Heathtown Rangers 5 Lye Town 0
West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division
At: Cottage Ground
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Admission: £4; Programme: £1-50 (20 pages)
Attendance: 20 (headcount)
Weather: mild, occasional drizzle
Duration: first-half: 45:31; second-half: 47:42
There are quite a few groundsharers in the West Midlands (Regional) League and one of them is Heathtown Rangers, who play home games at Wednesfield’s Cottage Ground on Amos Lane.So, tonight’s Premier Division game fell into the category of a ‘bracketed tick’ where I saw Heathtown play a home game for the first time on a ground I’d previously visited. Admittedly my previous two visits to the Cottage Ground were over 20 years ago both to see Wednesfield play a home WMRL game – first against Harrisons in 1987 and then against Stourport Swifts in May 1989.
Programmes were on sale at the entrance to the ground and I was interested to read the history of Heathtown Rangers, particularly its origins. The club owes its roots to the local lock industry and were formerly known as Chubb Sports FC. When the Chubb factory closed down, which resulted in the pitches being sold for housing, the present name was chosen by the players who also designed the club’s badge in 2001. Heathtown joined the West Midlands League from the Bilston League in 2005 and swiftly moved from Division 2 to the Premier Division with immediate back-to-back promotions. Last season, their first in the Premier, saw them finish in a creditable eighth position. Previously, Heathtown played home Bilston League games at Fallings Park.
I approached the Cottage Ground via the southbound A460 towards Wolverhampton from M54 Junction 1. Next to the Pear Tree pub, there was a left turn into Pear Tree Lane (B4484) and the ground entrance was one mile ahead on the left just past Cottage Close, having gone straight on at the two roundabouts. Pear Tree Lane by the way became Lower Knowle Lane and then Amos Lane.
Through the gates, the pitch ran lengthways beyond a small training pitch with Wednesfield’s clubhouse, changing rooms and hospitality room all behind the far goal. Down the near left-hand touchline on halfway was a stand containing six rows of benches with individual numbered places marked out. Opposite were the dugouts spaced about 20 yards apart either side of the halfway line.
Both sides went into the game on 12 points in a lowly league position in the 21-team division. Heathtown, having played 15 games, occupied 18th position and were one position below visitors Lye Town who had played three games less.
I had a chat with the club official manning the entrance, who incidentally knew the Stafford Rangers Chairman Jon Downing, and he told me about Saturday’s home game against Darlaston (lost 3-0) when the Heathtown keeper was sent off early on.
Heathtown was a welcoming club, as were the Lye officials as well, and I obtained the team line-up from the hospitality room as well as a cup of tea.
I was the only person sat down when the teams exchanged fair-play handshakes in from of what one person on the field described as the ‘packed stand’. I’d like to think they appreciated my presence. I opted for position 107 in the third row and soon was joined by others.
As the official had told me earlier, this game was a real ‘six-pointer’ as the winning side had the opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom two clubs Bromyard on seven points and Shawbury on four points.
“Big and strong all round,” urged the Lye captain, “we’ve got the wind with us.” He also told his side to be aware of the “short pitch”.
Heathtown (wearing blue shirts with white sleeves, blue shorts and socks) got the game underway attacking towards the Amos Lane end into the wind and took the lead with just 58 seconds on the clock. Lye keeper Matthew Jones spilled Paul Harris’ initial shot and John Holdcroft slotted home the loose ball by the left-hand post.
It got even better for the home side with a second goal scored in the 12th minute, and with the help of an error from Matthew Jones. This time, the keeper failed to hold a low right-wing cross delivered by Michael Flavell and Holdcroft again got forward to slot home at close range.
Lye (in yellow shirts, green shorts and socks) quickly got forward and Andrew Morris made a brave block at the feet of the onrushing Mathew Poyner. The visitors won a corner from which Darren Field rose to head wide.
Lye skipper Danny Adams prevented a third goal with a saving tackle on Harris to prevent the striker having a clear shot on goal.
Just before the half-hour mark, hesitancy in the Heathtown defence prevented a chance for Jimmy Darcy and Andrew Morris produced a diving save to turn round a well-struck 25-yard right-foot shot. The diving keeper did well again to keep out a curling right-footer from Brett McGilliam at the expense of a corner.
Heathtown moved further ahead in the 41st minute with a third goal. Harris found space inside the area on the right and smashed a low shot into the near bottom corner from 15 yards out.
Before the interval, Lye were inches away from making inroads into the deficit. Poyner’s lob cleared Andrew Morris but agonisingly dropped just over the bar. The same player also sent a 30-yard drive just wide of the target as well.
I popped back into the hospitality room at the interval for another tea (I settled my debt from earlier caused by a lack of change on my part) before returning to the stand, this time into position 186 on the fifth row.
Heathtown got forward after the resumption and Flavell was given the time and space to charge down the middle before unleashing a powerful shot which flew past the left-hand post.
A quick spate of booking started in the 54th minute when Lye’s Field received a yellow card for chopping down John Cordy. A minute later Heathtown’s Nathan Jones was booked for a needless deliberate handball inside the Lye area and Cordy followed his teammate into the book in the 57th minute for a late tackle on Adam Cross.
Lye changed their forward line in the 63rd minute when Ash Greenaway replaced Adam Meacham but it was Heathtown who next found the net with their fourth goal scored three minutes later. Harris stayed onside to latch onto a pass played out to the left by Flavell and crossed low into the area. Nathan Jones was perfectly placed to fire home at the far post.
The visitors made a second change in the 71st minute. Meacham’s strike partner Poyner also went off and on came Adam Wooldridge. But ‘lightning’ did strike twice as Heathtown found the net within 34 seconds of the substitution. A slip by Tony Arnold just inside his own half allowed Flavell to run all the way to the area where he fired an angled low left-foot shot into the opposite bottom right corner.
Before the game restarted after the goal, Cordy went off for Heathtown and on came James McKerdy. Harris picked up a booking for preventing Lye from taking a quick free-kick in the 75th minute and two minutes later both sides made a further substitution; Lye brought on Mark Whitehouse in place of Mathew Foster and Leon Spence replaced Matthew Jones for Heathtown.
Bookings continued in what was anything but a dirty game. Skipper Leon Pugh talked his way into a yellow card after impeding the progress of Arnold inside the home ‘D’. The resulting free-kick, taken by Cross, flicked the four-man wall and then the top of the bar as well.
Lye didn’t stop looking for a goal and almost got one in the 84th minute. Whitehouse fed Greenaway who saw a low shot parried by the diving Andrew Morris. The ball went out as the keeper attempted to recover the loose ball and to the frustration of the visitors, the nearby assistant signalled a goal kick.
The arrival of Ryan Nash in the 87th minute wrapped up the evening’s substitution when he replaced home striker Flavell.
There was time for one chance. McKerdy battled on the edge of the Lye area to get in a shot which Matthew Jones kept out with his leg at the expense of a corner.
Deep into stoppage time, Heathtown won a final corner which, despite winning 5-0, they decided to keep in the corner. I suppose I prevented any change of spoiling the clean sheet.
Heathtown Rangers (blue with white sleeves / blue / blue): 1. Andrew Morris, 2. Nathan Cain, 3. Leon Pugh (capt), 4. Gavin Harvey, 5. Daniel Lloyd, 6. John Holdcroft, 7. Nathan Jones, 8. John Cordy, 9. Paul Harris, 10. Michael Flavell, 11. Ryan Jones. Subs: 12. Leon Spence (for Jones, 78), 14. Ryan Nash (for Flavell, 87), 15. James McKerdy (for Cordy, 72), 16. Craig Quinn, 17. Tom Griffiths. Manager: Lea Cain.
Lye Town (yellow/green/green): 1. Matthew Jones, 2. Tony Arnold, 3. Mathew Foster, 4. Adam Cross, 5. Darren Field, 6. Danny Adams (capt), 7. Mark Hill, 8. Jimmy Darby, 9. Mathew Poyner, 10. Adam Meacham, 11. Brett McGilliam. Subs: 12. Adam Wooldridge (for Poyner, 71), 14. Mark Whitehouse (for Foster, 78), 15. Ash Greenaway (for Meacham, 63), 16. Mark Bache. Manager: Mark Bache.
Referee: A Luckett.
Goals:
1-0 John Holdcroft (1)
2-0 John Holdcroft (12)
3-0 Paul Harris (41)
4-0 Nathan Jones (66)
5-0 Michael Flavell (72)
