Halesowen 3-0 Histon - Report

Yeltz manager Paul Smith was rightly pleased with the outcome and felt “it was a professional performance and I’m very pleased with it. We were rarely in danger, we scored three good goals and kept an important clean sheet.”

Despite creating plenty of first half chances, Halesowen had just a one-goal advantage to show for their efforts at the interval. Jack Holmes and Simeon Cobourne created two early chances and McKauley Manning skipped past three defenders with his low shot earning a 10th minute corner. Robbie Bunn then put a great ball through for Cobourne to earn Halesowen’s fifth corner after just 16 minutes.

As the one-way traffic continued, Manning’s 20th minute low shot was saved by Histon goalkeeper Sam Roach. Three minutes later Richard Gregory missed a great chance when he side-stepped his marker but then blazed high after Cobourne and Bunn opened up space by playing the ball across the penalty area.

COBOURNE finally put the Yeltz ahead with a tremendous 26th minute finish after being sent clear down the middle and he confidently outpaced central defender Evan Key to slot his low shot past Roach. Just three minutes later Gregory crossed for defender Kieran Morris to head another great chance straight at Roach in the 29th minute.

Histon finally featured when captain Ed Rolph headed a 30th minute corner off the top of the home bar but it was the influential Bunn who then played another outstanding ball for Cobourne to put his low shot just wide of Histon’s post in the 35th minute. The Yeltz created further chances towards the interval through Manning and Gregory before Josh Hawker chipped wide in the final minute of the first period.

Halesowen turned the screw with two further goals in the second period. With the visitors under a spell of continued pressure, the ball came out to Kyle FINN on the right of the penalty area and he doubled the lead by placing home a lovely 20 yard shot into the far, bottom corner in the 59th minute. Five minutes later Roach made a good blocking save from Holmes at the end of another neat move and Manning fired a low shot at Roach a minute later.

GREGORY made it a comfortable 3-0 in the 69th minute when he flicked home neatly from Hawker’s free-kick from the right.

The Stutes plugged away and forced a brilliant 74th minute save by home goalkeeper Dan Platt as he tipped Finley Wilkinson’s header over the bar from Rolph’s cross.

Halesowen Town: Dan Platt; Jack Holmes, McKauley Manning (Josh Ezewele 76), Kieran Morris, Paul McCone (c), Rob Evans, Kyle Finn, Robbie Bunn, Simeon Cobourne (Michael Taylor 76), Richard Gregory (Richard Smith 82), Josh Hawker. Subs Not Used: Ahmed Ali, Chris Lait.

Histon: Sam Roach; Charlie Lewis, Patrick Bexfield, Lee Smith (Babacar Camara 66), Max York, Evan Key (Andreu Ballester 37), Ed Rolph (c), Ryan Towner, Rhys Thorpe (Marcus Cole 81), Finley Wilkinson, Magloire Muyembe. Subs Not Used: Christopher Gough (GK), Samuel Collinson.

Referee: Martyn Fryer Attendance: 997