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Pre-Season

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:56 pm
by Alan Beckett
PRE-SEASON

Saturday 12th July Castle Vale JKS 0 v 3 Coleshill Town
Coleshill started their preparations for life in the Alliance with a pre-season friendly on saturday 12th July at the Civil Service Sports ground against Castle Vale JKS, newly promoted to the Mid Com Premier.

Carl Adams took a squad of 22 including a couple of trialists and basically used a team for the first 45 minutes and completely changed and used another 11 in the second half. Goals by Matty Robinson, last seasons leading scorer, Lewis Seymour, trialist, and Neil Kitching, club captain, saw Town win their first run out but JKS gave them a good test and many thanks to them for that.

Saturday 19th July Walsall Wood 0 v 0 Coleshill Town
Coleshill travelled to Walsall Wood to face a team that gave them two good games last season. Wood had the second best defensive record behind Coleshill and it was no surprise when the game finished goaless although both Lee Bloxham and Michael Campbell had great chances to score. Carl Adams again used a large squad and even had a 45 minute run out himself. Several players were missing due to holidays and slight injuries but new signings Anthony Hall and Harry Donaghey both impressed.

Tuesday 22nd July Coton Green 1 v 6 Coleshill Town
Coleshill travelled to Coton Green who have recently been promoted to the Mid Com Prem. Several players were missing due to slight injuries, work commitments and holidays but manager Carl Adams still took a very strong squad just along the road to Tamworth. Goals from Stuart Adamson 2, Danny Carter 2, Lee Hunt and Lee Bloxham saw Coleshill win comfortably but they did concede their first pre-season goal. Stuart Adamson and Lee Bloxham had particularly impressive games but the whole squad benifited from another good and competitive work out.

Thursday 24th July Coleshill Town 2 v 2 Atherstone
1st game at Pack Meadow, pitch looking ok but could do with some rain. Both sides at near full strength and a really good work out. Atherstone looked sharp, scored early and could have scored again. Coleshill equalised when a Harry Donaghey cross eluded everybody and ended up in the net. Atherstone scored again with a powerfull header from a corner but the game was more even now. Much more open second half and both keepers kept busy. Dale Belford came out to a challenge with Simon Volante and with help from the assistant, the ref gave a pen. Kitch scoring. Can't take too much from pre-season games but if Atherstone are a bench mark to win the Alliance, we'll be OK! Crowd around 80. Not bad for a freindly but need more local support!

Saturday 26th July Coleshill Town 0 v 2 Castle Vale
Coleshill's 1st defeat in 17 games. Dissappionting result but manager Carl Adams wasn't too down hearted. "I had a lot of players missing and it showed that I haven't got great strength in depth but I'm confident that my squad of 16 maybe 18 will serve me well in the Alliance. Fair play to Vale, they deserved the win and will do well next season but on the hottest day of the year so far they used close on 30 players and I had only 13 including myself. Only Kitch of the four strikers that got us 87 goals between them last year were available, so we were always going to struggle to score and changed the formation to accomadate that. However, with Sutton and Bedworth to come I'm confident we'll be ready for the start of the season."

Tuesday 29th July Coleshill Town 2 v 2 Sutton Coldfield Town
Another good run out and another great test but slowly the squad is taking shape and everything on target for the first game in a new league. Sutton brought a strong experienced side which included ex Blues star Paul Devlin and ex Wolves player Daz Roberts. It just shows how Coleshill have stepped up to the big time and only one league away from seeing ex-pro's on a regular basis. Sutton showed some good stuff early on and dominated proceedings but Coleshill took the lead with their fisrt bit of decent football, a rare Simon Volante goal finishing off a fine move. Sutton equalised into the second half when keeper Craig Johnson parried a shot and left an easy tap in for the Sutton striker. Coleshill played their part in an entertaining game for the 80 watching spectators and took the lead again with a Matty Robinson deft header. Sutton levelled the scores again with 10 mins remaining but both keepers made good saves as both sides went for a win.

Saturday 2nd August Coleshill 0 v 2 Bedworth United
After a positive pre-season it was disappointing to end on a sour note. Disappointing as Coleshill failed to perform with little positives taken from the game, disappointing that Bedworth, although well worthy of the win, came with half a side with trialists making up the other half, disappointing in a poor crowd of 68, the many promised attendies from Bedworth failing to materialise and again a poor response from the people of Coleshill.

Coleshill had a couple of certain starters missing but this wasn't far off the side that will take on the challenge of the Alliance and manager Carl Adams must be hoping that the side that drew with Atherstone and Sutton turn up on saturday on not this one. In the absence of a big man the two little men, Matty Robinson and Danny Carter, played together up front. They had their chances and on another day would have got some reward but a culmination of good defending, good goalkeeping and some wayward shooting meant the day would remain goalless. Bedworth did have their big man up front and he caused all sorts of problems all afternoon. United scored a goal in each half, the first a bullet header from a corner and the second from the penalty spot after Craig Johnson had upended a forward, but there could have been more as Bedworth shaded every department.

Coleshill now have two training sessions left to get it right before the season starts this Saturday 9th August, Away to Westfields, the longest trip of the season.

Other dates include saturday 16th August when Coleshill travel to Tividale in the F.A.Cup. Carl Adams will be under pressure to keep the records coming as Coleshill have never managed to win an F.A.Cup tie, a draw at home to Wellington (lost away) last year their best result so far. Coleshill did have a good run in the F.A.Vase last season and they start their campaign this year with a repeat 1st Qualifying round tie at home to Bolehall Swifts on saturday 6th September.