Monday 27th August 2007

Polymac Services Midland Football Alliance

Shifnal Town 0 Rocester 3

Rocester produced their best performance of the season to date on Monday evening to earn themselves a fine win at newly promoted Shifnal Town.

Boss Damian Grocott made four changes to his starting line-up with Peter Johnson and Mark Ruddock returning to the defence, Neil Reilly coming in on the right of midfield and Ashley Sheridan earned his first start on the left after impressing from the bench in the recent matches against Coalville Town and Boldmere.

The re-shaped Romans scored three excellent goals, kept their first clean sheet of the campaign, and, for the first half at least, looked like a side capable of challenging at the top end of the league.

Rocester started brightly and took just six minutes to break the deadlock. Dave Shaw broke down the right and sent over a low cross to the near post, Reilly’s first time shot was well blocked by goalkeeper Kevin Welsby but it fell nicely for Nick Ward who gleefully lashed it high into the net from six yards.

More chances came as Rocester dominated the play, and they could have been out of sight by half time had their finishing been a little more clinical. Shaw headed Dave Brown’s free kick narrowly over the bar, Reilly found the side-netting with a shot on the run, Mark Hodson fired over as he chased a through ball, and Ward sent an effort wide at the end of a mazy solo run.

Rocester may have ended up rueing their missed opportunities once Shifnal made more of a game of it in the second half, but although the home side enjoyed a greater share of the ball they struggled to open up a resolute Rocester rearguard.

In fact it was Rocester who still looked the more likely to score, and they were denied what looked to be a perfectly good goal just after the hour mark when Shaw’s diagonal drive was palmed into the path of Hodson, who tucked it into the net. The effort was flagged offside despite Hodson’s perfectly timed run.

Finally, with twelve minutes remaining, the Romans found a second goal, and it was certainly worth waiting for. Shaw was again involved, holding play up before finding Sheridan just outside the box. Sheridan, always with time on the ball, turned inside and suddenly unleashed a rocket of a shot that    crashed into the net off the underside of the bar.

Five minutes from time Shaw sent a dipping shot from fully 35 yards out against the bar, and Steve Edwards immediately responded by hitting the Rocester bar with a tremendous volley from a cross.

Shaw fittingly completed the scoring in the 87th minute when he headed Adam Soane’s cross beyond Welsby.

Romans Star Man – Dave Shaw – Led the front line magnificently.

Scorers: Romans – Ward (6); Sheridan (78); Shaw (87).

Shifnal: Welsby; M.Johnson; Hitchcroft; Bates; Hobson; Rochester (Edwards 70); Daniels; Corns; Joshua (Evans 13); Adams; Huston (Stephens 83). Subs not used: Poole; Andrewartha.

Romans: Latham; P.Johnson; Allen; Ward; Brown; Ruddock; Reilly (Purchase 65) (Soane 75); Heath; Shaw; Hodson (McMahon 88); Sheridan. Subs not used: Bennett; Maxwell.

Yellow Cards: Shifnal – Welsby; M.Johnson.

Referee: Mr. M. Swinscoe (Bridgnorth).

Attendance – 144.