Coleshill Town 3 v 1 West Midlands Police

[Alan Beckett]

SATURDAY 5th MARCH 2005
MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER
COLESHILL TOWN 3 v 1 WEST MIDLANDS POLICE
Scorers: Stuart Howard, Craig Davies, Tim Lane.

Coleshill finally ended their dreadful run of results since the turn of the year with this win over basement team West midlands Police, but Town still made hard work of it despite taking an early lead. Manager Mick Beadle made a couple of changes to the side that so nearly upset league leaders Leamington last week with Michael Campbell unavailable and Josh McPherson, who impressed at centre back, out injured. In came Tim Lane after missing the last few games due to injury and Liam Daly, who despite being a virtual ever-present for the youths, was making his debut following his transfer from Highgate.
The game kicked off 45 minutes late due to the referee being stuck in traffic and started in pouring rain on a sticky pitch, which has struggled to recover from a Sunday morning game that should never have been played. Daly and Lane combined to carve out the first chance with the latter heading the former's cross just wide. The same two combined again in the eighth minute for Coleshill to take the lead. Lane slipped the off side trap and ran onto a Daly through ball and confidently slipped the ball past the advancing Police keeper. The dreadful conditions, Coleshill's lack of confidence and a poor WMP team resulted in a mostly forgettable first half with the visitors keeper rarely tested and Miles Millington-Day in the home goal a complete spectator. Daly, who had an impressive debut, shot wide from distance, Kevin Wagstaff had a shot blocked after a set up by Craig Davies, and the same player shot over from a free kick. Stuart Howard's cross just before the break ran across the six yard line missing attackers and defenders alike and Steve Lees finally shot wide when well placed.
Coleshill needed an early goal to settle the nerves and just like buses two came along together. Mitchell Thompson looked second favourite to reach a through ball but he nipped in between defender and keeper to square for Stuart Howard to shoot home from close range. Minutes later Daly released Matt Ward whose cross left Craig Davies an even easier tap in for his seventeenth of the season. With the luxury of a three-goal cushion Manager Mick Beadle gave a run out to all three of his substitutes, which resulted in a loss of rhythm, but the result was never in doubt. Dean Farrington squared for Danny Carter but the young striker failed to find the target when it looked easier to score. With ten minutes remaining the Police scored with a far post header from veteran Dave Scriven but they were unable to reduce the arrears further despite having their best period of the game. In the last minute the visitors keeper came to the edge of his box to clear but the ball fell to Davies whose lob only just failed to find the target with the keeper stranded.

Team: Miles Millington-Day, Matt Ward, Des Wilkes, Steve Lees, Stuart Howard (Chris Gee), Liam Daly, Kevin Wagstaff (Danny Carter), Stuart McLaughlan, Craig Davies, Tim Hilton, Mitchell Thompson (Dean Farrington).