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Halesowen Town 1 Stafford Rangers 1
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Tuesday 5 September 2017
A late strike from Jack Sherratt rescued a point for Rangers at Halesowen Town on Tuesday night.
The opening 45 mins was a rather disappointing affair with neither side posing too much of a threat to the opposition goal.
Halesowen probably had the better of things with Daniel Udoh and Lee Chilton working hard to find a way into the Rangers area but without finding an end product.
The half needed a goal and Rangers thought they had one on 8 mins when Dan Westwood headed home from a Sherratt cross but was flagged offside.
Halesowen took heart from their let off and saw Chilton go just wide and Oliver Finney put another effort high over.
For Rangers, Westwood and Jack Langston both put shots straight at Daniel Platt without really troubling the Halesowen keeper.
The home side had a great opportunity when Chilton put Udoh through. Adam Whitehouse forced him wide and when the return ball came to Chilton, Exodus Geohaghon was on hand to block.
The second half opened little better but on the hour, Halesowen sparked some life into proceedings when they hit the bar through a header from Finney and Udoh was unable to snap up the rebound with Mat Bailey and Geohaghon blocking the line.
It was Finney who broke the deadlock on 62 mins with a smart finish after a move involving Udoh and James Spray had worked a way through the Rangers defence. Finney still had plenty to do but found the back of the net following a quick turn and shot.
The goal sparked a triple substitution for Rangers and they immediately showed more urgency.
One of the new faces, Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson went just wide after good play from Richard Batchelor then Rangers had penalty appeals turned down when Langston’s shot struck the arm of a Halesowen defender.
The goal Rangers needed came 8 mins from time when Louis Briscoe spotted Sherratt free on the edge of the area and the midfielder gave Platt no chance.
From then on, Rangers looked the most likely winners but Halesowen, happy to settle for a point, packed the defence to secure the draw.
Halesowen: 1 Daniel Platt, 2 Kyle Morrison, 3 Jack Kelly, 4 Alexander Woodhouse, 5 Dominic Smith, 6 Asa Charlton, 7 Matthew Smith (14 Cameron Steele 78m) 8 Oliver Finney, 9 James Spray (12 Luke Shearer 74m), 10 Daniel Udoh (15 Roland Agbor 85m), Lee Chilton. Unused Subs: 16 Jack Alexander, 17 Niall Maher
Rangers: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Kieran Morris, 3 Kai Davis, 4 Jack Langston, 5 Matthew Bailey, 6 Exodus Geohaghon, 7 Jack Sherratt, 8 Levi Reid (12 Louis Briscoe 67m), 9 Dan Westwood (16 Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson 67m), 10 Richard Gregory (17 Izak Reid 67m), 11 Richard Batchelor. Unused Subs: 14 Joe Thomas, 15 Samuel Griffiths
Cautions: Geohaghon (Rangers)
Referee: Darren Wilding
Att: 261
RANGERS DRAWN AT HOME IN THE EMIRATES FA CUP
Rangers have been drawn at home in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup against local rivals Tamworth.
The match will take place on Saturday 16th September 2017 with a 3pm kick off. Further details will be release later.
Match Report: Peterborough Sports 3-4 Stafford Rangers.
Rangers came up against a lively and determined opposition in this FA Cup opener. Sports showed their intent from the off and in only the third minute, Josh Moreman attacked down the left where he fad Mark Jones and his first effort was saved by Whitehouse and his follow up hit the bar. Rangers briefly responded but Gregory’s effort was way over.
On six minutes Moreman again fed Jones from the left and as he turned inside curled a shot into the far corner to give the hosts the lead. Rangers again responded with a weak effort as Langston went well wide but it was Sports who carried the danger, with Moreman, Jones and Viera being a constant threat. On 31 Geohaghon was booked for a block on Viera and Sports couldn’t capitalise on the free kick. Sherratt then had Rangers first serious effort as he forced Butcher into a double save. Moreman ensured Sports finished the half on top as he fired wide from 20.
The second half started at a higher pace but now it was Rangers forcing the issue. Westwood and Bailey both had early chances blocked before Gregory picked up and found the bottom corner from 20 yards to level. Rangers continued to make it a game of two halves as Gregory, Sherratt and Westwood all came close as Rangers piled it on. On 68 minutes with the hosts under more pressure, Batchelor pounced on the ball and slotted home from six yards to give Boro a deserved lead. The game was never going to be a foregone conclusion, with both teams going for it.
On 77 Lewis Webb rose unchallenged at the back post to draw things level again then on 84, Dan Lawlor was booked for a foul, some way outside Spirts’ box and Jack Langston stepped up to curl a free kick in off the post for 3-2. Sports again hit back and attacked from the restart and the dangerous Moreman levelled things again! With both teams capable of snatching something it was Boro who came strong at the end and Batchelor again popped up to seal the result and send the travelling band home happy.
Stafford Rangers 0 Hednesford Town 1 Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Monday 28 August 2017
Hednesford claimed the local bragging rights with Matt Dodd scoring the only goal just after the hour mark of a disappointing Staffordshire derby. A crowd of 1,226 turned up on a hot Monday afternoon but there was little on offer to inspire them. The game had started ok and had James Wren not turned Richard Batchelor’s header away for a corner in the 3rd minute, it might have been a different story.
Hednesford got their first look in on 8 mins when Luke Rodgers created an opening but he sent his shot well wide. Louis Briscoe found Izak Reid well placed to put Rangers ahead on 15 mins but he screwed his shot wide of Wren’s right hand post. Hednesford upped the tempo with some short sharp passing but didn’t cause too many problems for Adam Whitehouse. Green sent one effort high over the top from the edge of the area while the best opportunity came from a James Lawrie free kick that flashed across the face of the Rangers goal but didn’t get the touch the Pitmen needed.
Hednesford were first to show in the second half with Whitehouse forced to keep out Green’s shot with his feet five minutes after the resumption. Soon after, Alex Melbourne hit a shot straight at the Rangers keeper. Richard Batchelor went close for Rangers when he got the better of Lawrie, only for Wren to save at head height at his near post but Hednesford still looked the most threatening.
On the hour, Whitehouse needed a second go to keep out a shot from Lawrie but he was left helpless a minute later. Tom Thorley was given acres of space all afternoon and finally made Rangers pay when he picked out Matt Dodd who, with one touch, took the ball past Whitehouse before rolling it into the unguarded net. In the remaining half hour, neither side looked like adding to the score as the two keepers were largely untroubled. The closest Rangers came was in the final minute when Sam Oji had to head off the line from a Jordaan Brown free kick.
Rangers: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Kai Davis (12 Exodus Geohaghon 84m), 3 Jordaan Brown, 4 Kieran Morris, 5 Mat Bailey, 6 Levi Reid, 7 Izak Reid, 8 Louis Briscoe (15 Jack Langston 72m), 9 Dan Westwood, 10 Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson (14 Kyle Perry 67m), 11 Richard Batchelor. Unused Subs: 16 Jack Sherratt, 17 Bradley Caswell
Hednesford: 1 James Wren, 2 Lewis Wright, 3 Alex Melbourne, 4 Kris Taylor, 5 Jim Mutton, 6 Sam Oji, 7 Matt Dodd, 8 Tom Thorley, 9 Luke Rodgers (12 Danny Glover 72m), 10 James Lawrie, 11 Devarn Green (14 Ben Bailey 84m). Unused subs: 15 Jordan Nadat, 16 Stephen Palmer, 17 Jose Veiga
(Lawrie and Rodgers were listed as 9 & 10 respectively on the team sheet but wore the opposite shirts)
Cautions: Westwood, L Reid (Rangers), Taylor, Rodgers (Hednesford)
Referee: Mark Howes
Att: 1,226
Match Preview: Stafford Rangers vs Hednesford Town
We look to maintain our good start to the season on Bank Holiday Monday as we welcome Hednesford Town to Marston Road in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division.
Rangers have started the season the better out of the two sides with only one defeat this season, keeping three clean sheets in the three away games they have played this season as well as convincing score lines beating Altrincham 3-0, and Sutton Coldfield 4-1 in the first two matches.
Hednesford Town currently sit 16th in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division with just the single victory beating Halesowen 2-0, as well as drawing two and losing two games at the start of their campaign.
Kick-off 3PM. Social Club will be open before and after Monday’s game.
Admission Prices:
£10 Adults, £7 concessions, (Senior Citizen/Armed Forces/18-21 years students in full time education) – Proof of identity or age may be required. £1 Kids (With a responsible adult), £5 Kids (Without a responsible adult).
If you can’t make up the game, follow updates on our Facebook page, and Twitter account: @SRFCofficial.
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