Redditch United 5 - 0 The Mikes

History repeated itself, as once again the Mikes visited Southern League Premier Central opposition in the F.A. Cup’s First Qualifying Round….and were well beaten.

The Mikes started on the front foot, applying pressure without scoring…but a sign of things to come arrived on seven minutes, when an Alex Cameron thirty-yard rocket flew past the Boldmere post.
As the Reds got into their stride, they were passing the ball around with menacing fluidity. Even so, it took a moment of visiting hesitancy to see a slick four man move end in the hosts’ first goal, on the quarter hour. The ball looked to be going out for a goal kick: it didn’t, was seized on and passed back…and Danny King fired home. Some feisty stuff followed, as Boldmere tried to get back on terms…but before we’d reached the half hour, two unstoppable shots in three minutes from Reece Flanagan had put a win out of sight. Accurate passing and first touch control was slicing through the Mikes’ rearguard; but Boldmere responded well, and would feel unfortunate not to have reduced arrears by the break, as Harry Sweeney was feeding in centres from the left: how Sweeney’s third cross wasn’t converted remains a mystery.

On the resumption, Redditch made it clear that three goals weren’t enough for them. Mikes countered by taking off a defender (James Mace) and bringing on an attacker (Michael Tait-Moran). For half an hour the score remained 3-0: could Boldmere keep the tally respectably close? Alas, no. Redditch were having to work the ball round an increasingly solid looking Boldmere defence. “Come on Redditch” shouted an anxious voice, as Boldmere had their first shot on goal, with a quarter of an hour left. He needn’t have worried. The Mikes’ pressure was suddenly relieved - and there were three Redditch forwards streaming forward, with only one Boldmere defender to stop them. A.J. George received the ball in the middle, kept calm, shook off Boldmere reinforcements, and slotted in for number four. It needed a competent Adam Harrison save to stop a looping Mitch Botfield header reducing the arrears, while Harrison’s opposite number needed two bites of the cherry to deal with a low, powerful Gift Mussa effort. Right on time, some kind of defensive muddle (your scribe’s view was obscured by a netting post) let in Aram Soleman to score a fifth. The sun shone down from a blameless blue sky: at least the home supporters went home happy.

Redditch United: Adam Harrison; Bradley Burton; Finnley Howell; Ryan Wollacott; Reece Flanagan (Aram Soleman 69); Alex Cameron (Jenson Cooper 72); Danny King; A.J. George; Callum Rowe; Liam Armstrong (Gift Musa 63); Musa Cessay.
Subs. not used: Jez Abbey; Djibril Tabone-Wallace.
Boldmere St Michaels: Daniel Moore; James Mace (Michael Tait-Moran 52); Harry Sweeney; Joseph Hull; Harry Craven; Jack Byrne; Lewis Allison; Callum Gittings (Mitch Botfield 61); Jamie Spiers; Owen Parry; Matthew Funge.
Subs. not used: Ricardo Dudley; Tazivaishe Chibaya.