costly when Brocton extended their lead from the penalty spot eight minutes into the second period. Reece Francis had brought down a forward after a defensive mix up had put him clear. He escaped with a yellow card. Two minutes later Brocton came close to the third goal that would have killed the game. The Rouslers' defence was caught square by a ball over the top and a goal only averted by a last ditch tackle.

As the cliche has it 2-0 is a dangerous lead. Sporting made two substitutions, James Turk replacing the ineffective Jamie McWilliams and Chris Morrison coming on for Jamie Parker as the Rouslers switched to 4-4-2. These substitutions changed the game. Morrison's power and aerial dominance immediately caused problems for the Brocton defenders who had earlier been untroubled. With twenty minutes left Morrison was brought down as he took the ball round the goalkeeper to create a shooting opportunity. After the referee had shown the keeper a yellow card and sent Graham Scott to the stand for arguing too forcefully that it should have been red, Jon Rogers converted the spot kick. Eight minutes later both Rogers and Morrison were involved in the move that ended with James Turk scoring the equaliser from the edge of the penalty area.

Sporting were now on top and pressed for the winner. Morrison curled a shot just wide before, in the second minute of injury time, Blake's powerful run into the penalty area ended with a trip. Jon Rogers did the honours again. There was still time for Morrison to round off his evening with a yellow card for not retreating at a free kick, This was Sporting's seventh of the evening and the tenth in total, a bizarre statistic for a game that was generally played in a good spirit.

Sporting were lucky to win this game and Brocton will be disappointed to have left with nothing. Then again, it is good to have the knack of beating useful sides when you're not playing well. Bolehall Swifts come to town on Saturday. I promise you it won't be dull.

Man of the Match; Chris Morrison

After conceding three goals including two penalties in the final twenty minutes of this pulsating encounter no doubt Brocton will have come away inconsolable. But there were far to many positives for there to be too many recriminations.
Joe Pickering, in his first start of the season, was a constant threat going forward and a thorough pain for the Bromsgrove defence when harrying all across the back four. Dave Harvey at right back, did a decent defensive job, but was most effective going forward and Bromsgrove could never relax when he was on the run.

Charlie Jones did his usual hard working job in midfield and was matched by Dave Ablewhite and Andy Chandler which gave Dan Lomas and Dave Berks more time and space to pick their incisive passes. Sam Fleming made an excellent come back from a long injury lay off with an assured performance alongside skipper Matt Skinner at centre back and the icing on the cake was a cameo performance for youngster Liam Haycock, who looked far from out of place for the final quarter of an hour.

When Joe Pickering's shot from distance squirmed beneath Bromsgrove keeper Francis it was nothing less than the visitors deserved for having taken the game to the home team and probed constantly from the start. Bromsgrove had no answer to Brocton's play at that point and when Ablewhite passed coolly out of defence to Lomas, who found Pickering on the left with an equally incisive cross field pass, Harvey was inches from being on the end of an early cross from Pickering. That would have made it two and Brocton did not want half time.

Early in the second period though, it was good midfield pressure which forced an error and Harvey was on the run. He shot for the far post and the slightest of touches from Francis took the ball beyond the outstretched foot of Pickering. A Berks free kick in the following moments was flicked on and Jones headed at goal only to be held back by Francis to concede a penalty. Berks stepped up to score. There were more chances and Brocton maintained their grip on the match until that last twenty minutes.

A short back pass was intercepted and as Adam Whitehouse closed the angle, a jink to the side brought a trip and a penalty, which Rogers converted. Bromsgrove were suddenly rampant, but it was still only when Brocton were reduced to ten players, Harvey having been injured, that their second came, Brocton unable to clear a series of high balls before Taylor found the net. The killer third came in the final moments as another penalty was conceded and Rogers once again did the necessary.

Brocton: Adam Whitehouse, Dave Harvey, Tom Sturmey, Matt Skinner, Sam Fleming, Charlie Jones, Dave Ablewhite, Andy Chandler, Joe Pickering, Dave Berks, Dan Lomas.

Used Substitutes: Rob Tomlinson, Liam Haycock.