STRETCHING IT OUT

Yeltz 0 Gloucester 0

13 April 2002

We're still waiting to be mathematically certain of going up as Champions after a second successive draw at home to Gloucester. It would have been nice to clinch it at The Grove, but we now only need a point from the last two games assuming Chippenham win their last game. Chippenham themselves have now confirmed promotion, and beat Cirencester 3-1 on Thursday.

Saturday takes us to Mangotsfield for the last away game of the season and the usual fancy dress shenanigans. It should be an excellent day out to try and finish this successful season off in style.

There's a new section of the site that I'm very excited about - the Yeltz Hall of Fame . It's your chance to recognise players, managers or indeed anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to Halesowen Town. Please check it out.

Match Report from DJ

Halesowen Town: Davies; Colwell, Burnham, N. Smith, L. Collins, Cowley (Bailey), Spencer (G. Smith), Jones, May, Taylor, Hines. Sub: R. Collins

Gloucester City: Bath; Steadman, Marshall (Webb), Griffiths, Wilkinson, McCluskey, Burns, Jenkins, Thompson (L. Smith), Hoskins, Prince. Sub: Howard

Referee: S. Ainge (Walsall) Attendance: 777 Sponsors' Man of the Match: Lee Collins

Halesowen kept their expectant fans waiting to clinch the title after being held to a goal-less draw by gallant Gloucester City. With Chippenham winning at Atherstone, the game left the Yeltz still requiring a further point to be mathematically certain of being crowned as champions.

Ball control was difficult on a rock-hard surface and shots flew high over the bar all afternoon in a game dominated by the Yeltz with Gloucester hardly mustering a shot on target all afternoon. Alex Cowley turned and fired wide after four minutes and Andy Spencer hit the cross-bar four minutes later when Leroy May headed on a long throw-in from Jason Burnham. Spencer crashed the ball high again in the 33rd minute and just before half-time Cowley delivered dangerously from the right for visiting defender Neil Griffiths to nudge the ball past his own post for a corner.

Gloucester's best opportunity came in the 50th minute when young on-loan goalkeeper Clint Davies mis-kicked a clearance straight to Luke Prince but central defender Lee Collins made a great saving tackle in front of an empty net. Les Hines and Cowley fired further shots well over the bar before the Tigers' goalkeeper Matt Bath made a fine blocking save from a May header after 80 minutes with Andy Jones and Gary Smith ready to pounce. With growing frustration, Halesowen mounted a final frantic assault on the Gloucester goal but could not break the deadlock to collect the Western Division trophy.