Heather St. John's 1-2 The Mikes

Initial line up was nearly the same as that which had started the Saturday previous against Sporting Khalsa, the one change being the inclusion in midfield of Richard Batchelor (who had, I think, played for Neil Kitching at Stafford Rangers). Game on! Heather, for their part, had ex-Mikes “Kizza” Clarke (whose two goals at Church Road had sunk us in the corresponding fixture earlier this term) and Charlie Morris listed in their squad - but neither of them appeared on the team sheet.

Despite the recent rain, the pitch was in good condition, though Boldmere defenders found the going rather slippery in the near right hand corner. It needed a double save by home keeper Stuart Parsons (another ex-Mike) to stop the visitors capitalising on an accurate Shearer cross, with only two minutes gone; but thereafter, in the usual 100 miles per hour opening exchanges, the Mikes’ approach work was messy, while their hosts were efficiently executing their short passing game, threatening down the left through wingers Doyle and Fellows. The opening goal, on fifteen minutes, came out of nowhere. An accurate, swerving long ball by Owen Parry found Luke Shearer out on the left. Beating his marker, his centre found Jack Skinner, who fired home from close in. As the half wore on, however, Heather won more of the midfield possession, and imaginative passing play came up against solid defending from their guests. With the half hour just passed, you could feel the equaliser coming. A slick six man move through the middle of the park ended with Umar Zaman bundling the ball home past a bemused Boldmere rearguard. Some animus was evidently building up between Joe Lyng and bulky home striker Malachi Farquharson, but fortunately the game remained a good spirited affair throughout. Heather held the whip hand for the rest of the period, Boldmere increasingly relying on the long ball to clear their lines; though, perhaps significantly, the Mikes actually had more efforts on goal in the closing quarter, the offside trap rescuing the homesters from the advancing Shearer with four minutes to go to the break.

The Mikes looked a more fluent team throughout the second period, which was eleven minutes old when Joe Lyng clattered Taylor Byrne with both feet. The body language of the gathering assembly told you it was accidental, and a yellow card constituted an appropriate punishment. The siege mentality which had overcome the Mikes at Noose Lane, and which had threatened to re-establish itself as the first half ended, had now evaporated, and Boldmere were now attacking as much as defending. With twenty-four minutes left, Pierce Kiembi joined the battle, Daniel O'Sullivan going off. Things weren’t going to plan for the hosts, and midfielder Mark Williams was booked for arguing on the three-quarter mark, while our old friend Jason Lanns was spoken to by the referee, and asked to treat the technical area as more than a mere technicality. Swarming round their opponents’ penalty area, Boldmere hit the post with a brave headed effort by Skinner: with a quarter of an hour left, a free kick just outside the box found Shearer, who made his way along the goal line: the resultant cross bounced around the goal mouth, blue clad legs keeping it from the net: Owen Parry gained the third bite at the cherry, and pushed the ball home. The Mikes were now in no mood to surrender their lead, and gave as good as they got across the park. Heather did their best to lay siege to the Boldmere goal, keeper Parsons coming up field for a late corner; but all they could manage were wayward long-range shots. Kartel O’Neill-Martin replaced Jack Skinner with three minutes of ordinary time left; and it was handshakes all round at the end, as Boldmere consolidated their mid table position.

What is it that managers put in their players’ tea at half time? After a stumbling first half display, the Mikes went up a couple of gears after the break, and were worthy winners by the time the final whistle was sounded.

The Mikes: Lewis Fenney; Brandon Williams; Harry Sweeney; Steve Palmer; Harry Craven; Joe Lyng; Daniel O’Sullivan (Pierce Kiembi 66); Owen Parry; Jack Skinner (Kartel O’Neill-Martin 87); Luke Shearer; Richard Batchelor. Subs not used: Jakob Burroughs; Kaden May; Pedro Lima.