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Christie strikes yet again to seal point

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:13:21 +0000

JEVAISE Christie once again rescued a point for Eastwood as they held Solihull Moors at Coronation Park on Tuesday night.

Blue Square Bet North

EASTWOOD TOWN 1

Jevaise Christie 46

SOLIHULL MOORS 1

Stuart Pierpoint 33

by Mark Duffy

JEVAISE Christie once again rescued a point for Eastwood as they held Solihull Moors at Coronation Park on Tuesday night.

It wasn’t all that pretty and neither side were anything like clinical in front of goal when it mattered, both of the efforts that did go in being scrappy affairs.

But it made it three unbeaten in all competitions for the Badgers as they try to salvage something from their season, and a lively second-half performance perhaps deserved to be rewarded with all three points.

Moors created all the early running and full-back Phil Midworth was first to let fly in the opening 30 seconds, his effort from distance not threatening Sam Andrew’s goal.

Junior English then had a golden opportunity three minutes in, when after being fed inside the penalty area he fired his shot straight at Andrew’s legs and the ball was cleared.

Jordan Fitzpatrick saw an effort cleared off the line by Gavin Caines on 13 minutes as the visitors continued to create the better chances, Danny Spencer from 30 yards next to test Andrew who parried the shot away.

It took 17 minutes for Eastwood to have a shot in anger, Alex Troke wide from distance, and Solihull’s Lee Morris nearly announced his return to Coronation Park in style on 22 with a stinging shot from 25 yards which again Andrew pushed away.

But the lead was Solihull’s on 33 minutes, when a corner from the left wasn’t cleared and the ball eventually found the head of Stuart Pierpoint whose effort hit the underside of the bar and dropped down over the line, possibly assisted by the unfortunate Andrew.

Christie was high, wide and not that handsome with a volley on 36, while at the other end English somehow headed wide from four yards out following Michael Blackwood’s cross from the left on 42 minutes.

But it took just 50 seconds of the second-half for Eastwood get level, as a long ball forward saw Christie challenge goalkeeper Jasbir Singh who missed his clearance entirely and the Badgers striker was able to roll the ball into an empty net.

And Christie nearly scored again moments later after great work by sub Gregg Simmons down the right, but his low shot was gathered by Singh this time.

Danny Elliott then had a low drive also held by the Moors keeper on 56 minutes as Eastwood continued to wake from their first-half slumber, while the same fate befell Morris at the other end after he’d cut inside from the right and Andrew saved his shot.

Troke was well wide on 72 with another long range strike, while for Moors, Morris and Pierpoint both saw shots blocked at close range after a cross from the right caused problems in the Badgers defence.

The game was fairly even though Moors looked slightly more likely to score going into the final five minutes, Blackwood’s cross-come-shot just too high on 85.

Elliott had been energetic throughout and good persistence saw him carve out a chance on 88 but after cutting inside he shot just wide, and it wasn’t long before proceedings were brought to a halt and the points were shared.

Eastwood: 1 Sam Andrew 2 Kallum Keane (Steve Istead 46) 3 Chris Shaw 4 David Haggerty 5 Gavin Caines 6 Sam Benjamin 7 Alex Troke 8 Mitch Hanson (Gregg Simmons 46) 9 Jevaise Christie (Markel Bailey 87) 10 Francis Green 11 Danny Elliott Sub not used: Ashley Noble

Att: 184

Ref: A Tankard

Badgers recover from two down to earn a draw

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:11:36 +0000

The Badgers secured a point to take them off the bottom of the league but it took a dogged and determined performance coupled with a little luck and a controversial goal to lift them off the basement.

Blue Square Bet North

EASTWOOD TOWN 2

Francis Green 45+3pen

Jevaise Christie 64

FC HALIFAX TOWN 2

Hogan 5

Danny Holland 8

by Andy Cope

The Badgers secured a point to take them off the bottom of the league but it took a dogged and determined performance coupled with a little luck and a controversial goal to lift them off the basement.

Even before some fans had entered the ground, Halifax, searching for their ninth successive away victory, were two goals to the good and cruising.

However, Cameron Dawkwah’s moment of indiscretion in the 41st minute reduced the Shaymen to ten men and the fightback was on.

Having signed on loan late on Friday night, goalkeeper Sam Andrew made his debut for the Badgers but he must have wondered what he had let himself in for ten minutes later.

Halifax were quickly out the traps and took the lead with their first real attack.

Dawkwah fed former Badger Danny Holland who won a corner off Gavin Caines. Simon Garner’s deep corner fell fortuitously to Eastwood skipper Mitch Hanson but he failed to clear and Gavin Hogan rifled into the top corner.

Worse was to follow for the Badgers as another quick break saw Holland ghosting in between two defenders to head home Dawkwah’s cross to double the Shaymen’s advantage with only eight minutes on the clock.

Eastwood heads visibly dropped and Liam Needham went close to adding a third a couple of minutes later, and Sam Benjamin did well to block Holland’s goalbound drive from the edge of the box.

Slowly the Badgers started to get a foothold in the game and the majority of play was fought out in midfield.

However, Halifax were still creating the better of the chances with Jamie Rainford and Holland both going close to adding to the scoreline.

All that changed after Dawkwah’s two-footed tackle on Kallum Keane that left the referee no option but to show the winger a straight red in the 40th minute.

Worse was to follow for Halifax as manager Neil Aspinall was then sent to the stands for a petulant outburst.

Eastwood were thrown a lifeline in injury-time at the end of the first half, when Luke Ashworth’s ill-advised tackle brought down Jevaise Christie in the box.

While arguments remain over the validity of the contact, Francis Green stepped up to confidently to score from the spot.

Eastwood introduced Gregg Simmons at the start of the second-half and the young striker started to ask questions of the Halifax defence.

Halifax keeper Simon Eastwood had to react quickly, racing out of his box to beat Christie to a through ball after the striker had sprung the Shaymen’s offside trap.

Christie wasn’t to be denied though with a real ‘did it, didn’t it?’ goal in the 63rd minute.

He met Simmon’s cross perfectly but the ball appeared to flick the side netting before hitting the concrete pitch surround and then nestling at the back of the goal.

This necessitated the intervention of the assistant referee to re-peg the back of the goal and Badgers fans remain divided as to whether the ball entered the goal or not. Halifax players didn’t argue so they must have thought it did.

Keeper Eastwood did well to block Alex Troke’s volley from the edge of the box as both sides pushed for a winner.

Hogan volleyed over following a corner and substitute Dean went closest to securing three points for the Yorkshire side, but his header went wide.

Eastwood then had Chris Shaw red-carded in the 89th minute, but the Badgers held on to secure a point.

Eastwood: 1 Sam Andrew 2 Kallum Keane (Steve Istead 58) 3 Chris Shaw 4 Danny Elliott 5 Gavin Caines 6 Sam Benjamin 7 Alex Troke 8 Mitch Hanson (Markel Bailey 75) 9 Jevaise Christie 10 Francis Green 11 Paul Riley (Gregg Simmons 45) Subs not used: Ashley Noble, Jake Want Att: 579 Ref: Darren England

Badgers recover from two down to earn a draw

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Blue Square Bet North

EASTWOOD TOWN 1

Jevaise Christie 46

SOLIHULL MOORS 1

Stuart Pierpoint 33

by Mark Duffy

JEVAISE Christie once again rescued a point for Eastwood as they held Solihull Moors at Coronation Park on Tuesday night.

It wasn’t all that pretty and neither side were anything like clinical in front of goal when it mattered, both of the efforts that did go in being scrappy affairs.

Moors created all the early running and full-back Phil Midworth was first to let fly in the opening 30 seconds, his effort from distance not threatening Sam Andrew’s goal.

Junior English then had a golden opportunity three minutes in, when after being fed inside the penalty area he fired his shot straight at Andrew’s legs and the ball was cleared.

And Christie nearly scored again moments later after great work by sub Gregg Simmons down the right, but his low shot was gathered by Singh this time.

The game was fairly even though Moors looked slightly more likely to score going into the final five minutes, Blackwood’s cross-come-shot just too high on 85.

Att: 184

Ref: A Tankard