Halesowen Town 4 Dereham Town 0 - Report
Top of the table Halesowen produced the early fireworks and cruised to a comfortable victory over in-form Dereham with three goals in the opening minutes.
The Yeltz management team were clearly full of optimism after the game. Craig Nicholls thought “it was a complete performance from start to finish. We’re playing positively, we’ve stepped up the tempo and are looking much quicker and sharper now.” Joint manager Martin Sockett chipped in with his praise - “I’m delighted, that’s seven wins from seven home games. We’ve put a good side to the sword today.”
Halesowen lit the fire on their victory by taking the lead after just 52 seconds when Simeon Cobourne did well to cross from the left for Kieren DONNELLY to net his third goal in his first two Halesowen games. Cobourne then shot at visiting goalkeeper Ross Bilham in the third minute.
The Yeltz increased their lead after just 12 minutes when impressive Donnelly surged forward from midfield and beat three players before returning Cobourne’s earlier favour to cross from the right for COBOURNE to calmly sidestep his nearest defender and fire home.
In one-way traffic, Halesowen made it 3-0 in the 18th minute when Dereham captain Dion Frary caught Donnelly from behind and Tom TURTON rocketed home the resulting penalty.
With Halesowen in full control, another Donnelly shot was turned away for a 21st minute corner and McKauley Manning beat the offside trap after 30 minutes but his right-wing cross just evaded Cobourne before Cobourne placed another effort just past the post from a 35th minute corner. Goalkeeper Bilham then made a great blocking save from Kieran Morris’s 37th minute shot and Bilham denied Josh Ezewele in front of goal seconds later.
Just before the interval, Dereham’s Ryan Swift hit just wide beyond outstretched home goalkeeper Dan Platt and Ezewele cleared off the line for the Yeltz after Mo Hassan turned to shoot from ten yards.
With then points already safe, there were fewer chances in the second period and home goalkeeper Platt was tested by a couple of efforts from the Magpies, firstly in the 47th minute and then in the 67th minute from Luke Johnson down the left.
Halesowen were always in command though and new full-back Oscar Tonge – on-loan from Peterborough United – made a good 48th minute tackle before his cross was turned just past the post by Donnelly. COBOURNE grabbed his second goal of the game to make it 4-0 in the 57th minute when he neatly lifted the ball over Bilham after Manning’s neat flick beat the offside trap.
Cobourne just missed out on his hat-trick as he struck the bar from a wide angle in the 62nd minute. Cobourne then rolled the ball into the side-netting after he wriggled free in the 81st minute and put the ball just wide when free on goal yet again in the 86th minute.
Halesowen Town: Dan Platt; Josh Ezewele, Oscar Tonge, Tom Turton (Moussa Koita 49), Kieran Morris, Rob Evans (c), Kieran Donnelly (Dexter Dudley-Toole 64), Nathan Hayward, McKauley Manning, Bradley Birch (Richard Gregory 76), Simeon Cobourne. Subs Not Used: Daniel Brookes, Max Morris.
Dereham Town: Ross Bilham; Chris Greenslade, Danno White (Oli Yun 58), Kai Thurston, Dion Frary (c), Richard Black, Luke Johnson, Louis Henman-Mason (Joe Gascoigne 46), Mo Hassan (Alfie Mattocks 66), Henry Clark, Ryan Swift. Sub Not Used: Harvey Gilham.
Referee: Brandon Scaife Attendance: 1,087
Booked: Koita (90)
