LYE TOWN 9 DUDLEY TOWN 2: match report by THE MOWDOG...

‘Nobody Likes Them, They Play For the Lye…’

Lye Town 9 Dudley Town 2

(Lye crowned Champions of the West Midlands Premier League)

This turned out to be a remarkable evening in Lye, where I’m sure remarkable evenings are at a premium as a rule. Needing a victory to secure the championship, the Flyers scored three times before the break, fired another quick three goals immediately afterwards, before three substitutions prompted a pair of consolation goals (but not three) by a hapless Dudley crew. Then yet another three goals by the rampant hosts embarrassed their visitors, who in truth never stopped battling. The game was a triumph for some decent attacking football by Lye and for striker Ricky Anslow, who netted not three, but four times, despite some rather questionable goalkeeping by Dudley’s Luke Morton, who was so despondent at the end that I heard him remark to a fan: “Not bad for a centre-half…” Not good, either, I would suggest… The celebrations soon began after the game had finished and even the constantly moaning but hilarious Damien Whitcombe smiled ON the pitch; indeed, we hugged after the game. I was well pleased for him, also Scott Gennard, who still thinks my name is ‘Dog’…

Damien Whitcombe strikes a headteacher's pose...

Stephen Lodge defended stoutly and well for Lye in the opening, balanced stages of the match then Steve Weaver won possession and fed Anslow out on the left but after drifting inside, the striker’s wayward shot was nearer the clubhouse than the goal-frame. Dudley pressed with a couple of crosses, following a sliced clearance by their most effective player, central defender Rob Whitley, but tall forward Aaron Lloyd was unable to direct his header from Stephen Jones’ centre. Gennard dropped a cross onto the roof of the Dudley net but an offside flag was waving anyway then a long Anslow delivery from the left was superbly headed clear by Whitley, with Lye skipper Ben Jevons jumping too and goalie Morton flailing fists at thin air. A good spell by the surprisingly confident hosts culminated in some decent goalkeeping by Morton; first he beat away a Jevons shot, after Whitcombe’s shot had bounced off a defender and also James Spray, then he raced from goal to beat Weaver to a through-pass and finally, Spray broke at inside-right and drove a low cross-shot from an angle, which in the muddy goalmouth, was slapped out by a pair of gloves, worn by Morton, in the marsh, one might say…

Steve Weaver, 7, attempts to blow an opponent's head off...

Dudley had been guilty of conceding possession in midfield, where the Lye midfield predators of Jevons, Gennard and Ben Wilkins looked like they had been drinking Red Bull all week and the hosts continually broke into space, with Weaver, Anslow and Spray all feeding off the passes like carrion crows on the fat-balls in my garden. However, the visitors were awarded a free-kick, which was contested by the home players (no change there, then…) but Stefan Ashman was leaning back as his 26 yard effort at goal rose too high. And then the ball was hustled into a space at inside-left before I could press ‘Play’ on my camera and Anslow was freed to shoot low past Morton, putting Lye on their way. I mentioned to a spectator that it would be awful if that turned out to be the only goal and I hadn’t captured it on video, which caused much hilarity; little was I to know that Spray would immediately latch onto the ball at inside-left, battle to get in a shot from 16 yards and fire it low past the dumbfounded Morton into the bottom left corner of the net again. 2-0 and really, it was game over. I would capture another seven goals on video…

1-0...

2-0...

Another fine headed clearance by Whitley cleared Whitcombe’s free-kick for Lye then fine and strong play by the badger-loving Gennard set up Spray for another cross-shot from the right, which the harassed visiting defender Adam Wright hacked over his own crossbar, with the now confused Morton covering the trajectory desperately. A couple of inside-left channel free-kicks were then struck by the industriously involved Spray; the first, from 22 yards slapped low against the right upright and the second was clutched by Morton, falling right, like a ‘twitcher’ saving a nuthatch, which had tumbled from its nest. Then Lye attacked with real style and Anslow, left-flank, changed direction to clip a cross-field pass to Gennard, who heard and saw the overlapping run of Scott Moore, whose cross-cum-shot flew over the stretching Morton and into the far corner of the net, affording Lye an unassailable 3-0 lead.

3-0...

Spray nudged a pass to Gennard on the right, whose delivery went into the side-netting, before Weaver curled a shot beyond the right angle of bar and post, after the ‘keeper had wandered from goal like a covering centre-half but had been beaten by Anslow on the left, and whose centre had been headed out. The whistle sounded for half-time, it was 8.30pm and due to the dull cloud and slight drizzle, the only thing missing was a bright sunny evening to celebrate Lye’s achievement. But this WAS the Black Country…

The cat Lyes in wait for the Robins...

The second period began with a real bonus period for Lye and three quick goals, all of which produced stares at Morton and a comment or two. First Anslow raced clear at inside-right, the ‘keeper advanced but stood helpless as Anslow slotted a simple shot into the net, unheeded. Immediately, a left-wing Gennard corner, rehearsed, saw Whitcombe make his customary move to the 18 yard line for a shot, but he dummied the ball, wrong-footing everyone and Jevons was able to push a short pass back for Matt Johnson, who shot low and left-footed from 22 yards, the ball creeping into the bottom right corner of the net. Questioning looks from defenders towards the goalie, who had slithered late across the goalmouth couldn’t hide the fact that Dudley were now 5-0 down. Johnson led a team of colleagues in a celebratory rush over to the sideline, like a pack of er, dogs?

5-0...

Fine defending by Anslow, which must have pleased his coaches, led to a break at inside-left by Spray, who had his untracked skipper Jevons free on the left and the well marked Weaver running centrally but the striker chose the Weaver option with the outside of his right foot, sadly miscuing and halting the promising attack. Anslow’s curling shot was well held by the unsighted Morton, who took some ironic cheers from unkind spectators, but then Anslow completed his hat-trick, being fed at inside-left by a long pass, I believe by Jevons. This followed a harrowing but fair tackle by Gennard, I think, but when Anslow controlled the ball, he mugged defender Jones, going left and as Wright attempted to cover, Anslow struck right-footed, his effort suddenly rising and arrowing past the thrashing arms of Morton, reminiscent of a windmill’s sails I once saw rotating.

An apparition of Ricky Anslow's hat-trick celebration...

Whitcombe’s 25 yard free-kick rose just over the left angle of bar and post, after Kyle Smith had replaced Jones for Dudley, then after Aaron Dunn replaced Joe Phillips for the guests, who had worked hard in truth, but for little reward, good play by Lye led to a Wilkins shot, which flew well wide. Then, Jevons, Gennard and Whitcombe were rested by the Flyers and Simon Williams, Kalum Evitts and the recovered Nick Pugh replaced them. Pugh’s number 6 shirt of course hadn’t so much been ‘retired’ following his horrific arm injury, but more ‘ripped apart’, hence Wilkins wearing 19 again: a true wardrobe malfunction… And then, quite shockingly, Dudley scored two goals in quick succession; first, a right-side free-kick was headed down at the far stick by Smith and there was striker Sean Devenport to fire home from 2 yards, near the right upright; then he reacted well to deflect Daryl Hand’s near post header, not Daryl Head’s near post hander, into goal in front of home ‘keeper Sam Pearson. Wilkins had been caught napping slightly by Hand’s head…

As if to depress and discourage the visitors further, Spray then broke clear at inside-right but he had no right to score from almost on the byeline, yet he did so, with Morton in all kinds of trouble with his positioning at his near post, despite having the benefit of the white-painted ‘sightscreen’ section of the grandstand. Spray celebrated with a shin-pad, as you do, but did he really score with that? If he did, Morton would feel that insult had been added to injury… Pearson then reacted well when a left-flank centre fell onto Dunn’s volleying instep at an angle and the ‘keeper flicked the ball over his crossbar for an unproductive corner. Steven Cadwallader appeared as a substitute for Dudley, before Weaver picked up a loose ball at 20 yards and fired a shot, which might have taken a slight deflection, as it flew chest-high into the left corner of the net, with Morton dropping right in vain and his team trailed 8-2.

8-2...

8-2 and a defender seeks divine intervention.
He doesn't get it...

Anslow then got away at inside-right right again, avoided Morton’s attempted centre-half tackle and again had the easiest of tasks to tuck goal nine into an empty net. Visiting skipper Alex Perry, a grafter, shot off target from 25 yards and following a neat Dudley move, Devenport also failed to find the target, as the Robins’ faces turned as red as their chests at the final whistle.

9-2 and the scoring has been completed...

Fair play to Whitley of Dudley, not Dudley of Whitley, who was good throughout and commiserations to ‘keeper Morton but I wonder whether left-back Reece Wager had put a bet on the game’s outcome? A fine all-round display by Lye had won the day, and had ultimately clinched the title. Jevons, Gennard and Wilkins rolled up sleeves, the strikers were tough to mark with their movement and the impressive Lodge and the ever-audible Whitcombe held things tight at the back, until Dudley’s goals went in. The celebrations were huge and as I left the ground, I could still hear the chanting in the home dressing-room, after a chap warned: “You don’t want to go in there…” No, probably not…

Congratulations to Lye Town from The Bodging and The Mowdog and I appreciated the handshake from Ricky Anslow, who simply said to me: “You’ve got some uploading to do…” Yeah, Ricky, thanks for that… But then again, it’s what I do… 

Teams: 

Lye Town:  Sam Pearson, Scott Moore, Matt Johnson; Damien Whitcombe; Stephen Lodge, Ben Wilkins 19; Steve Weaver, Scott ‘Badger’ Gennard, James Spray, Ricky Anslow, Ben Jevons (Capt).

Subs: Nick Pugh, Simon Williams, Kev Nickle, Kalum Evitts, Jake James (gk).

Dudley Town:  Luke Morton, Stephen Jones, Reece Wager; Aaron Lloyd, Robert Whitley, Alex Perry (Capt); Stefan Ashman, Daryl Hand, Sean Devenport, Adam Wright, Joe Phillips.

Subs: Kyle Smith, Aaron Dunn, James Hanson, Steven Cadwallader, Andy Reep.