Match Report  |  Halesowen Town vs Gresley Rovers

The score-line does not really show that Rovers’ performance was one of the better ones of the season as they went down 3-0 to table toppers Halesowen Town.

In front of a splendid home crowd of 1,121 Rovers put up a dogged performance which warranted more than they got in the end.

Rovers’ manager was forced into making changes with George Clark succumbing to illness and Chris Camwell absent due to a family reason. Tyler Donaldson and Levi Reid were given the task of left and right backs.

Town started well and were soon forcing visiting keeper Lewis Fenney into the first os a series of superb saves he would have to make especially in the first half. Prolific striker, Simeon Cobourne, was put through down the left and only had Fenney to beat but the keeper did well to deny him with an outstretched leg.

Fenney was called into action again minutes later but after making another good save from the first effort on goal could do nothing to prevent Cobourne from following up and slotting the loose ball home from close in.

On 14 minutes Rovers went close to levelling when a good flowing move down the right by Kane Lee ended with him finding Danny Munday just inside the area but with a defender sliding in he could only put his effort over the bar.

Fenney once more kept his side in the game making two consecutive saves as the home side threatened to extend their lead using their lively wide men who were putting the Rovers’ backline under constant pressure.

The second half started in a similar vein with Town putting Rovers under pressure almost from the starting whistle and they doubled their advantage on 50 minutes when Nathaniel Hayward poked home the loose ball after a bit of a scramble in the box.

The visitors were not prepared to sit back and were soon on the attack. A good move saw James Spruce and Munday playing a clever one-two with the latter finishing with a low shot which home keeper Daniel Platt gathered in the centre of goal.

Both sides made several changes with Jamie Insall, Gregory Mills and Jac Redhead replacing Simeon Cobourne, Nathan Hayward and Ashley Sammons for the home side and Kieran Wells, Kieron Berry and Dylan Hunniford replacing Munday, Spruce and Belgrave.

Alex Morris tested Platt with a flicked header but was collected comfortably and with Rovers pushing forward looking to get back into the game they were caught as Town scored their third goal of the afternoon.

A run down the left ended with a ball into the box and substitute Insall had the simple task prodding the ball into the unguarded net at the far post.

Halesowen will surely be in the mix come the end of April and on this showing deservedly so.