The Grove, the setting for today’s Northern Premier League Midlands Play-Off Final between Halesowen Town & Spalding United. Halesowen finishing higher in the league means they get the final at home!
My second visit to the Grove and this time it’s with Match Days Joe and it’s fair to say we are VERY excited for this one! We are certainly hoping to see some Yeltz limbs today!! My first time visiting the Grove resulted in a 2-0 win to Chasetown in a top 2 clash. I did witness Halesowen away at Loughborough Dynamo this season which ended in a 2-0 win for Halesowen! Third time lucky for Halesowen for me today?
Coaching duties with Wisewood is done for the season and done for good as I close the book on my coaching career for now. It’s on to the M1 and off on the A42 to the M42, onto the M1 to the M5 and into the car park with around half an hour to go before kick off. Now to meet You Yeltz Tim for our tickets outside the shed entrance.
You Yeltz Tim is here all the way from Wales! Even I have travelled shorter than him today! £10 for this play-off final! Smashing! The atmosphere is already beginning here in the shed end so we will take our places in there!
The atmosphere continues to build and now it is time to step over that white line for a place in Step 3 next season! It’s the Play-Off final! May the best team win!
Kick Off! 2 minutes in and it’s a free kick on the right for Halesowen, it’s played into the middle Richard Gregory with the header… It’s straight at the keeper.
7th minute and Halesowen’s McKauley Manning comes forward, he shoots from 30 yards… Oooooh! It’s tipped over for a corner! What a strike that nearly was! In comes the corner… Cleared by Spalding. Good start by Halesowen!
17th minute now and Spalding play down the left, it’s played to Lewis Hilliard who makes a run to the edge of the box and he’s set up to shoot… It’s over! It wasn’t too far over either.
Spalding are growing into this game more and more as the game goes on and it is starting to quieten down slightly in the shed end… Is this a sign of things to come…?
37 minutes now and Spalding have a corner, it’s played in… It’s Nathan Stainfield with the header at the far post… OH! It’s gone in… Halesowen can’t keep it out! Spalding draw first blood here and stuns the Grove… 0-1!
40th minute now and Halesowen have a free kick on the left, it’s played into the box, Richard Gregory with the looping header… OH! It’s tipped over! Corner for Halesowen… It’s cleared by Spalding. At half time the score is 1-0 to Spalding. A big second half needed from Halesowen!
Second half, Halesowen struggling to find a rhythm like they did in the opening stages of the game here… 60 minutes on the watch and it’s a corner for Spalding, in it comes… It’s Nathan Stainfield at the back post again… OH! It’s just wide! Spalding continue to pose a threat from these corners.
4 minutes later and Halesowen give the ball away on the half way line and Stefan Broccoli is away down the left, he gets to the edge of the box and goes for the far corner… OH! He’s put it just wide! What a chance! Halesowen are living dangerously here!
66th minute and it’s another corner for Spalding… Uh-oh! In it comes… It’s James CLIFTON… OH! WHAT A SAVE!!! Dan Platt somehow tips it over from point blank! Spalding somehow are only still 1-0 up but they have another corner which is played in… It’s loose… Spalding get an overhead kick turned towards goal… The keeper claims.
81 minutes now and you can really feel the tension around the ground… Miguel Ngwa has the ball on the left for Spalding, a bit of pace from him as he glides past the defenders, he’s in…!SAVED! Big save there!
86 minutes now and it’s another corner for Spalding, in it comes… The header… OFF THE LINE! So close again from Spalding!
1 minute later and Halesowen play down the left, Simeon Cobourne cuts inside and shoots from the edge of the box… It’s over! It’s just not going to be Halesowen’s day is it…?
90 minutes gone and it’s going to be 6 minutes! Halesowen have 6 minutes to save their season here… Spalding are 6 minutes away from Step 3!
90+1 now and Holmes has it down the left for Halesowen, he cuts inside in the box and he shoots… The keeper can’t hold on to it and it’s KIEREN DONNELLY… OHHHHHHHHH!!! YES!! HALESOWEN HAVE FOUND THAT ALL IMPORTANT EQUALISER!! SCENES AT THE GROVE!!!! It’s 1-1! WOW!!! It’s so cruel on Spalding…
90+4 by my estimations and Halesowen are going for it now! They couldn’t could they! They get it out to the left, Kieren Donnelly has it and he gets a shot away from the edge of the box… It’s deflected… It might just come for Jamie Insall… IT DOES… OH! It’s just wide… MY WORD! Heart in your mouth moment for Spalding there! Jamie Insall is whiskers away from sealing the most remarkable of turnarounds here! Play goes on… It will be extra time after all!
The Halesowen players are roaring on the Shed end which is rocking once again as we go into 30 minutes of extra time!
Extra time, 103 minutes gone and Spalding play down the right, it’s crossed in, it’s evaded everyone and it comes to Miguel Ngwa on the left of the box, he plays it to Kyle Barker on the edge of the box and he shoots… It’s deflected… It’s over the bar and it’s a corner… Some Halesowen fans can’t bare to look… It’s all too much! In comes the corner… It comes all the way to the back post… It’s come off the post! Too tight of an angle there. At half time in extra time it’s still 1-1.
Second half, 112 minutes now and Halesowen come forward, it’s played to Holmes on the edge of the box, he gets into the box and he beats his man, HE’S IN… The keeper gets a finger to it but here’s JAMIE INSALL… JAMIE INSALL YOU BEAUTY!!! HALESOWEN HAVE THE LEAD HERE!!! IT COULD BE THE GOAL TO SEND THEM INTO STEP 3! CRAZY SCENES IN THE SHED END!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!
The Grove is rocking once again! What an atmosphere they are generating here!! THEY BELIEVE!
Halesowen are looking really comfortable here now can they hold on…? Into stoppage time at the end of extra time and it’s a corner for Spalding, the keeper is up! In comes the corner… Dan Platt catches it! Relief for Halesowen! Spalding keep on pressing and they are throwing the kitchen sink at Halesowen now… THAT’S IT!! HALESOWEN ARE PROMOTED TO STEP 3!! The fans are on the pitch!
The man on the tannoy isn’t impressed… “Please leave the pitch or else the trophy presentation will not take place!” Who needs a presentation when you’ve got this?! The fans do vacate the pitch and the the trophy is about to be presented! A mark of respect from the Halesowen fans for the Spalding players who look absolutely devastated… What a performance they have put in here today! Fair play! But it’s all about Halesowen who are going up! What a day it is to be Y! E! L! T! Z!
FT: Halesowen Town 2-1 Spalding United AET
Ratings
- Atmosphere: 10/10 – Unreal!!!
- Build-Up: 8/10 – A fairly short build up but the atmosphere built slowly and slowly and was really good!
- Expense: 10/10 – £10 to get in, £2 for parking and £50 for fuel, was it worth it? YES! Worth every penny!
- Overall Experience: 10/10 – Probably the best day out that me and Match Days Joe have had so far!! great to see Tim here today as well but those limbs were CRAZAY!!!!! Delighted for Halesowen who have thoroughly deserved their promotion after the work they have put in throughout the season!
38/40