Cole shill Town FC – scene of disappointment for the Woodmen. Image from the club site on Pitchero.

Walsall Wood FC disappointed Bill Shaw on Thursday evening (23rd April 2015), as a weary team conceded a hard-fought defeat to Coleshill Town FC.

Bill submitted the following match report:

Hiya Bob,

In the end a disappointing finish to our away programme that has seen us win 12, draw 3 and lose 6, scoring 32 goals in the process and conceding just 22, so all in all it was a creditable effort with us as per usual being hard to beat.

Just a quick reply about the time wasting, as I said in my report, this isn’t a Sunday morning pub league, this is level 5 of the football league pyramid, it’s big money football, Basford United’s playing budget was £3,000 per week, serious stuff and that at Westfields on Tuesday has no place whatever at this level – sorry but I feel strongly that they shouldn’t be allowed to manipulate the system as they undoubtedly did. [Utterly agree- Bob]

On a brighter note the rest of your comments were appreciated – Thank you, it makes the hard work worthwhile to know people enjoy the garbage what I wrote.

We can’t finish higher than fourth, or lower than fifth, so it’s an advancement from last season, but don’t go making us title favourites yet, we have Hereford, Highgate United and Sporting Khalsa to contend with next season. Another case of LOADSAMONEY – see what we are up against.

Anyway, see you this afternoon for the last game this season against Heath Hayes.

Coleshill Town 2 v 1 Walsall Wood

Wood ended their away programme with a defeat at runners-up Coleshill, they went deservedly ahead through a Corey Currithers goal on 24 minutes but conceded the equaliser three minutes later. Inexplicably from then on Town took almost total control and unlike the corresponding fixture at Oak Park deserved to take all three points.

After just two minutes James William whipped in a cross from wide right, Mykel Beckley getting in a stooping header that looped over the bar. On 10 minutes Beckley got clear wide right, his cross into the box hit first time wide by Chris Hughes.

Wood settled after a somewhat shaky start and on 18 minutes Corey Currithers fired in a cross from wide left, Craig Milligan slicing his attempted clearance over his own bar. It was Currithers again a minute later on the end of a right to left crossfield move across the face of the box, he cut inside, hit a low cross in that was hit first time wide by Luke Adams. On 23 minutes a left wing far post cross from Steven Hayles was headed back across the box by Adams, Harry Harris getting in an acrobatic volley that brought a full length save from keeper Chris Jay. From the keeper’s clearance Shawn Boothe got in a defensive header that found Craig Deakin on halfway, he ran into the right of the box, crossed to the far post to find Currithers who under intense pressure forced the ball home.

The lead lasted just three minutes, Beckley played the ball out wide right to Milligan who, depending on who you spoke to, hit a superb lob from 45 yards that sailed over a furiously back pedalling Mario Kisiel and into the far corner, or it could have been a speculative misplaced cross that somehow found its way into the net. Whatever, it completely knocked the stuffing out of the Wood who for the rest of the half disappeared into their shell.

On 36 minutes Chris Hughes ran at the Wood defence from halfway, played a quick-fire one-two with Beckley as he raced into the box, Jamie Sauntson getting back to make a superbly timed challenge. Four minutes later Ricky Cutting released Hughes into the right of the box, this time it was Jamie Hawkins to the rescue with a great tackle.

Wood started the second half better, two minutes in Currithers cut inside from the left, played a neat little one two with Joey Butlin before releasing Harris into the left of the box, he nicked the ball past keeper Jay and went down under his challenge, penalty appeals ignored. Then on 54 minutes Hayles played a ball into the left of the box, Butlin cleverly flicked the ball to his right for Harris to send a first time effort whistling wide.

Two minutes later Cutting raced through the Wood defence from halfway, Kisiel making a good save at his feet. The keeper was powerless two minutes later, when route one paid off big time, a long ball out of defence was helped on by Milligan to find Cutting on the right of the box, his first time dipping effort giving Kisiel no chance to put Town ahead for the first time. Then on 62 minutes Hughes raced into the right of the box, Hayles making a superb stop to his run, but getting injured in the process and being replaced by Daniel Holgate.

It meant a Wood reshuffle but it didn’t matter as we could all have gone home at this point. Town just retreated into their shell denying Wood any space in the final third to stifle the life out of the game, to record in the end a comfortable victory.

There were some very tired legs out there tonight, a trip to Hereford on Tuesday night followed by this game just 48 hours later taking its toll, all because the Midland League Premier division must finish on Saturday April 25^th. Nothing short of ridiculous.

Bill Shaw.

Walsall Wood are a good team and an excellent, community-spirited institution. They need our support – so get your backsides down there!

As ever, thanks to Bill for the report – always appreciated – for The Good of the Wood!