Coleshill Town 1 v 0 Stratford Town

[Alan Beckett]

Saturday 31st March 1990
Midland Combination Premier
Coleshill Town 1 v 0 Stratford Town
Scorer: Neil Brady.


P32 W10 D7 L15 F33 A39 Pts37 Pos?/20


Team: Darrel Houghton GK, Neil Brady. Confirmed.


SUNDAY MERCURY WROTE
Coleshill took the lead on 23 minutes when Brady neatly picked up a loose ball in midfield and fired in a 20 yard shot which Whitehouse, the Stratford keeper, could only help into the net. Stratford almost equalised seven minutes later when Alan Byrne broke down the right but his well flighted centre was headed narrowly over by Jake Mitchell from six yards.

STRATFORD UPON AVON HERALD WROTE
OFF DAY WITH NO GOALS OR IDEAS
Stratford had one of those games best forgotten slipping to a shock defeat at Coleshill in a contest they should have won comfortably as they failed to score in the league for the first time in four months. With top striker pair John Mitchell and Gary Wareing having an off day, Town lacked the ideas and initiative to break down a Coleshill defence which had shut out Boldmere the week before. They did a similar destroying job on Stratford. After a first half where they could do nothing right, Stratford battered away at the home rearguard throughout the second period but never looked like breaking through. On came substitutes Ray Usher and Neil Morgan and giant defender Dave Young was pushed up into the attack in a late gamble, but to no effect. The only goal of the game, Coleshill's first in four matches, came out of nothing on the half hour with Neil Brady trying a speculative shot from outside the penalty area. Keeper Lee Whitehouse was at fault as he pushed the ball into the air and it dropped over his head into the net. Town were struggling to find any sort of form but should have equalised when Alan Byrne raced onto a Wareing pass down the right and put over a pin-point cross to set up Mitchell. From a few yards out , he planted his header over the bar. Stratford could have fell further behind when striker Williams somehow appeared behind the defence but his his shot weakly wide and that was the home sides last real effort at goal. Despite the pressure in the second half, Town rarely troubled home keeper Houghton. But they should have had a penalty when their most dangerous attacker Byrne was brought down in full flight. Referee Green, who infuriated Town with some odd decisions, would have non of of however. Lee Sullivan and Colin Pryor hit shots wide as Town ran out of ideas and Coleshill held on for their first home win in three months. Waring and Sullivan were booked for dissent on a disappointing day for Stratford.