Halesowen go four without a win on the road in a 2-0 defeat to Stratford Town
Written by Ben Ditchfield
In a largely underwhelming showing in Warwickshire, the Yeltz extended an away run of just one win in seven as Penn's side suffer a third successive defeat against the Bards.
It only took Stratford eight minutes to open the deadlock, through Owen James' sixth goal of the campaign. James who was lively in the Bards attack in the first period, had the simplest of finishes after the ball fell to him from a matter of yards out, following a save from Dan Platt denying Callum Ebanks, before a shot off the woodwork from Dan Lafferty which led to the goal.
The Bards' second came as no shock, the Yeltz had one of their least productive halves of the season in the first period and failed to test Bards keeper Jacob Weaver prior to the second. Kevin Joshua had only joined the club as recently as last week, and on his third Stratford appearance, he followed up a scramble in the box, with a strike into the bottom left corner of Platt's goal.
"We started the game really poorly and gifted them an early goal", said Penn. "We didn't force their keeper into a single save in the first half, but then second half we did everything but score, it was all in their half but again we gave away a goal that was a gift. The boys have been really good the last two weeks and there looked to be a few tired bodies out on the pitch today.
"We didn't move Stratford around, I'm not sure whether it was because we were tired, lacked confidence after their opener, there was just so many if buts or maybe's today. Kieren Donnelly had an unbelievable chance a minute into the second half and if that goes in, the game changes, there were too many snap shots from Wragg, Butterfield, Ceesay and Todd at the end. We need to move on quick, the league this season seems to be one of those where anyone can win it, so there is still a long way to go."
Two highlights in the opening five minutes, saw a Stratford blocked shot, which went through to Platt for the Yeltz to turn from defense to attack. Ben Cassidy burst down the right, but former Yeltz man Joshua Hawker knocked the ball of him and out for a goal kick. Kacy Butterfield on his fourth successive start since signing, won the ball off Finley Brennan on the right. His ball to McKauley Manning, allowed the Yeltz winger to distribute to the middle and the run of Reece Mitchell, who was eventually haulted on route to the penalty area by Aaron Lacey.
Despite those two bursts forward, the Yeltz were on the back foot around the timing of Stratford's opener, and the hosts were on the look out for a second instantly. Ebanks who played his part in the goal, worked with goalscorer Owen James, but the latter on the edge of the area was eventually stopped by Ryan Wynter, who had a nibble at the ball a second or two prior. Wynter's defensive intervention went out for a corner, which was taken by Brennan and planted on top of the net. Moving into the second half of the first period, the Yeltz upped their game but only by the minimum, Josh Smile delivered the ball into the penalty area, a ball forward that saw Manning go for a spectacular scissor kick, but completely miss the ball.
On the half hour mark, a ball played over the top to James, saw him square the ball across the open space and onto Ebanks boot inches out from goal. The Stratford number nine seemed to have tapped into the net, only for Platt to spectacularly claw the ball off the goal line. In the 10 minutes that followed, three chances went wide for the Yeltz. Conor Tee was doubled up on by Hawker and Lacey but he managed to pass across to Mitchell, whose ball into Donnelly, saw the Yeltz top scorer head wide. That came just before an effort from Tee was curled wide and a header from Ryan Wollacott went into the side netting.
The second half started with a few more Yeltz flurries forward, Tee delivered a ball that was met by Manning. His header was hit miles wide, but was kept in by Musa Ceesay, subbed on at half-time, who could only find Weaver with his cross. A minute later, the Yeltz put another cross into the Stratford penalty area. Russ Penn barked his orders for players to get into the area from another Tee delivery, but the ball went straight to the back post and after the awkward bounce across the goal, Paul McCone eventually cleared.
The second Stratford goal saw a much more intense showing from Penn's side, but again they failed to overly test Weaver. On numerous occasions after the hour mark, Butterfield made central runs into the box but he could only head down the throat of the Stratford number one. The introduction of Jak Hickman seemed to breathe life into the lacklustre attacking display. The substitute 15 minutes from the 90th, placed a ball onto the boot of fellow substitute Charlie Wragg, on for his first Yeltz appearance since New Year's Day. The Walsall loanee put in a low cross that was cleared out for a corner by Joshua, and from it Todd Parker found Cassidy, who hit underneath the ball and skied it over the bar.
In the five minutes that followed, the Yeltz felt aggrieved to not have got a goal back. Wragg was lively in the 20 minute spell he was on the pitch, and a sprint towards the box saw him taken down 20 yards out from goal for a free-kick. Due to Tee's exit from the game, Hickman took on the free-kick and was inches from nestling it into the bottom left, as it smacked off the post. Bang on the 80th minute, Wragg was involved again, as his deflected strike forced a unbelievable save from Weaver.
An additional eight minutes at the end of the second half, turned into 12, due to Stratford's three separate substitution breaks. A Hickman cross which followed a pass from Parker, was slightly overhit and went into Weaver's gloves after the keeper backpeddled to claim the ball. Wragg won a corner as the Yeltz re-worked the ball forward, which Hickman took and delivered to the back post, where nobody waited to head onto.
One of the closest moments that the Yeltz came to scoring, came in the 101st minute, when a corner was delivered to the edge of the box and a Yeltz shot was blocked off the line. The final opportunity in a game that lacked a clinical edge from Penn's side, which means the Yeltz have gone back to back away games without a goal for the first time since March last year. The club will count themselves lucky to still only be one point from the top of the league, considering our poor run since Christmas, after four of the other sides in the top six yet again dropped points.
Stratford: Jacob Weaver (GK), Finley Brennan, Joshua Hawker (Tom Solanke 90+5'), Paul McCone (C), Lewis Ison, Callum Ebanks (Cyrus Bruce 89'), Dan Lafferty (Jamie Molyneux 90+3'), Kevin Joshua, Alex Williams, Owen James (Charlie Williams 90+1'), Aaron Lacey
Unused subs: Daniel Vann
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Reece Mitchell, Josh Smile (Musa Ceesay 46'), Ryan Wynter (C), Ryan Wollacott, Todd Parker, Conor Tee (Jak Hickman 70'), Kieren Donnelly, Milan Butterfield, McKauley Manning (Charlie Wragg 70')
Unused subs: Alex Cameron, Lewis Solly (GK)
Attendance - 1,427