Grantham Town 0 Stafford Rangers 1

Nov 22, 2021 | Match Report

Pitching In Northern Premier League
Saturday 20 November 2021

Joe Cuff marked his return to action after a six-week absence by scoring the only goal of the game as Stafford Rangers beat bottom side Grantham Town to move up to seventh in the table. It was a scrappy affair with Rangers relying on some dogged defending and keeper Luke Pilling, who once again made a number of fine saves, to earn maximum points.

Grantham shaded the opening 10 minutes and Lee Shaw could have fired Grantham ahead only to shoot straight at Pilling. Rangers got their first look in a couple of minutes later when Cuff picked up on a poor clearance from AJ Adelekan. In turn, Tom Tonks found Joe Kenton on the right, but his effort crashed back off the Grantham cross bar.

After coming close at one end, Rangers found their goal immediately under threat via a Grantham counter attack but the danger ended when Jon Wafula fired over from fifteen yards out. Soon after, a slip from Ben Woods let in Shaw but Pilling made an excellent block. Play switched to the opposite end, Jake Charles pounced on an error from Michael Williams to put Cuff in and he made no mistake to give Rangers a 19th minute lead.

Pilling made another crucial save when he got his finger tips to a shot from Ali Adeymir to allow Rangers to take their lead into the half time break. Charles went close to doubling the lead early in the second half when he got his head to Tonks’ cross, but home keeper Jim Pollard was equal to it with a fine reaction save.

Grantham replaced Williams with Ifeanyi Ofoegbu and the new face made a noticeable difference and forced Pilling into a good save just five minutes after his introduction. Greg Smith headed over and was then denied by Pilling before Andy Burns made a goal-line clearance to keep out Ofoegbu.

The single goal lead always looked vulnerable, and Rangers defended desperately to survive a late scramble in the area to ensure the win.

Grantham Town: 1 Jim Pollard, 2 Michael Williams (15 Ifeanyi Ofoegbu 51m), 3 Thierry Latty-Fairweather, 4 Shane Clarke (14 Jacob Wright 71m), 5 James Williamson, 6 AJ Adelekan (17 Rod Orlando-Young 79m), 7 Ali Adeymir, 8Finley Shrimpton, 9 Greg Smith, 10 Lee Shaw, 11 Jonathan Wafula. Unused Subs 12 Joe Parkin, 16 Nathan Modest

Stafford Rangers: 13 Luke Pilling, 2 Andrew Burns, 3 Ben Woods, 4 Alex-Ray Harvey, 5 Ethan Stewart, 6 James O’Neill, 7 Joe Kenton, 8 Tom Tonks, 9 Jake Charles (17 Michael Lennon 90+5m), 10 Alex Fletcher (16 Louis Malandjou 69m), 11 Joe Cuff (14 Michael Tait-Moran 70m). Unused Subs: 12 Theo Bailey-Jones, 15 Khaellem Bailey-Nicholls

Cautions: Williamson, Shrimpton, Wafula (Grantham); Tonks, Cuff (Rangers)
Referee: S Wesson
Att: 245

Report: Chris Elsley

Stafford Rangers 1 Bamber Bridge 2

Nov 7, 2021 | Match Report

Pitching In Northern Premier League
Saturday 6 November 2021

It was another frustrating afternoon at Marston Road as Stafford Rangers managed to lose a game that they should have had wrapped up by half time. Rangers dominated first half proceedings, but a number of missed chances meant that they took just a single goal lead into the interval, and they paid the price.

On the front foot from the off, Rangers won a number of free kicks and corners in the opening 10 minutes but a toe poked effort from Jon O’Neill – which went wide of the target – was their only shot on goal. Reward eventually came in the 13th minute via Jake Charles who snapped up the loose ball after O’Neill’s initial shot had been blocked.

Tom Tonks should had doubled the lead four minutes later after some excellent work from Theo Bailey-Jones, but he shot wide with the goal at his mercy. Bailey-Jones went closer himself with a header against the cross bar from a long Tonks throw. Seconds later, Charles put the ball in the net again but was ruled offside.

Bamber Bridge produced their first threat on the Stafford goal midway through the half as Luke Pilling spilled a shot from Robert Apter and Ethan Stewart was required to clear the danger.

A minute later, Ewan Bange headed over from a corner as the visitors began to get into the game. An excellent last-ditch tackle from Ben Woods denied Apter then Stewart made another important intervention after a misplaced header from Joe Kenton set up Sheldon Green.

Luke Pilling tipped over from Bange as Brig began to show the form that has taken them to third in the table and the Rangers’ keeper saved again on the stroke of half time as he denied Green. Rangers had a strong penalty appeal waved away early in the second half when Andy Burns went to ground under the challenge of Green, but it was the visitors who were creating the better chances.

Pilling made a super save to deny Apter then Burns threw himself in front of Bange’s follow up. The seemingly inevitable equaliser came on 65 minutes, but it wasn’t without controversy as Bamber Bridge were awarded a free kick despite an initial hand ball from Nathan Pond. Apter struck home a superb effort from twenty-five yards, via the underside of the cross bar.

With their tails up, Brig went looking for the win. Pond headed straight at Pilling when well-placed then Woods made another brilliant block to deny the experienced Pond. The visitors struck the killer blow ten minutes from time when a slip from Woods let in Apter and although Burns made the block on the line, Green followed up to score. Rangers had one late chance to salvage something from the afternoon, but O’Neill headed over and his side were left to look back on those missed opportunities in the first half.

Stafford Rangers: 13 Luke Pilling, 2 Andrew Burns, 3 Ben Woods, 4 Alex-Ray Harvey, 5 Ethan Stewart, 6 James O’Neill, 7 Joe Kenton, 8 Tom Tonks, 9 Jake Charles (14 Max McCarthy 61m), 10 Alex Fletcher (12 Omotolani Omotola 86m), 11 Theo Bailey-Jones. Unused Subs: 15 Michael Lennon, 16 Louis Malandjou, 17 Tom Carr

Bamber Bridge: 1 Mateusz Hewelt, 2 Matthew Thomson, 3 Lewis Coulton, 4 Callum Spooner, 5 Nathan Pond, 6 Akiel Raffie (15 Christopher Churchman 65m), 7 Robert Apter, 8 Danny Forbes (14 Joe Rodwell-Grant 46m), 9 Ewan Bange (12 Matthew Dudley 65m), 10 Craig Carney, 11 Sheldon Green. Unused Subs 16 Cameron Gourlay, 17 Isaac Sinclair

Cautions: Thomson, Raffie (Bamber Bridge)
Referee: Liam Corbett
Att: 643
Report: Chris Elsley

Sutton Coldfield Town 3 Stafford Rangers 0

Nov 3, 2021 | Match Report

Walsall Senior Cup 2 Round
Tuesday 2 November 2021

Stafford Rangers exited their second cup competition in four days as they were beaten by Sutton Coldfield Town in the Walsall Senior Cup.

But this was a much-changed side as Rangers made ten changes to the XI that started the FA Trophy tie at Bedford on Saturday with only Ethan Stewart retaining his place. Making his first appearance since August was keeper Adam Whitehouse while four youth players made their debuts.

The home side raced into a two-goal lead thanks to errors from two of Rangers’ more senior players then added a third with just 20 minutes on the clock. In the 7th minute former Rangers man Ryan Nesbitt benefitted when Jon Moran failed to cut out a long ball from Jamie Ashmore and advanced past Whitehouse to open the scoring.

Six minutes later, Ashmore’s long range free kick from the left-hand side of the area beat Whitehouse at the near post to double the lead. The tie was all but over on 20 minutes when Alex Smith headed home another Ashmore free kick to make it 3-0.

But the story could have been a better read for the Boro had they not spurned a golden opportunity to get back on level terms in the 10th minute after Smith had hauled down Tol Omotola. The forward took the spot kick himself, but Royals’ keeper Keiran Hart went to his left to save.

Sutton wasted several chances to add to their first half score. Stewart blocked a goal bound header from Smith then Whitehouse made an excellent save to keep out James Beresford before Nesbitt headed over from close range.

Rangers started the second half brightly with Hart turning Jaden Henry-Dean’s shot into the side netting. But they shot themselves in the foot again when Omotola missed his second penalty of the night on 52 minutes following a handball from John Dodd. In an almost carbon copy of the first spot kick, Hart dived to his left to make the save.

Rangers’ night went from bad to worse from the resultant corner. Moran headed over but, in doing so, he suffered a serious blow to his nose. Rangers, who had already used two of their three named substitutes following first half injuries to Tre Pemberton and Jenson Griffiths, were forced to field youth keeper Eden Johnson as an outfield player.

Johnson almost reduced the arrears in the closing stages after Hart had only parried from Henry-Dean, but he was denied by Aris Christophorou’s last ditch intervention. A long clearance from Stewart from midway inside the Rangers’ half almost provided a bizarre consolation but Hart was on guard to keep his goal intact.

Sutton Coldfield Town: 1 Keiran Hart, 2 Jamie Ashmore, 3 Aris Christophorou, 4 Dalmar Morrison, 5 James Beresford, 6 Alex Smith, 7 John Dodd, 8 Christian Isichei, 9 Ryan Nesbitt (15 Lamin Dampha 77m), 10 Leo Brown (16 Benni Wilson 77m), 11 Ben Guy (18 Angelo Njong 77m). Unused Subs 12 Maxwell Brogan, 14 Callum King-Harmes

Stafford Rangers: 13 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Taylor Draper, 3 Michael Lennon, 4 Lewis Rowley, 5 Ethan Stewart, 6 Jon Moran (16 Eden Johnson 57m), 7 Tre Pemberton (14 Jovaan Garrison 33m), 8 Tom Carr, 9 Omotolani Omotola, 10 Jenson Griffiths (12 Jude Hill 39m), 11 Jaden Henry-Dean. Unused Subs – none

Referee: Jamie Conde
Att: 120
Report: Chris Elsley