Thursday 4th June 2015 @ Wast Hills, BCFC Training Ground
Erdington and Saltley 4 – 2 Dudley and Brierley Hill
Team: Harvey, Shaun, Brandon, Marc, Kane, Tyrese, Kruize, Troy, Shilo and Jermaine
Scorers: Shilo x 3 and Kane
After a five week break following the Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA Cup final defeat at the hands of Kings Norton, The Ton pulled on the black and white hoops once again, as the lads bid to reach the final of the West Midlands Schools’ FA Cup for a second year in a row.
However The Ton belied the fact that they’d lay dormant for five weeks, when they took the lead after 90 seconds. Bursting through on goal, Shilo was hauled down, only to dust himself off to rifle a low free kick straight into the back of the net. A number of chance came and went, as The Ton attacked at every opportunity, something made easier by the fact that we played two at the back and an extra man in midfield. Crashing a shot off the crossbar, Marc patrolled the centre of the park like a lion stalking its prey. The Villa man maintained the great form that he has displayed over recent weeks, during a first half in which he constantly broke down the Dudley attacks. Nevertheless, Dudley had a fair few chances of their own, in a first half that was anything but dull! Luckily Harvey was alert to the threat posed by Josh, saving a number of chances with his legs. As the half drew on, Kane got on the score sheet after smartly following in to smash home a rebound. As the half time whistle blew, The Ton led 2-0.
The second half saw Marc drop backwards into defence to combat the increasing threat posed by Dudley striker Josh. This allowed Troy to move inside into centre midfield and Jermaine to slot in on the wing. In fact the Lea Forest pupil could count himself unlucky not to have started, as he has been in amazing form over recent games.
With the Ton midfield edging the opening of the half, Dudley hit the lads with a sucker punch, when they scored via a deflected shot. The boys refused to waver from their attacking mentality and were rewarded with a third goal shortly after conceding. Clearing up the pitch, Brandon played Shilo through on goal, although the St. Matthew’s goal scorer still had a lot of work to do. Watching the ball drop out of the sky, young Mr Waldo cushioned the ball, as he held off the Dudley defended, allowing him to sprint through on goal and finish expertly. With a two goal cushion, The Ton were once again in control of the match. To their immense credit, Dudley refused to roll over and scored a second from a corner with five minutes left on the clock. As time ticked down, Shilo cut in from the right and finished smartly for his hat-trick.
The effort shown by both sets of players was immense and this game was a great advert for district football. An end to end humdinger played in the right spirit throughout.
It’s hard to pick out individuals, as this was a collective performance, but it’s worth mentioning one or two things. Tyrese was brilliant on the ball, spraying passes in every direction from his position in the centre of the pitch. Troy and Kane once again displayed their telepathic understanding of one another, whilst Kruize and Jermaine out wide were a constant menace. At the back, Brandon, Biggy and Harvey made telling contributions, and obviously Shy was class up front. However the final word has to be saved for Marc. A rock. A warrior. A wall. Despite conceding considerable height to Josh, the Abbey defender was immense at the back and won everything that he went for.
What a performance! Well done boys. We couldn’t be prouder.
It looks like the cricket season will have to wait for another couple of weeks, at least until after June 20th!
Man of the Match – Marc
Up The Ton!
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 