Saturday 13th February 2010

Aspire Midland Football Alliance

Rocester 1 Studley 2

Improving Rocester were denied a share of the spoils from Saturday’s Midland Alliance clash against Studley by visiting goalkeeper Matthew Harris, who saved Dean Watkiss’s well-struck penalty a minute into stoppage time. The substitute stepped up confidently to take the kick after Morgan Hurley had been tripped inside the six-yard box by Harris, who was perhaps fortunate to only receive a yellow card from the referee, but Watkiss’s firm kick was too close to Harris and he reacted quickly to fist the ball away to safety.

It was another cruel finish for the Romans, who had suffered a late-goal defeat in their previous match against Coventry Sphinx four days earlier, but there is a growing sense that the tide is turning at Hillsfield.

Once again their was no shortage of commitment from new boss Dave Langston’s side, but they are adding some purposeful football to their industry and in Hurley, a pacy 23-year-old brought in this week from Stafford Town, they at last appear to have a cutting edge to their forward line.

Hurley almost introduced himself to the Hillsfield faithful in spectacular fashion inside the opening minute when he played a neat one-two with Adam Hewitt out on the left and darted away behind the Studley defence. His angled shot, however, flew past Harris and agonisingly wide of the far right-hand post.

But Rocester didn’t have to wait long before they nosed ahead through Hewitt, who thundered the ball into the top corner from 18 yards after Harris had palmed out Jack Langston’s cross under pressure from Mark Hodson in the 11th minute.

Studley came back well though, and after Jamie Bailey fired way over the bar from a decent position, Richard Froggatt had to make two good saves from Jamie Clarke, the second diving at full stretch to concede a corner.

Then another chance fell to Hurley inside the area, but after knocking the ball past Harris he went down after appearing to be caught by the keeper’s dive only for referee Andy Luckett to wave away the loud claims for a penalty.

It was perhaps the turning point, as Studley responded by scoring twice inside three minutes either side of half time. Jack Edwards stabbed home the equaliser in first half stoppage time inside a crowded six-yard box, and Jamie Clarke claimed what proved to be the winner two minutes after the break when his shot took a horrendous deflection of Romans skipper Chris McComisky that saw the ball loop up high over Froggatt and underneath the crossbar.

The visitors just about enjoyed the lion’s share of second half possession but Rocester had at least two great chances to level before the late penalty drama. Those also fell to Hurley who saw one effort well-blocked by Harris after McComisky’s superbly-weighted through ball set the striker away, and in a carbon-copy of his first minute miss Hurley made a powerful run down the left before slipping his shot narrowly wide of the far post.

Scorers: Romans – Hewitt (11). Studley: Edwards (45), Clarke (47).

Romans: Froggatt; Lowndes (Bullock 73); Butler; Wain; McComisky; Justin; Mason (Watkiss 68); Langston; Hodson; Hurley; Hewitt. Subs not used: McGinley; Littler.

Studley: Harris; Mulholland (T.Edwards 84); Lacey; Haylor; Mitchell; J.Edwards; Adams; Saunders; Bailey; Clarke; Povey. Subs not used: Morton; Jones; Beauchamp; Styles.

Yellow Cards: Romans – Hurley; Hodson. Studley – Adams; Harris.

Referee: Mr. A. Luckett (Dudley).

Attendance: 114