PERSHORE TOWN 1-1 STAFFORD TOWN: MATCH REPORT...

The Persians Finally Break The Staffs’ Resistance To Make A Point

Pershore Town 1-1 Stafford Town

During the second period of this tense affair, a pair of mallards appeared near a corner flag and it was that corner flag which resulted in the Persians grabbing a deserved equaliser against stubborn opponents Stafford. Ben Lane took a short corner to Mr Persia, Steve Webb and his curling delivery soared over heroic visiting ‘keeper Josh Moreton and deep into the Stafford net. So webbed feet were replaced by Webb’s feet and that proved critical for the hosts, whose status in the division is still unsure, but so is Stafford’s…

STEVE WEBB'S FEET...

Both teams will go into their final matches next Saturday needing a point at least, for Pelsall Villa and Studley won yesterday, meaning that Villa (34 points) must attempt to beat Studley in their final match and hope that Stafford (36 points) lose which would take Stafford down. If Pershore (37 points, thanks to Webb’s 85th minute strike yesterday) lose and Villa and Stafford win, Pelsall would need to win by a large margin to survive, for their goal-difference is vastly inferior to that of the Persians and it does appear that realistically Villa and Stafford will be the clubs contesting the relegation place to accompany the long doomed Southam United to League 2.  

REECE JACOBS IS SO FAST HE HAS TO KEEP STOPPING TO PICK THE MIDGES OUT OF HIS BEARD...

Not only could Persian fans open bets on which of the three battling teams will go down next week but they could also open a book about who might start between the sticks for their team at Heather St John next Saturday. I’ll suggest some opening odds: 3/1 Edwards, 5/1 Yarnold, 10/1 Marusiak, 1000/1 manager Townsend but the favourite at 5/2 must be the kindly chap who takes spectators’ cash at the gate… Sorry guys, I am not in the running but only because I’ll be in Cornwall watching Liskeard v Wadebridge… I would not have let you down…

2 STRONG SKIPPERS...

Mind you, if The Persians DO get relegated, they will install fear and indeed will scare the shit out of their opponents by updating the club’s nickname which was once The Plums but is currently The Persians, yet should surely from now on be The Iranians… Steve Webb epitomised modern Persia against Stafford because during the match Iran, Iran and Iran…

WEBBED FEET...

Stafford performed more confidently before the interval and they were more compact than their hosts, holding firm in defence with skipper Matt Bartlett and the experienced Wayne Bailey looking strong but although striker Jack Hepple ran the channels well enough, Ryan Pace was the battery which energised his team’s offense. He had a near post header saved and struck a post with a free-kick but it was a poorly defended Connor Leek corner which led to Stafford’s bright right-back Ryan Blagbrough opening the scoring with a 1 yard header. However, the shifting of Webb from defence to midfield after the break totally changed the course of events. 

Visiting goalkeeper Josh Moreton would make saves from 10 yards and twice from 30, as Jamie Clarke, Rich Thomas-Robinson and Webb fired in fine shots but with Stafford’s attack by then as impotent as a scribe without ink, that equalising goal finally arrived shortly before the end with Webb’s curled effort from the left being as spectacular as it was speculative…

"YOU TAKIN' THE PISS OUTA MY HEAD, REF?"

The Staffs were business-like from the start and won a few corners which came to nought but Persian Lane was presented with the first clear chance, half-volleyed but sliced well wide, following a smart turn and cross from the right by the unpredictable Reece Jacobs. Returning home skipper Shaun Griffiths soon made a mess of a clearance straight to Hepple 20 yards from goal and then lunged at the Stafford man, conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position. Pace took the kick, 20 yards out, inside-left but the ball struck the left upright, with home ‘keeper Adam Marusiak looking surprised and then helpless. Steve Roche struck a Persian free-kick disappointingly into a defensive Stafford wall, before Moreton struggled with a Lane delivery from the left for the hosts.

BEN LANE: 2 SLICES OF THE CAKE...

When Hepple crossed from the left, Marusiak did well to react and turn Pace’s lunging near post header upwards and over the goal-frame, before a long Leek shot rose way too high. A goal would arrive pre-interval for sure but not until after Roche’s near post header had flown badly wide for Pershore following a clever free-kick by Clarke and Harrison Barrett had then wasted a shot, following neat Lane work. Pace then passed left to the adventurous left-back Harry Bowers, whereby The Persians conceded a right-flank corner which Leek swung in. Bartlett made a run towards the near post, leaving marker Dean Waldron, who played rather well for Pershore, behind but the ball dipped and bounced past the Stafford skipper, wrong-footing Thomas-Robinson and subsequently Waldron. However, Blagbrough nipped in and converted from 3 feet with Marusiak static on his goal-line, also fooled by the trajectory and the bounce of the flag-kick.

0-1... BLAGBROUGH THE SCORER.

RYAN HAD BLAGGED HIS WAY INTO THE 6 YARD BOX...

One neat move by the hosts, involving Waldron and Jacobs saw Webb’s ‘shot’ drift well off target and the break arrived with Stafford fairly secure and Pershore no doubt disappointed, looking disjointed and perhaps nervous but having created no opportunities for top scorer Clarke. Something needed to change and so midfielder Dane Aldington was relieved, Will Stallard replaced him but slotted in at right-back, releasing Webb to take control of the game in midfield like a decent headteacher turning round a failing school. Stallard had already displayed his inaccuracy whilst warming up Marusiak before the game however, when his shot to work the goalie smacked into my car. Thanks for that. Good job he had his back to the vehicle in the second-half…

THERE'S A MALLARD ON THE PITCH...

THE REF ORDERS A FEW MOMENTS OF QUIET WALKING AND REFLECTION ON THE STATE OF THE NATION...

Roche fed Lane in a promising position on the Pershore left but again the forward sliced his shot past the near upright but then Webb slipped a fine pass to Clarke at inside-left and although his measured inside-of-right-boot low shot appeared to missing the right post, Moreton wouldn’t have known it and dived left to make a decent save. A Webb free-kick from 21 yards bounced off heads in the Stafford defensive wall and dropped onto the roof of the net, then after Ben Gutteridge replaced Hepple in the Stafford attack, Roche’s left-side corner for the home team was bundled wide at the far stick by Jacobs, who crashed into the side-netting for his trouble. Twice within minutes Moreton then rescued his flagging colleagues, first beating a 30 yard drive by Thomas-Robinson away to his left, then when a headed clearance by Bartlett dropped onto Webb’s left instep also 30 yards out, the result was the same, Moreton plunging left to claw the ball to safety. 

NOTHING HAPPENED BUT I KINDA LIKE THE TONES IN THE IMAGE...

The referee then cautioned Webb, ridiculously, when the ball struck his arm from a yard away and in another Pershore attack, Gutteridge maybe tripped Waldron inside the penalty-box but Waldron got up straight away and played on. A linesman on that particular side of the field would surely have shoved his flag across his chest… Roche made way for Chris Priest in the home midfield, fine work by Bartlett led to a dismal finish by Gutteridge, before Clarke could get no power behind a shot from Webb’s centre and Moreton-not-in-marsh fell upon the effort with little difficulty. Shepherd Machingauta who had rarely threatened for the visitors was replaced by Edward Mudzi and the busy Jez Redler was also harshly cautioned when the ball struck his arm, although the referee was no doubt prompted to book the midfielder when pressed into it by the home dugout inhabitants, in the interests of fairness, naturally…

WHERE THERE IS PAIN, THERE IS GAIN.
REALLY?

HARRISON BARRETT BEGS THE REFEREE NOT TO CAUTION HIM BECAUSE HE KNEW I WAS THERE.
THE OFFICIAL TOLD HIM TO BOW 3 TIMES, SAY 3 HAIL MARYS & ALLOW HIM TO BLOW HIS NOSE ON THE BACK OF HIS SHIRT.
HARRISON AGREED...
NO CAUTION ISSUED.

A fine Waldron pass to Barrett on the right flank led only to an inaccurate lob towards the far post, Jelson Neto Antonio then replaced the tiring Barrett and suddenly The Persian Immortals won a left-side corner which Lane took short to Webb who switched the ball onto his right boot and caressed a long cross-cum-shot beyond Moreton and the ball dropped conveniently and smoothly into the far corner of the net. Parity…

GOAL! WEBB BREAKS THE PERSHORE DUCK...
(GET IT?)

REECE JACOBS:
"HEY, MR MALLARD, WILL WE SEE YOUR GOAL ON THE WORLD WIDE WEBB?"

Moreton was then encouraging the officials to end the game for most of the remaining minutes for he knew that a point apiece in this game would probably be enough to preserve the teams’ League 1 statuses, although he didn’t know then that Pelsall and Studley had both won their matches. Matt Beedell replaced Leek for the guests as the game ended with rather a whimper, leaving the players in a state of slight confusion… The sun shone, dogs were walked on the field behind the pitch, river craft scuttled about on the Avon and the mallards waddled off, lacking any interest at all…

GAME ENDS...

Midfield work by Walter Vundla, Redler and Pace for Stafford had become more of a defensive shift as Webb’s influence for Pershore had ripened and in truth Griffiths and Waldron were rarely troubled after half-time, leaving Marusiak redundant. The Persians should really have won the game in the end, as indicated by Moreton’s keenness to finish the proceedings but it was interesting that the home team’s best efforts at goal were from distance and Clarke was rarely a factor inside the 18 yard box. Alongside Webb, Barrett was often hit and miss, Roche could not be faulted for his effort but both Plum wingers, Lane and Jacobs fizzed rarely, another reason why Clarke was kept at bay, too often lacking the ammunition from the flanks. 

Interesting that both starting right-backs netted the goals... Hmm..

...BUT HAS SHAUN GRIFFITHS IMPRESSED HIS LADY?

Me? Grabbed a ball and wondered which car belonged to Will Stallard but I thought better of it because he had brought some stability to his team’s defence to be fair… 

Stafford had been fairly scuppered by a pair of Webb’s feet…

TEAMS:

PERSHORE TOWN:

ADAM MARUSIAK, STEVE WEBB, RICH THOMAS-ROBINSON, DEAN WALDRON, SHAUN GRIFFITHS (CAPT), DANE ALDINGTON, STEVE ROCHE, HARRISON BARRETT, JAMIE CLARKE, BEN LANE, REECE JACOBS.

SUBS:

WILL STALLARD, CHRIS PRIEST, TUNDE AJIBADE, JELSON NETO ANTONIO, JOAQUIN DE SANTOS BARROS.

STAFFORD TOWN:

JOSH MORETON, RYAN BLAGBROUGH, HARRY BOWERS, MATT BARTLETT (CAPT), WAYNE BAILEY, WALTER VUNDLA, SHEPHERD MACHINGAUTA, JEZ REDLER, JACK HEPPLE, RYAN PACE, CONNOR LEEK.

SUBS:

EDWARD MUDZI, BEN GUTTERIDGE, MATT BEEDELL, CONNOR ALDERMAN, FREDERICK MTUMBI.