Saturday 25th August 2007 - Polymac Services Midland Football Alliance

Rocester 4 Boldmere St. Michaels 3

Superb entertainment, particularly the second half, when Rocester scored four goals to turn the game on its head.

The Romans were out of sorts for the first half, and almost gifted the visitors the lead in the opening minute when Neil Bennett lost the ball on the half way line leaving Jason Holmes with a clear run at goal. Luckily for Rocester Holmes's shot was superbly touched around the post by the diving Dean Latham.

Dave Shaw should have put Rocester ahead in the 28th minute but his lob over goalkeeper Paul Fellows went just wide.

Having narrowly escaped at one end, Boldmere went straight down the other and scored a fine goal when Max Bissell met a long cross from the left with a first time shot that flew inside the left upright.

Just before the break Nick Ward went up to meet Dave Brown's free kick and saw his header bounce back into play off the post, leaving the Mikes deservedly one goal to the good at the turnaround.

The second half started with Mark Hodson receiving a yellow card for a foul on Jack Brown that saw the defender leave the field with an injured ankle, and manager Damian Grocott quickly introduced Neil Reilly and Ashley Sheridan to give his side a change of direction.

The changes reaped dividends almost immediately when, in the 57th minute, Sheridan set Carl Allen up to send a cross into the area and Ward met it perfectly to send a header past Fellows for the equaliser.

Bennett then cleared off the line as Boldmere threatened again, and in the 65th minute the Mikes were reduced to ten men when Joshua McKenzie aimed a kick at a grounded Bennett and was given a straight red by Albrighton referee Mr. Archbold.

Despite being a man down Boldmere took the lead when Adam Soane got caught in possession, leaving substitute Tobias Salmon with a clear run at goal. He gave Latham no chance with an emphatic finish.

Within a minute Soane made up for his error with a great cross in from the right that Shaw glanced into the net with his head to make it 2-2.

Adam McMahon came off the substitutes bench to put Rocester in fron for the first time with a close-range finish in the 78th minute, but Rocester's joy was short lived as another mistake at the back by Bennett gifted Joseph Davies with an opportunity to make it 3-3.

With 90 minutes on the clock, a quickly taken free kick by Ward teed up Shaw to crack home his second of the afternoon and seal a welcome three points for Rocester.