Stafford Rangers are pleased to announce the signing of Karl Hawley from Boston United. The 5ft 8ins striker has enjoyed a successful football league and non league career. The experienced campaigner made 118 appearances for Carlisle, between 2004 and 2007, scoring 47 goals.
He signed for Stourbridge in 2015 where he made 46 appearances scoring 24 goals. He joined Boston United at the beginning of this season.
The Social Club is open as usual this lunchtime from 12 noon.
Following a pitch inspection at 9.30am this morning this afternoons match =v= Lancaster City has been postponed due to snow and ice on the pitch and terraces.
Due to overnight snow and frost and the likelyhood of similar weather for the next 48 hours Lancaster City have asked that a pitch inspection be carried out in the morning prior to their long journey south. The pitch inspection is scheduled for 9.30am tomorrow morning and details of the result will be posted on this website.
Stafford Rangers 3 Boldmere St Michaels 1
Walsall Senior Cup Round 2
Tuesday 5 December 2017
Rangers picked up a welcome victory, defeating Boldmere St Michaels in the Walsall Senior Cup.
After the woeful display against Marine three days earlier, it was important that Rangers got a positive result against the Midland Football League strugglers and they set out their intentions early on when Alex Fletcher threaded the ball through to Dan Westwood but visiting keeper Reiss Wagstaff got enough off the ball to deny him.
It was Westwood who was the creator as Rangers went ahead in the 9th minute, outfoxing a defender on the right. Massiah McDonald let the cross run to the back post where Osebi Abadaki was able to fire Rangers in front.
Rangers were creating chance after chance but look in need of some target practice after Jack Sherratt failed to trouble the keeper with three shots and McDonald sent his effort out of the ground.
Sherratt did at least force the keeper to stop another shot just after the half hour before an excellent turn from Abadaki gave him the space to drill the ball across the face of the Boldmere goalmouth but McDonald went wide at the back post.
Shortly before half time, McDonald put Dan Westwood in but his shot grazed the outside of the post.
Rangers should have been out of reach by now but paid the price for missed chances when Ben Usher-Shipway levelled the scores a minute before the interval with a well taken goal.
Rangers remained dominant after the break. A good strike from Alex Fletcher was superbly saved by Wagstaff but the Boldmere keeper cost his side a goal on 52 mins with a poor clearance that found its way to Alex Fletcher and he fired past the scrambling keeper from around 20 yards.
McDonald and Sherratt both missed out once more but Rangers should have been awarded a penalty on the hour when George Wray tripped Abadaki. Instead, to the anger of the Rangers’ bench, all they got was a corner from which Wagstaff did well to keep out an excellent header from Jordaan Brown.
Dan Westwood hit the side netting from close range but the one goal lead was always a slender one and Rangers were nearly the architects of their own undoing as Adam Whitehouse had to save from Ryan Nesbitt after an error from Brown allowed Cameron Gayle to launch an attack then it was Keiren Westwood who was at fault but Whitehouse saved again from Nesbitt.
But Rangers remained on top and after both Kieran Morris and McDonald had chances blocked on the line following Sherratt’s corner, McDonald extended the lead, hammering home from Dan Westwood’s flick on in the 73rd minute.
Rangers could have added to the score in added time with Richard Gregory mishitting from close range and Abadaki’s long range effort going just wide of an empty net after another poor clearance from Wagstaff.
Rangers: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Kai Davis, 3 Kieren Westwood, 4 Kieran Morris, 5 Jordaan Brown, 6 Alex Fletcher, 7 Osebi Abadaki, 8 Josh Craddock (15 Richard Batchelor 83m), 9 Massiah McDonald (17 Richard Gregory 83m), 10 Dan Westwood, 11 Jack Sherratt. Unused Subs: 12 Izak Reid, 14 Louis Briscoe, 16 Levi Reid
Boldmere: 1 Reiss Wagstaff, 2 Danal Hallissay, 3 J’Cee Abraham, 4 Cameron Gayle, 5 Harry Craven, 6 George Wray, 7 Ben Usher-Shipway (15 Curvin Ellis 70m), 8 Alex Forde (12 Sam Heath 87m), 9 Ryan Nesbitt, 10 Brad Lindsay, 11 Charlie Morris (16 Ged Oldnall 81m). Unused Subs 13 Lewis Fenney, 14 Brandon Williams.
Cautions: McDonald (Rangers), Craven, Forde (Boldmere)
Referee: Niall Smith
Att: 143
Chris Elsley
