Monday 24th April 2000
Stafford Rangers 1 Bilston Town 1
Dr Martens League Western Division
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £5; Programme: £1
Attendance: 1971
Weather: sunny spells
Without serveral key players. Rangers had to come from behind to gain a point against a determined Bilston side out to avenge their heavy Boxing Day defeat on their own Queen Street ground. With two games to go, Stafford cannot be passed by Moor Green or Hinckley United and with a far superior goal difference are virtually assurred of the Championship. Scott Voice put the visitors ahead before Jason Smith equalised in the second half to ease the nerves of the biggest crowd at Marston Road since the Conference years.
Rangers had problems before the start of this Easter Monday afternoon fixture when goalkeeper Richard Williams and skipper Leigh Everritt failed to arrive at the ground (they travel together and were under the impression it was an evening kick off); this was in addition to being without central defender Stuart Ryder (injured) and Nicky Law (caretaker manager at Chesterfield) plus the long term injury to striker Tony Eccleston.
In the 3rd minute Bilston skipper tested his former colleague Price in the Rangers goal with a deep cross that the keeper had to stretch for to tip away. On 18 minutes Williams, the Biston keeper, found himself in trouble when he let a free kick from Read slip through his hands and Osbourne had to concede a hasty corner. Rangers however had not settled down and were stunned three minutes later when Bilston took the lead. Burgher worked the ball down the right to feed a ball to Leeding whose first time centre was met by Voice to plant a glancing header into the net.
Bilston then seemed content to frustrate the home side with tight and aggressive marking and only occasionally did Rangers threaten the Bilston goal. Kiely put an awkwardly bouncing ball high over the bar and later saw his high hanging cross dropped by Williams under pressure from Mitchell but the ball went just wide of the far post. Before the half closed Dundas fired in a fierce 25 yarder that Williams did well to pluck out of the top corner.
A determined Stafford Rangers came out for the second half and within two minutes Jones got a header on target which Williams saved. Five minutes later Kiely picked up a through ball halfway inside Bilston territory and although hotly pursued by Rollason got in a shot from just inside the area that Williams could only block and as the ball span across the face of the Bilston goal Mitchell and Smith narrowly failed to make contact. Soon afterwards Walker found Kiely with a through ball and although the 20 yard volley beat Williams it struck the crossbar and came out.
On the hour Jones took a quick free kick which produced a 25 yard dipping shot by Dundas that Williams did well to tip over. The resulting corner was cleared to Smith just outside the area who struck a low shot through a crowd of players into the net. Rangers went all out for the winner which would have guaranteed the championship with Jones and Kiely shooting inches wide of the target. Kiely had a shot cleared off the line by Leeding eight minutes from time and in the dying moments a Jones header forced Williams to pull off a diving save at the foot of his post.
Stafford Rangers: 1. Gary Price, 2. Delwyn Humphreys, 3. Darren Boughey, 4. Brett Wilcox, 5. Ronald Walker, 6. David Read, 7. Paul Kiely, 8. Jason Smith, 9. Stephen Jones, 10. Richard Mitchell, 11. Scott Dundas. Substitutes: 12 Devon White (For Mitchell, 82), 14. Leigh Everritt (not used), 15 Daren Bloor (not used).
Bilston Town: 1. Richard Williams, 2. Stuart Leeding, 3. Gary Osbourne, 4. Mark Clifton, 5. Lee Rollason, 6. Gavin Stone, 7. Symon Burgher, 8. Leon Jackson, 9. Scott Voice, 10. Danny Williams, 11. Joe Jackson. Substitutes: 12. Henry Wright (not used), 14. Jason Rhodes (not used), 15. David Benton (not used)
Referee: Mr J. R. Hubbard (Leicester)
Goals:
0-1 Scott Voice (22)
1-1 Jason Smith (61)
Cards:
Stafford: none
Bilston: Stuart Leeding (YC, 10), Leon Jackson (YC, 29)
