Highgate United 2 v 0 Coleshill Town

First Team Match Reports 2002-2003

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Highgate United 2 v 0 Coleshill Town

Postby Alan Beckett » Mon May 05, 2003 3:29 pm

SATURDAY 26th APRIL

MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION

HIGHGATE UNITED 2 v 0 COLESHILL TOWN

The match report for this game is a photo-copy of many during the season and sums up Coleshill Town’s campaign. Start brightly, concede first goal completely against the run of play with a lack of concentration from a set piece. Go to pieces for twenty minutes and concede further goals. Re-group, steady the ship, go on to dominate the remainder of the game without seriously testing the opponents goal. For seventy minutes Highgate were given the run around but won this game with ease when they made the most of their brief spell on top, scoring twice in three minutes.

Coleshill were without Simon Bradbury who misses the rest of the season, as his yellow card count finally caught up with him. Lee McCarthy made a rare appearance and Lawrence Shannon and Steve Fulford both made the bench after impressing for the reserves. Highgate had boastered they would overrun their opponents but it was the visitors who made the early running. After 20 minutes of Coleshill pressure Highgate broke way and hit the bar with a defected shot. This was the start of the home teams only bright spot of the game but during that spell they scored twice and could have scored several more. Coleshill had to reshuffle their defence when they lost ever present Lee O’Brien due to a head injury, with less than a quarter of the game gone. On 30 minutes a throw in down the left was well controlled by their big centre forward and when he lifted the ball to the far post Stuart Merry was on hand to nod home unchallenged. Two minutes later Highgate were back to increase their lead this time with a fine run down the right wing to the bye line and as the ball was cut back, full back Alec Brotherton had crept up unnoticed to slot home from three yards, again unchallenged. Coleshill were hanging on by the skin of their teeth at this stage and were thankful to keeper Danny Moseley as he made several saves in quick succession.

With a half time rollicking ringing in their ears, Coleshill set about repairing the damage. Christian Crisp challenged the keeper to a high ball and Carl Meah should have done better as it dropped to his feet. Steve Fulford had a shot on the run blocked and then a sweeping move involving Mitchell Thompson, Lee Dempster and then Meah, saw the latter shoot wide. Dempster, the two goal hero from last week, saw shots in quick succession go wide and then free kick specialist Matty Devine saw his set piece go over. From another free kick Devine ran at the defence and his low cross was scrambled clear as Highgate could not get out of their own half. Former keeper Danny Smith had to be alert to a Lee McCarthy cross but the stopper punched clear and although Smith saved again from McCarthy and a looping header from Christian Crisp, he did not have to perform any heroics to keep Coleshill at bay. The home team broke way from Coleshill’s grip on the game only twice in the second 45 minutes resulting in first a corner and then a shot that went high and wide. For all Town’s territorial dominance they could not find that little bit of cunning to create a clear opportunity to get themselves back into the game and the points slipped away again.

Team;- Danny Moseley, Lee O’Brien (Steve Fulford), Allan Thomas, Frank Woodburn, Lee McCarthy, Matty Devine, Carl Smith, Christian Crisp, Mitchell Thompson, Carl Meah (Lawrence Shannon), Lee Dempster. Subs not used Tony Gormley.

M.O.M. Christain Crisp.

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