Coleshill Town 3 Halesowen Town 2 - Report
Halesowen slipped from the top of the table after two Coleshill goals in the last five minutes condemned Halesowen to their first defeat under the management duo of Martin Sockett and Craig Nicholls.
The Colemen took an early 14th minute lead when Halesowen goalkeeper Dan Platt was at fault in challenging Kai Tonge when the ball bounced up and TONGE stepped up to convert the resulting penalty. There was little to choose between the sides in the first period with plenty of high balls leading to few chances on goal. A 21st minute free-kick from Halesowen’s Josh Quaynor hit the defensive wall and McKauley Manning’s 23rd minute shot was headed away by Niall Rowe. Home goalkeeper Paul Hathaway then pushed away a good 41st minute cross from Simeon Cobourne.
The Yeltz equalised two minutes before the interval when Josh Ezewele played a neat one-two with Bradley Birch and Birch struck a low, hard cross for Kieren DONNELLY to stroke home from just inside the home penalty area. Halesowen then went ahead in the 54th minute when DONNELLY raced into the area to meet Manning’s ball and beat goalkeeper Hathaway at his near post to bag his fifth goal in three games since signing from Redditch.
But Halesowen then lost the game from their winning position and let three points slip away after their defence failed to hold on at the end of a tough game with eight yellow cards. TONGE was brought down in the 86th minute and stepped up again to equalise with his second penalty of the afternoon. There was further Halesowen heartbreak when Tonge’s 89th minute free-kick from the edge of the penalty area was saved onto the woodwork by Platt but George WASHBOURNE was able to turn home the winner.
Coleshill Town: Paul Hathaway; Mason Birch, Taylor Carter-Byrne, Niall Rowe, Vidal Hendrickson, Ewan Williams, Kai Tonge, Josh Willis (Frazer Doyle 63), Gio Dainty, Alex Tomkinson, George Washbourne. Subs Not Used: Harry Higginson, Kyle Burke, Frazer Doyle, Jamie Ashmore, Kyle Jardine.
Halesowen Town: Dan Platt; Josh Ezewele, Oscar Tonge, Josh Quaynor, Kieran Morris, Rob Evans (c), Kieren Donnelly, Nathan Hayward, McKauley Manning (Moussa Koita 84), Brad Birch (Jamie Insall 68), Simeon Cobourne. Subs Not Used: Richard Gregory, Dexter Dudley-Toole, Nat Kelly.
Referee: Harry Warner Attendance: 302
Booked: Hayward (28), M. Birch (32), Hendrickson (45), Tonge (53), Quaynor (65), Rowe (72), Cobourne (77), Evans (85)
