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Halesowen secure a slender victory over Banbury United to go two points from the top
Written by Ben Ditchfield
The Yeltz benefited from Kettering Town, Telford United and Stratford Town all dropping points to go third in the league and just two points off Bedford Town at the top as the side go six home games unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since September 2023.
After a tight and cagey opening 45, Russ Penn's side came out of the traps quickly in the second period. Kieren Donnelly scored his 24th goal of the season, to give the Yeltz the lead, 10 minutes into the second half. Donnelly was sent through on goal down the left hand side, and beat the cover of Yaw Ofusu and Axel Ampedu. He got in front of the two Banbury central defenders, and beautifully slotted home.
"I am delighted with the result and at this time of the season, that is what it is all about", stated Penn. "I thought we were dreadful in the first half and a few harsh words were said in the dressing room. We came out in the second half and played much better, so i think we overall deserved to win the game. Simon Hollyhead's team are organised, well structured and that is why they do not concede many, so we knew it was going go be tough.
"I was delighted to be in at half-time level, we looked at times in the opening 45, like we were waiting to concede, so that we could react. We had to be more physical and less sloppy with the ball. The second half was so much better, and we created so many chances, which made the game more open. Open games are something we will see at this time of the season, because mid-table teams will be trying new things. We managed to slow them and the game down with the sub of Reece Flanagan, but we should have scored more goals to kill the game off."
Penn's side started slowly, despite playing against the team with the fewest goals scored in the league this season, and the least amount scored in the opening 15 minutes. Banbury controlled the opening 25 minutes, and had a couple of big chances early on. A free-kick won by George Ball was sent in by Dan Jarvis to Ofusu, who headed on and caused issues for the Yeltz centrally, before an awkward scramble forced the ball out for a corner. A break down the right from Harry Reilly, resulted in a clearance from Jamie Willets, and corner which was aimed out to Alex Prosser, whose spinning effort went inches wide. A player and area of Prosser's midfield game, that Russ Penn warned us about before the match.
The Banbury pressure continued, as Ball, who was a big threat down the right for The Puritans, won a free-kick when he won a dual against Ryan Wynter. The set piece was taken near to the dugouts, and down the line to Tai Fleming, but Jak Hickman defended the situation brilliantly. The Yeltz grew into the half slowly, as Butterfield sent Donnelly free down the left. He was forced away from goal by Ampedu and tackled by the covering defender, Ofusu. The side should have taken an early lead, when Donnelly was played over the top again. This time around, he was able to move in a central position quicker, but as the goal gaped, he hit wide of the post.
The late stages of the first 45, saw the tempo of the game fizzle out, and the Yeltz were the side most grateful to go in at half-time level. Dan Platt produced a brilliant stop from Ball, who got in behind the centre half partnership of Wynter and Willets, who started the game as a pair for the first time this season. The Platt save earnt the visitors a corner, which the Yeltz keeper awkwardly tipped away from danger. A heroic goal saving tackle from an unlikely source in Donnelly, two minutes into stoppage time, earnt his side a huge reprieve. A slight scramble forced the ball through to Fleming 1v1 with Platt, and the cover and tackle from the Yeltz top scorer was timed perfectly to preserve Halesowen's brilliant defensive record in the 15 minutes of games before half-time this campaign.
The second 45 was much better than the first, from Penn's side. Butterfield picked up the ball and played it back to Hickman after a loose touch from Reilly. The Yeltz number two delivered in a cross towards Butterfield, but instead the ball went to the back post where Todd Parker was in wait, but a foul was given. Josh Smile hit a ball which was perfectly angled towards the run of Donnelly, just before the latter scored the opener. Ofusu dealt with the danger well at times against the Yeltz match winner, and this time around, marshalled him to clear the danger.
An eight minute spell of utter carnage followed, as Tee hit the post, just a minute before Donnelly's goal. Two minutes later, Banbury almost had their instant response, when a bit of a head tennis scramble, saw the Yeltz clear the ball out for a corner, which was headed clear by Smile. An outstanding piece of defensive work from Ampedu, on the hour mark, saw the Banbury defender block shots on target inside the area from Tee and Donnelly. The carnage was not over, Harding was forced into one of his first saves of the match when Donnelly received a ball from Butterfield and won his 1v1 battle against Ofusu. The by-pass of the defender, allowed Donnelly to hit a shot from a slight angle that Harding, who has kept 13 clean sheets this season, was equal too.
Charlie Wragg made a ninth substitute appearance for the club, and as ever, had a huge impact. Three minutes on from his arrival into the game, he went on a brilliant run down the right, before he edged closer to goal and forced Prosser to get a crucial toe on the ball. The loanee eventually forced Harding into a stop, when the latter tipped the ball on the goal line to his centre half Ampedu, to clear. It was a mad final five minutes that featured the Banbury number one's stop from Wragg. Tee smashed an audacious effort off the bar from 30 yards out, just after Reece Flanagan linked up with Hickman, whose cross was claimed by Harding.
The game headed into second half stoppage time, five minutes of it in fact, and the chances carried on coming for the hosts. Tee raced through on goal, but was smothered by the alert and inrushing Harding. The Yeltz re-worked it forward, and Tee had an even better sight at goal, that forced the Banbury keeper into another crucial save. The Yeltz got over the line to victory, and claimed a third successive clean sheet for the first time in nearly two years. The win also means we have lost just one of our last six against The Puritans, including one defeat in five against them at The Grove.
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman, Ben Cassidy, Josh Smile, Ryan Wynter (C), Jamie Willets, Todd Parker (Reece Flanagan 67'), Conor Tee, Kieren Donnelly (Alex Cameron 87'), Milan Butterfield, McKauley Manning (Charlie Wragg 67')
Unused subs: Ryan Wollacott, Musa Ceesay
Banbury: Jack Harding (GK), Harry Reilly (Joel Odei-Larbi 66'), Axel Ampedu, Alex Prosser (Teddy Rowe 78'), Yaw Ofusu (C), Tai Fleming, George Forsyth, Connor Stanley, Connor Ferguson (AJ George 66'), George Ball, Dan Jarvis
Unused subs: Claudio Dias, Archie Hollyhead
Man of the match - Kieren Donnelly
Attendance - 1,046