The season finally got into gear for Bromsgrove Sporting on Saturday when they chalked up their first league win against a useful looking Chelmsley Town side. The visitors had the better of the play in the first 45 minutes but wilted on a warm September afternoon as the second half went on.
Presumably after seeing the usefulness of an early goal scored by England the night before, Chelmsley started at a brisk pace keeping the home side well in their own half for the first few minutes. However once Sporting had got into a rhythm and started moving the ball around, it was the blue and white team chasing shadows in their own half but Sporting could not convert their advantage into goals. Shaun Maynard will be disappointed to miss a couple of reasonable chances.
After 25 minutes, the play swung in Chelmsley's favour when Sporting 'keeper Chris Mole had to save from a poor back pass. This seems to give the home defence the jitters and they still looked nervous a couple of minutes later when Chelmsley's Scott Hewitt had plenty of time to control the ball from a corner and pull it back to Jason Powell who calmly threaded a good shot though a crowded goal area into the back of Sporting's net.
Cue for Sporting to get organised and push forward with Zach Blood and Ryan Molesworth creating the most problems for the away defence.
For the first 10 minutes after the interval, there was little between the two sides but on 55 minutes, Jamie Rogers was alleged to have been bundled over just in front of the box. Aaron Roberts stepped up to take the kick and hit it superbly to the right of Craig Blaxland for Sporting's equaliser.
A mere five minutes later and Roberts was again called into action to take a free kick on the right side of the penalty area. This time instead of going for goal, he curved it into the box to the waiting Sporting forwards and it was Shaun Maynard who got a glance into the top left hand corner.
From then onwards, legs on both sides were beginning to tire and the game got somewhat scrappy, not the least on 75 minutes when there appeared to be an 'off the ball incident' that resulted in a yellow cards for both sides.
For the last 15 minutes, Sporting had the better of the play and looked a bit fitter but despite efforts from Roberts, Blood and Woolman, the scoreline remained unchanged.
Across the 90 minutes this was a fair result. Manager Myles Day will be pleased with the outcome but will no doubt want to build on the performance and improve each department of the side.
Sporting (green & white shirts, white shorts, green socks, 4-4-2) - Chris Mole; Gareth Rogers (Sander Milicev 85 mins), Nick Allen, Richard Griffiths (capt), Chris Bright; Zach Blood, Jamie Rogers, Aaron Roberts (Neil Cooksey 90+4 mins), Ryan Molesworth (James McKeon 86 mins); Shaun Maynard, Michael Woolman. Substitutes not used: James Bradley, Stewart James
Chelmsley (sky blue/white shirts, black shorts and socks, 4-4-1-1) - Craig Blaxland; Tonn Adcock (Curtis Walters 90+1 mins), Warren Perks, Darryl Harris, Scott Parker; Mark Foster, Scott Hewitt (Reiss Francis 77 mins), James Sawyer, Phillip Wright (Michael Berry 61 mins); Jason Powell; Junior Brown.
Substitutes not used: Grant Humphries, Oliver Barton.
It was a beautiful day in leafy Studley, the adopted home of Bromsgrove Sporting as the new club, some four and a half years in the making, made their home league debut against Chelmsley Town watched by a healthy crowd of 116 who witnessed some fine play throughout the afternoon.
Sporting were soon on the attack with a corner on 4 minutes which was played in short to Zac Blood whose cross was met the head of the stretching Michael Woolman and the ball cleared the bar. Blood was pulled up for a foul on keeper Chris Blaxland with an aerial challenge then Town won a corner and that was put out for another but play quickly switched to the other end of the pitch where an error by a Chelmsley defender gave Shaun Maynard the opportunity to volley a splendid shot that Blaxland tipped the ball over the bar at full stretch.
Following two more corners for Town, Chelmsley took the lead on 27 minutes after neat interplay saw Jason Powell shoot beyond Chris Mole in the home goal into the far corner of the net.
Sporting's passing football won a corner within sixty seconds and Blood sent it short to Aaron Roberts whose goal bound effort was deflected over the bar then Blood crossed for Ryan Molesworth who directed his header a fraction wide, Town reminded their hosts they were still in the game as striker Junior Brown angled a shot past Mole but also the far post.
Bromsgrove were close to levelling the scores on 41 minutes when Tonn Adcock ran back to hook the ball off the line after Blaxland had been cleverly lobbed and the half ended with Mole hanging on to a cross from Mark Foster under pressure.
The half time pep talk by Bromsgrove's manager Myles Day had the desired effect as Chelmsley were pushed further back but a break out of defence saw Powell beat his marker only for his shot to drift over the bar.
As Sporting raised their game, the supporters also became more vocal as Blaxland dived full length to save from the industrious Woolman and a needless free kick on an attacker brought the Rouslers the equaliser on 56 minutes when Roberts shot found its way past the wall and yet another silly foul put Sporting ahead, Roberts free kick saw Maynard head home.
Once again Blaxland was under severe pressure collecting a cross from Blood and on 76 minutes, Brown was manhandled by home skipper Richard Griffiths and Mole dropped the ball from the resultant kick as the defence scrambled it out for a corner which Foster crossed to Brown who flicked on for Powell whose header was cleared off the line.
A free kick by Nick Allen saw Blood hit a shot that scraped some paint off the bar and finally Bromsgrove ended the game on attack as Maynard crossed to Woolman and his diving header was just over the angle of post and bar.
Referee Mike Elliott and his assistants John Bousfield and Mark Powell had little to do as the players largely policed themselves apart from a flash of handbags that was over as soon as it began and the proceedings were also, remarkably, free of bad language which is a tribute to both sets of managerial staff.
Bromsgrove Sporting: 1 Chris Mole; 2 Chris Bright; 3 Gareth Rogers (Sander Milicev 86); 4 Aaron Roberts (Neil Cooksey 90); 5 Richard Griffiths captain; 6 Nick Allen; 7 Ryan Molesworth (James McKeown 88); 8 Jamie Rogers; 9 Michael Woolman; 10 Shaun Maynard; 11 Zac Blood
Unused subs: Stewart James and James Bradley.
Chelmsley Town: 1 Chris Blaxland; 2 Scott Parker captain; 3 Tonn Adcock (Curtis Walters 88); 4 Warren Perks; 5 Darryl Harris; 6 James Sawyer; 7 Jason Powell; 8 Scott Hewitt (Reiss Francis 79); 9 Junior Brown; 10 Phillip Wright (Michael Perry 60); 11 Mark Foster
Unused subs: Craig Humphries and Oliver Burton.
Men of the match: Bromsgrove Sporting; Nick Allen and Chelmsley Town; Warren Perks
Bookings: Bromsgrove; Aaron Roberts - Chelmsley; Phillip Wright, Scott Hewitt
