Report: Handsworth (H)

Match Report by Isaac Hall

Emley extended their run of unbeaten games to 6 matches without a loss, after picking up just a solitary point against a resolute Handsworth side. In a game that Emley dominated, wayward shooting, solid defending, and exceptional goalkeeping, saw the visitors come away with a somewhat fortunate point, in a game, that based on statistics, should have been a comfortable win for the pewits.

The Emley that has been seemingly scoring goals for fun as of late, did have the lions share of attempts on goal, however they lacked a clinical finish.

The game took a little while to fully get going, and it wasn’t until the 8th minute that Sam Pashley sent a cross in that couldn’t beat the first man, resulting in a throw in, this represented a promising chance for Emley, however Iyrwah Gooden could not make the most of this chance, and his resultant shot went well over the bar.

Just 3 minutes later Handsworth attempted to play Emley at their own game, as Leon Howarth likewise fizzed a ball in, however Declan Lambton managed to meet the cross at the near post and make a very comfortable save.

It was a real back and forth for the first 20 minutes, as both teams struggled to get a grip of possession, with loose balls, and poor communication from both teams, making the match look like a game of tennis, as each team was looking to play long balls over the top, trying to catch the high-lines off guard, and have a run on goal.

In what was to be a repeating event throughout the game, Emley crossed the ball in, this time through Gooden, and the resulting header or shot trickled just wide, on the first occasion being Ruben Jerome, who’s glancing header was mere inches away from opening the scoring in the 24th minute.

Tensions began to flare up, as both sides grew frustrated that nothing was giving them much of a look in, and it nearly boiled over in the 34th minute when Shaun Tuton of Handsworth somewhat cynically took out Gooden, resulting in a yellow for the visitors number 9, and Emley players took it upon themselves to give Tuton a piece of their own mind.

The Crosses continued to fly in towards Dylan Parkin’s box, however on a consistent basis, they were attempting to hit the far post, only for no-one there to meet it, such as in the 40th minute when the ball was sent in by Pashley once again, only for it to be collected by the Handsworth defence.

Handsworth looked to capitalise late on in the half, as in the 45th, the oppositions captain Mitchell Dunne, looked to break away following a loose ball, yet the ever present Pashley was there to take it off of him after a heavy touch, and ping the ball long once again, into the path of Jerome.

Shortly after, Jerome was flagged offside, from a through ball, which players and fans alike certainly disagreed with, voicing their opinions in raptures, and attempting to change the referees mind, but to no avail.

Overall, the first half seemed to lack any real and consistent intensity from either team, and when the ball did manage to make its way into dangerous territory, it either missed an attacker completely or the shot went high and wide. There were however some signs of promise, as it was evident that Emley could regularly get balls into the box, and if one was hit just right, could be the way forward to win the match.

HT – Emley 0 – 0 Handsworth

The second half was much of the same from the Emley side, but it seemed that Tracey had given them a a stern talking to during the break, as they shifted up several gears, putting the utmost pressure on the Handsworth defence, not giving them a moments piece.

This was clear to see very early on, as Jerome latched onto a line-breaking pass, and burst down the left hand side, sending a cross in which was seen behind, just 4 minutes into the second half. In what was a prevalent theme of the second half, Emley had corner after corner, however they would find no success through this method, as Parkin was on top form throughout the second 45, tipping almost every shot over the bar, preventing the pewits from taking a much deserved lead.

The share of possession was in complete contrast to that of the first half, as in the latter, Emley had the majority of the ball, with Handsworth looking to play on the counter-attack, and absorb as much pewits pressure as they could.

The first case of this was seen in the 51st minute, when Thomas Cropper attempted to send in a whipped cross, only for him to completely mis-kick the ball, and it go out for a goal kick.

n the 54th minute, it seemed as if Joe Kenny was about the break the deadlock, as he attempted to curl one past Parkin, and it wasn’t far off at all, narrowly missing the goal by a few inches, which was met with a mix of groans and applause by the Emley faithful.

Joe Clegg picked up the second yellow of the game, enacting a rough challenge on Dunne, however nothing came of the chance, as the resultant free kick went behind for a goal-kick.

Tom Haigh and Nathan Curtis replaced Kenny and Clegg with 30 minutes still to play, and just a few minutes later, it looked to be a brilliant substitution, as Curtis got his head onto a Pashley cross, yet once again the Handsworth shot-stopper was there to deny him, showing incredible skill to tip it over the bar. It was a repeat of nearly moments for the substitutes, however this time it came for the opposition, as
recently introduced Aaron Moxam received a pass from Dunne on the edge of the D, but he got his feet all mixed up, and an on-point Emley defence managed to clear it away.

With 20 minutes still on the clock, Jerome looked to do the extraordinary, as he wacked a shot in from outside the box, only to be straight down the keepers throat, leading to a comfortable save for Parkin.

20 minutes very quickly became ten, and time was running out for Emley to find a winner, and it was all Emley, a completely dominant outfield display saw a never ending stream of corners and crosses, yet again and again, despite throwing more and more bodies forward, the relentless Handsworth keeper, managed to catch or palm away every shot on goal. Shiraz Khan was given 10 minutes of game time, as he came on in the 81st, looking to impress the manager, and possibly offer something different, in a bid to take all three points.

5 minutes were added on to the second, and it was at this point, each teams true intentions began to show, Handsworth were very happy and would do anything to take the point, and Michael Trench did see yellow in the 90+2nd minute as he took a little bit too much time with the throw in, then proceeded to talk back to the referee, who had rightly told him to hurry up.

Emley still were pushing for the winner, as Lambton began to take free-kicks, lumping it long to the 10 men deep inside Handsworth territory, but nevertheless, shot after shot was sent behind, or smashed far away from Parkin’s box.

The game ended as it started 0-0, and the spoils were shared between the two teams, as each took home a point, which on the surface may be disappointing, however there are many positives to take from the game, a clean sheet, many promising chances being created, unbeaten in 6 and a relentless spirit from his team is surely something that Tracey will look to build upon going forward, and hopefully, if Emley’s attackers can find that clinical touch as they have shown thus far this season, it is going to be a very successful campaign for the pewits.

FULL TIME – EMLEY 0 – 0 HANDSWORTH

ATTENDANCE – 269

EMLEY – Lambton, Pashley, Hardaker, Metcalfe {c}, Cowgill, Barks, Walker, Clegg, Jerome, Gooden,
Kenny; Subs – USED = Curtis, Haigh, Khan – UNUSED = Twigger, Mirza

Moxon and Co. Man of the Match – Charlie Barks