Thursday 26th December
Midland Football League Premier Division
Uttoxeter Town 0 Brocton 2
Brocton made two changes from the side that beat OJM Black Country before Christmas. Dan Evans and Lucas Green-Birch replaced Josh Simcox and Cam Osborne in the starting line-up. Uttoxeter beat Brocton 2-1 at Silkmore Lane earlier in the season with both goals coming deep in injury time. Recent form had seen them pull away from the relegation zone.
The first meaningful effort of the game came from Jack Hassall who pulled his shot wide of Tony Allsopp’s goal in the 4th minute. In the 10th minute, Reg Smith sent Christian Blanchette free but, one-on-one with Xander Parke, it was the Uttoxeter keeper that won the battle and kept the shot out. Uttoxeter were using the long throw tactic seen by Lichfield and OJM Black Country in recent weeks, but the Brocton defence remained resolute. In the 25th minute, a short corner routine from Brocton was lifted to the far post with no-one there to attack the ball. In the 33rd minute, Brocton had shouts for a penalty waved away as Blanchette went down in the area, the chance set up by a volleyed cross from Connor Haddaway. Just before half-time, a corner for Uttoxeter caused confusion in the Brocton defence but it was eventually hacked clear. A first half of few chances with Uttoxeter packing out the midfield to counteract the Brocton threat.
Half-time: Uttoxeter Town 0 Brocton 0
Soon after the break, Smith attempted to battle through the home defence but could not find a way through. The game continued as a midfield battle in the cold and foggy conditions. In the 58th minute, Smith tried his luck from outside the box, but it was comfortable for Parke. At the other end, a deep cross was easily dealt with by Allsopp. With 15 minutes left, Uttoxeter had a spell of pressure. Allsopp saved with his legs from a low shot from the left. In the 76th minute, Brocton were grateful for a magnificent save by Allsopp. A corner from the right saw Rob Thorley rise highest, and with his teammates already celebrating the goal, Allsopp pulled off a remarkable save to keep the scores level. Brocton’s response saw Osborne force a save from Parke. With three minutes left on the clock, Brocton took the lead. Smith broke through the home defence and squared the ball to Seb Conaghan for the simplest of tap ins. With Uttoxeter pushing for an equaliser, Brocton sealed the win in stoppage time with a goal of the highest quality. Skipper Connor Haddaway picked up a loose ball 25 yards from goal and hammered his shot into the top left hand corner. After the late defeat at Silkmore Lane, the victory was sweet as Brocton went top, albeit for a few hours.
Full time: Uttoxeter Town 0 Brocton 2 Attendance:190
Uttoxeter Town: Xander Parke, Charlie Goldstraw, Jack Hassall, Dan Harper, Eric Graves, Rob Thorley, Ben Price, Mikey Conlon, Lewis Dawson, Reuben Kenny, Niall Rushton, Subs (Used): Will Minton, Tyler Barnes, Charlie Ratcliffe, Marques Trowers. Sub (Unused): Jack Blood
Brocton; Tony Allsopp, Cooper Marsh (Seb Conaghan 73), Dan Evans, Kenny Devoir, Tom Vaughan, Charlie King (Ben Hackett 90), Will Whieldon, Lucas Green-Birch (Cam Osborne 73), Reg Smith, Connor Haddaway, Christian Blanchette (Jude King 88). Sub (Unused): Archie Russell
Yellow Cards: Kenny, Harper (Uttoxeter); Green-Birch, Osborne (Brocton)
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