The Mikes 1-3 Shepshed Dynamo

Before a sparse crowd (the Villa were at home) two very similar teams fought out a scrappy, scrambling contest. The visitors were the first to settle, building nicely down their right flank, and nearly went ahead after eight minutes, James Shaw connecting with a centre, his effort kept out by Dan Moore’s outstretched leg. Much noise emerged from both benches as battle continued beneath their noses - resulting in the game’s first yellow card.

At the quarter mark, both centre forwards had come close to scoring. The biggest cheer of the afternoon then went up - from the bowling green. The game’s second yellow went to James Snedden, after he’d hauled down a marauding Mike: from the resultant free kick, Kaden May took the kick, Joe Hull headed back across goal…and there was Callum Gittings to toe the ball home. With half chances coming at both ends, Shaun Ruzvidzo dribbled unstoppably across the park. His subsequent reverse pass gave James Shaw a simple chance - which he didn’t spurn. A Gittings stinger was pushed away by visiting keeper Brandon Ganley, and that took us to half time: 1-1.

Five minutes into the second period, that man Ruzvidzo (who ended up being the difference between two very similar teams) was emerging from a thicket of tackling limbs, when one of them caught him. The Dynamo went into the lead, as Kyle Dixon converted the resultant penalty. Immediately May almost equalised outpacing Jordan Smith and just beating Ganley but the wall squirmed wide. The Mikes continued to go close to scoring, but worse was to come with half an hour left. Bodies went to ground as Boldmere worked their way forward, but no foul was given. A long, high ball out of the Shepshed defence reached a totally unmarked Shaw, who had an unobstructed run in, to score his second goal.

The hosts did most of the attacking from here on, as their guests, knowing the sands of time were trickling away in their favour, were content to clear the ball from an ominously solid looking rearguard. Jordan Smith (who’d rightly had a fourth goal disallowed, after pushing Harry Craven before nodding a corner home) was roaring instructions to his colleagues, as the men from the Butt Hole played out time for their victory.

Boldmere St Michaels: Daniel Moore; Lewis Allison; Harry Sweeney; Joe Hull; Harry Craven; Jack Byrne; Michael Tait-Moran (Renelle Davis-Lawrence, 70); Mitch Botfield; Owen Parry; Callum Gittings (Jamie Spiers, 59); Kaden May (Tazivaishe Chibaya, 78).
Subs. not used: James Mace; Ricardo Dudley.
Shepshed Dynamo: Brandon Ganley; Jahdahn Fridye-Harper; Jack Lynch; Jordan Smith; Elwalid Elhaghany; Kyle Dixon; Shaquille Master (Kieran Cummings, 88); James Snedden (Corey Bucalossi, 82); James Shaw; Pearson Mwanyongo; Shaun Ruzvidzo (Reece Morris, 67).
Subs. not used: Callum Rai; Kevin Masindo