Lichfield and Darlaston met at the Trade Tyre Community Stadium in the play-off final yesterday for a place in step four. Both teams have been excellent in step five this season with only eleven league losses all season between them. The introduction of the play offs has been excellent at this level with promotion to step four more competitive than ever. It was 2nd vs 3rd in this season’s play off final and there was not much to separate the two. Lichfield City got some confidence building home wins against Highgate United and Studley over the last month. Darlaston were coming into the final with a lot of momentum and had won eight consecutive matches. The atmosphere at the Trade Tyre Community was excellent for the play off final with an eye-catching attendance of 1,110 supporters watching it. Both Lichfield and Darlaston bought a commendable number of supporters for a huge match in step five, and it was notably busy half an hour before kick-off. It’s an excellent ground to visit for groundhoppers and can be accessed by taking a twenty-minute walk from Lichfield Trent Valley train station. Starting Line Ups Lichfield’s starting line up included James Beeson starting in goal and captaining the team. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Jude Taylor playing up front and being supported by Jack Edwards and Cameron Dunn on the wings. Jordan Clement started in a holding midfield role alongside Dominic Lewis with Liam Kirton playing in the number ten role. There were two changes from the team that started against Highgate United last weekend with the big change being Jude Taylor coming in for Dan Smith who suffered an injury last time out. The starting line-up for Darlaston featured Tom Allsopp starting in goal and Alexander Foreshaw captaining the team from central defence. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Kieran Cook playing up front and being supported by Rivel Mardenborough and Jack Downing on the wings. Ryan Winwood and Jake Pearson started in holding midfield for the visitors. There were no changes from the team that started against Stourport Swifts last weekend with Dean Gill playing a settled starting eleven. First Half Darlaston got off to the perfect start in the opening minutes of the final with Jake Pearson managing to win the ball high up the pitch and playing in Kieran Cook. He accelerated with the ball before producing a quality finish into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. It was an excellent counter attacking goal and came from pressing the Lichfield defence who got caught playing out from the back. The goal stunned Lichfield City and the Staffordshire side gradually grew into the match as it went on. The situation suited Darlaston who have been pragmatic away from home all season and were reliably set up off the ball to limit clear cut chances in front of goal. The hosts were getting into a rhythm as the first half went on and were starting to create some decent opportunities in the final third. They stuck to their possession-based style and were looking to break down a stubborn Darlaston back four. It was just that final ball in the box that was missing but the effort and character was there from Lichfield. Just as Lichfield were growing into the final, Darlaston scored a second goal to have some control of the match. The visitors looked threatening going forward and were looking to catch Lichfield off guard defensively. Harry Chesterton made a brilliant run down the left before playing an inviting cross to Josh Jones who headed in at the front post to make it 2-0. It was not quite clicking for Lichfield up front in the first half and Alexander Foreshaw and Ben Podmore were clearing numerous balls into the box. Their best chance of getting an opening goal came near the end of the first half when Leighton McMenemy had a shot blocked by Harry Chesterton at a crucial time in the match. Darlaston did well to see out the first half and looked composed off the ball in one of the biggest matches of the season. Second Half Lichfield started the second half brilliantly with a quick goal to turn the momentum in their favour. They were looking for a moment of inspiration to get them going and it came just after half time with Jack Edwards playing an excellent ball to Lewi Burnside who headed in at the front post to make it 2-1 with 40 minutes plus stoppage time to play. Dean Gill made a clever tactical substitution following the goal and bought on Kieron Miller for Jack Downing. He played him as the central striker up front to hold the ball up and take the pressure off the visitors. It worked well and helped them manage the match in the second half alongside offering a threat on the counterattack. The hosts had a few good chances to find an equaliser in the second half with Liam Kirton having a notable chance where he had a shot well saved by Tom Allsopp on the hour mark. To Darlaston’s credit, there excellent at managing a match when in front and it continued yesterday with Josh Jones reading the game well and taking the pressure off the visitors. The visitors have that pragmatism off the ball and played the ball in less risky areas when in possession such as near the side of the pitch to limit Lichfield’s momentum. The best chance for an equaliser came a few minutes before stoppage time when substitute Demitri Brown had an excellent shot destined for the top left corner instinctively saved by Tom Allsopp for a corner kick. As Lichfield were committing more players forward in search of a late equaliser, it left them vulnerable to the counterattack and this happened right near the end of the match. Darlaston got the ball back near the edge of the box and it fell to Kieron Miller who made an excellent run before finishing past James Beeson to seal promotion to step four. Full Time This was a classic play off final between two evenly matched teams and the atmosphere was incredible yesterday. It’s a great advert for having the play off format in step five as it created brilliant drama and tension throughout the afternoon. The attendance was one of the biggest of the season and it was a final that will live long in the memory. Lichfield will understandably feel disappointed with the result and might need a bit of time to reset and go again for next season in the league. Losing a match as big as the play off final is a tough one to take but there’s reasons for optimism when looking at the bigger picture. The play off run has showcased a club on the up within the West Midlands and one that’s constantly improving and developing. It’s a tough one to take for the supporters but they should be proud of the team this season. To finish as runners up of the MFL Premier is an excellent achievement and they went unbeaten at home throughout the whole league season going into the play offs. Darlaston Town have really grown into the season to get promoted from the MFL. The most pleasing thing about the Citizens is how they have got better as the season has gone on. To have nine consecutive wins in both the league and play offs is an incredible achievement and they deservedly go up as play off winners. A key part of their success is how they play as a team and there’s a nice balance between defending and attacking quality. The full backs Harry Chesterton and Josh Jones were excellent in this final and looked solid at the back. They were regularly blocking balls into the box throughout and that second goal between both full backs will live long in the memory for Darlaston supporters. Overall, this was a brilliant final which showcased the strength of step five. FT score: Lichfield City 1-3 Darlaston Town Man of the match: Josh Jones (Darlaston Town) Attendance: 1,110 Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League Premier Division Lichfield City V Darlaston Town Overview Lichfield City and Darlaston Town meet at the Trade Tyre Community Stadium tomorrow afternoon for a place in step four. It’s a huge match for both teams who are 90 minutes away from being promoted from the MFL. Both Lichfield and Darlaston have been excellent this season and come into this match with some confidence. Lichfield beat Highgate United and Darlaston beat Stourport Swifts in the semi-finals last weekend. Lichfield City The big talking point for Lichfield is how their going to replace prolific forward Dan Smith who suffered an unfortunate injury in the semi-final. It was a shame as he was playing excellently before going down near the end of the first half. Demetri Brown came in for Lichfield’s top scorer and looked promising in the final third. It will be interesting to see how they get on and if they start Demetri Brown as the central striker. There would have been a few training sessions to adjust to the situation in preparation for the final. Jack Edwards and Liam Kirton have looked threatening on the wings and caused problems last weekend which is a huge positive. Jordan Clement stood out in midfield in the semi-final and is a key player for Lichfield in their push for promotion. He’s played in a number of roles this season and has been either a number ten or holding midfielder. Dominic Lewis also impressed from midfield in last Saturday’s play-off win against Highgate United. It’s been solid at the back for the Staffordshire side with Jamie Elkes playing well in central defence and clearing dangerous balls into the box. He’s been excellent and started 36 games for Lichfield. An underrated part of Lichfield’s success is James Beeson in goal who made a crucial save in the first half last weekend to not allow Highgate back into the match. He’s been ever present with 48 starts in all competitions for the hosts. Darlaston Town Darlaston go into the final with a lot of confidence and are one of the form teams in step five with eight consecutive wins going into this match. Dean Gil has done a brilliant job as manager, and they have clicked at the right time of the season to be a match away from promotion. The main concern going into the play offs was the injury to attacking player James Rowland. The Citizens coped well last weekend against Stourport Swifts and were able to create chances in the final third. The visitors have been clever in their recruitment this season with the signing of Tom Allsopp a huge positive in their play-off push. He’s emerged as one of the best keepers in the MFL over the last few months and will be going into the final with confidence following his success with Trooper FC in the FA Sunday cup final last weekend. Darlaston were coming off seven clean sheets going into the play offs, and they have an excellent defence. Alexander Foreshaw and Ben Podmore have impressed at the back throughout the season and helped the visitors settle into matches. Between them they’ve got 70 starts for Darlaston and been ever present at the back. There’s quality up front with Aaron Bishop causing a lot of problems in the final third. He’s got 21 goals this season in all competitions and will be looking to make an impact tomorrow. There’s also quality on the bench with Kieron Miller being used as a substitute of late and making an impact with his hold up play and how he brings players into the game. A key strength of the visitors has been the ability to soak up the pressure and play on the break. It’s going to be interesting to see how the final plays out tomorrow between two evenly matched teams. Division One OJM Black Country V Droitwich Spa Overview OJM Black Country and Droitwich Spa meet at the Triplex Sports Association in kings Norton tomorrow afternoon for a place in step five. It’s a crucial game for both teams who will be looking for promotion out of MFL Division One and are only 90 minutes away from play-off success. Both teams come into it with some confidence following their semi-finals wins last weekend. OJM sealed their place in the final with a clinical 2-0 win against Ingles with Droitwich Spa travelling to Allscott Heath and winning 3-1 to get to the final. OJM Black Country OJM have been brilliant to watch this season in division one and play an eye catching brand of football under manager Adam Younis and like to work the ball into the box to create opportunities. When they get into a passing rhythm and have got momentum it’s brilliant to watch for the neutral and OJM supporters and involves neat passing moves into the final third and building from the back. A key strength of OJM has been at the back with the best goals conceded record in division one with just 40 league goals conceded across the course of 38 matches. Callum Nimmo has impressed in central defence and reads the game well to take the pressure off OJM and help them settle into matches. He’s been ever present with 38 starts in all competitions. There’s quality in midfield with Liam Spink and Jordan Sangha playing well and linking up the play to build attacks. They both have that technical quality on the ball to start off attacks for OJM and have been key to their success this season. There’s a lot of attacking options up front with Taylor Homer impressing on the wing and Kosheen Sappelton looking good up front as the main striker. The most pleasing thing about OJM is having that composure in the box to take chances which has seen them near the top of the league. Droitwich Spa Droitwich have got experience in the play offs which could serve them well tomorrow afternoon. They just lost out in the division one play off final last season to Ashby Ivanhoe who went up to the UCL Premier North and that experience is huge going into this weekend. A lot of the squad from that final are still at Droitwich with the likes of James Lemon, Alex Dugmore and Cory Rudd providing that experience and leadership for the Saltmen. The visitors have been one of the standout teams at this level over the last few seasons and will be looking to get promoted to make it two promotions in three seasons. Connor Collins has been a key attacking threat up front with 24 goals in all competitions. The Saltmen have got a loyal and passionate following which will help them in this match and create a good atmosphere for the team. Momentum is huge in one off play off matches and if the visitors can get on a run of form, they could cause OJM numerous problems going forward. Similar to the play off final in the premier division, this is quite an even match between two quality teams who have been near the top of the table throughout the campaign. Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League |
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March 2024
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