Rushall Olympic 1 Hednesford Town 0 - Report

In a game played in heavy rain throughout the game had a quiet start but the first real attacked fell to the home side when Jonathan Letford did well down the left hand side but Pitmen captain Ben Bailey read the danger well and cleared.

The Pitmen began to get into the game and Elliot Hodge was through but goalkeeper Jonathan Flatt saved with his feet but the visitors kept up the pressure and Osebi Abadaki tested Flatt twice and the dangerous winger then got into a good position and shot wide. At the other end in a rare home attack Richard Batchelor saw his cross come off the top of the bar.

Hednesford continued to press and Flatt came racing out of his goal to head clear and the ball fell to Abadaki whose shot was poor and then four minutes before the interval Flatt came to the home side`s recue again keeping out a stinging drive from James Hurst.

The home side came out of the blocks the quickest at the beginning of the second half and two minutes in Letford`s pace took him clear of the Pitmen`s defence and as he rounded goalkeeper Andrew Wycherley he was brought down and the referee awarded a penalty. Up stepped Sam Whittall to confidently despatch the spot-kick and put the home side in front.

Hednesford were undeterred by the goal and kept storming forward but the home side led by Whittall and Orrin Pendley were defending superbly. Abadaki was continuing to cause problems and he went down under a challenge which saw the referee wave play on and as play switched to the other end Danny Waldron`s shot was deflected for a corner and from the resultant cross Pendley failed to get any power in his shot and it was cleared

Rushall suffered a huge blow on sixty nine minutes when Alex Moore picked up a second yellow card, to be sent off, but the home side with goalkeeper Flatt in inspired form continued to defend superbly. At times the Pitmen laid siege to the Pics goals but Flatt made vital saves from Abadaki, Hallahan and Glover and for all their efforts the visitors failed to find an equaliser and Rushall stopped their run of three games without a win to ick up three excellent points.

Rushall Olympic:

Jon Flatt, Mitchell Clarke, Asa Charlton, Danny O`Callaghan, Sam Whittall, Orrin Pendley, Danny Waldron (Ben Lund 89), Alex Moore, Levi Rowley (Lee Smith 72), Jonathan Letford (Eesa Sawyers 84), Richard Batchelor

Substitutes;

Jakob Burroughs, Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham,

Hednesford Town:

Andrew Wycherley, Matt Curley, Sam Griffiths, Ben Bailey, Charlie Gatter, James Hurst (Jack Hallahan 70), Elliot Hodge, Reece King, Danny Glover, Tom Fry (Jones 90), Osebi Abadaki (Izak Reid 90)

Substitutes:

Kieran Morris, Jose Veiga

Referee: L. CORBETT

Attendance: 619