Halesowen Town 5 – 3 Wealdstone
Halesowen Town5 - 3
WealdstoneA more normal service now resumed on the website after a couple of weeks away, but nothing changes on the playing front, as a Stones side ravaged by injuries travelled to Halesowen to be beaten 5-3,
Manager Gordon Bartlett called in a fourth Goalkeeper in recent weeks to fill in since Lee Carroll’s non-appearance, Mitch Swain having been injured playing in the Reserves and Rickie Perks, dual signed with St Albans unavailable, so Paul Smith signed from Ryman League AFC Wimbledon, while the search for a permanent replacement continues, hopefully to a successful conclusion this week in advance of Friday’s Transfer Deadline.
To make matters worse, with Carl Martin still unavailable, Kevin Swift suffered a Hernia in the midweek defeat, this likely to keep him out for the season, and both selected starting Centre Halves – Ben Martin and Lordi Kangana were forced to pull out on Saturday morning. This only added to Gordon’s woes as Scott Donnelly had also pulled out on Friday evening with a back injury…..
Very much a scratch side took the field, but that was a poor excuse for the defending in the early stages that allowed the home side to take a 2-0 lead on 9 minutes – both from back post headers, but then Stones steeled themselves and came more into the game.
Theo Robinson pulled a goal back on 28 minutes with a solo effort breaking through the home defence and dean Papali equalised for Stones on 52 minutes tapping home from a corner, but then the wheels somewhat fell off Halesowen scored twice more in quick succession to lead 4-2, and though debutant O’Toole pulled a goal back for Stones with a delightful chip on 87 minutes, Stones were to get nothing more as they pushed forward for an equaliser, conceding a fifth goal at the death, to make survival this season an even harder task.
Wealdstone: Paul Smith, Josias Carbon s71 Andre Delissier, Fergus Moore, Graham Hall, Lee Chappell, John-Joe O’Toole 87, Chris O’Leary, Graeme Montgomery s71 Rod Maveso-Mputu, Theo Robinson28, Dean Papali52, Simon Martin, Subs not used: Dean Clark, Mark Gill