Saturday 2nd November
Midland Football League Premier Division
Romulus 2-3 Brocton
Brocton made their long-awaited return to league action away at Romulus with an unchanged XI from their win in JW Hunt Cup in the week.
There was little to separate the two sides in the opening five minutes, with both teams committing minor fouls as they grappled to get the upper hand early on.
A deep Romulus free kick from 35 yards attempted to lob Tony Allsopp, who was out of goal to order the positioning of his defenders. Thankfully for him, the ball sailed over the top of the goal. Moments later, the ball fell to Maradoche Mipro in the box for Romulus, with the eventual shot coming from Reece Nunn, deflecting wide of the goal.
On the 10-minute mark, Ben Haddaway's effort from close range for the Badgers bounced back off the post before landing at the feet of an offside player, in the eyes of the linesman. Then, straight down the other end, Fin Douglas broke away from the Brocton defence but saw his effort hit the side netting.
A thus far fast-paced match continued throughout the first half, with neither side having any major chances for a long spell. Connor Haddaway attempted to change that with a cross into the box from a wide position but the combination of a lack of Brocton men in the box and the goalkeeper's positioning meant it hardly troubled Lewis Gwilliams.
Romulus found themselves in a good position in the 26th minute when a deep free kick was played over the top of the Brocton defence however the sole attacker of it misjudged the flight of the ball and tapped it behind for a goal kick. Brocton then followed this up with a chance of their own through Reg Smith, but his shot went narrowly wide on the turn.
The first goal of the afternoon came in the 35th minute when Brocton were caught in a 2 v 1 situation in the opposition's favour, with striker Sean Devlin calmly playing in Mipro who converted to put the home side in the lead.
Brocton then saw a decent effort from Reg Smith go just wide of the post, but Romulus were in control of the possession for the remainder of the half, only once working the ball into the box but the resulting shot flew well over the Brocton goal.
HALF TIME: Romulus 1-0 Brocton
The second half finally saw Will Whieldon on the ball for the Badgers, with an effort on goal getting blocked well by the Romulus defence, quickly followed by him utilising the acres of space being afforded to him by the opponent to earn Brocton a corner from his blocked cross. The 54th minute saw a flurry of chances come the way of Brocton as everyone in the box attempted to get the ball in the back of the net, ending in an attempted overhead kick from Jake Thomas flying narrowly wide of the post.
Romulus were then able to double their lead in the 68th minute when another mistake from Brocton left them wide open at the back, allowing Nunn to get his shot away, deflecting off Jake Thomas on its way into the goal.
Their joy was short-lived however as just a minute later Brocton were fortunate to pull one back when a Romulus defender’s attempt to clear the ball away from danger accidentally hit second half substitute Cam Osborne before looping into the goal, with Gwilliams left helpless.
As the game entered its final 10 minutes, Brocton thought they’d found their equaliser through the captain Connor Haddaway, but the goal was disallowed when the linesman judged an offside in the build-up. Brocton were reduced to 10 men when Jake Thomas, who was initially booked and placed in the sin bin, immediately received a second for what the referee judged as continued dissent.
Brocton initially appeared to be feeling the pressure following the red card when Douglas was given too much time on the ball before eventually having his shot deflected wide. However, with one minute of regular time left, Smith headed the ball down in the box for Whieldon, who hit it on the half volley to bring the game to 2-2.
It was then in the fourth minute of additional time that James Bowen brought Charlie King down in the box to give Brocton a last-minute opportunity to take the three points, secured through Whieldon’s powerful penalty.
It was an eventful match overall, but Brocton secured the three points, allowing the Badgers to gain further ground on Lichfield City at the top of the table following their draw with 1874 Northwich. The boys are next in action on Tuesday night when they visit Boldmere St. Michaels in the Walsall Senior Cup.
FULL TIME: Romulus 2-3 Brocton Attendance:91
Romulus: Lewis Gwilliams, Jordan Francis, James Bowen, Lewis McPike (Paul Ibhadon 67), Louis Lake, Joe Clarke, Reece Nunn, Maradoche Mipro, Sean Devlin (Jack Sang 79), Fin Douglas (Rob Hanna 89), Jeval Thompson-McKenzie (Rio Sawyers 74). Sub (Not Used): Izzy Touray
Brocton: Tony Allsop, Adam Weldon (Dan Evans 85), Josh Simcox (Jude King 85), Ben Haddaway, Tom Vaughan, Charlie King, Will Whieldon (Kenny Devoir 90+5), Jake Thomas, Reg Smith, Connor Haddaway, Christian Blanchette (Cam Osborne 60). Sub (Not Used): Lucas Green-Birch
Yellow Cards: Clarke, Bowen (Romulus); Ben Haddaway, Weldon, Thomas (Brocton)
Red Card: Thomas (Brocton – second yellow)
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