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Adders bite sad Brewers..Yeltz joy in Trophy The following day it's the start of a new month, as the Brewers must try and pick themselves up and carry on with their Dr. Marten's League campaign. Atherstone United are the visitors to Eton Park, and prove to be the usual tricky opposition for the Brewers. A stunning 20 yard drive from Adders' Ian Olner is the only goal of another disappointing match as, not for the last time this season, the Brewers seem to be sorely missing their teammate, both on and off the pitch. Andy Garner finds the net again in a dismal draw against Tamworth which takes the Brewers through on aggregate to the second round of the Southern League Cup. Following a 2-0 victory at the Raymond Mcenhill Stadium- the new home of Salisbury City, local rivals Tamworth are again the visitors to Eton Park, in the league. In another uninspiring performance, the Brewers are lucky to scrape a draw against their Staffordshire neighbours. Paul Hunter heads the lambs in front, but a goal from the scourge of Tamworth- Andy Garner -denies the Lambs the three points their performance deserves. Another month in which the Brewers fail to live up to their billing concludes with two away league draws at Halesowen Town and Crawley Town- the latter providing Brewers fans with another new ground to visit- the impressive Broadfield Stadium. There is at least progress in the FA Umbro Trophy as the Brewers make a swift return to The Grove to face Halesowen Town in the Third Qualifying Round. Dave Benton gives the Brewers a dream start with his first ever goal for the club on four minutes. Evran Wright equalises for the Yeltz, but a David Holmes effort nine minutes from time sends the Brewers into the first round proper. And your BrewersNet correspondent spends the entire 90 minutes at the side of a motorway somewhere in the West Midlands, following a blow out!
December Brewers get Moat stuffing...but Bromsgrove blitzed Aaahh...the Birmingham Senior Cup. There's nothing like it to set the pulses racing, is there? Nothing like standing with a couple of hundred other shivering souls to watch your team face "league opposition"- (or at least their youth team). In this case it's Walsall who's third team provide the opposition for the Brewers at a chilly Bescot Stadium. And the bad news- it ends in a 1-1 draw, which means we have to go through the whole thing again in a replay. Surely penalty shoot-outs were made for this competition? Back in the league meanwhile, and Albion again confound all logic by turning in another of their best performances against high flyers Forest Green. An early lob from Micky Cotter opens the scoring, Andy Garner nets two, and Andy Marlowe finishes off the rout as the Brewers finally show the home supporters the kind of form they had been yearning to see. A superb late goal from Rovers substitute Alex Sykes is nothing more than consolation for Forest Green, as the visitors are convincingly beaten by a Brewers team performing at the peak of their ability. Sadly, John Barton's team aren't able to reproduce this kind of form on a regular basis. A 0-0 away draw at unbeaten-at-home Bath City is a respectable result bearing in mind the Brewers are forced to play without skipper Alan Davies, taken off injured midway through the first half, and central defender Matthew Smith - sent off for a second bookable offence late in the second, but this is followed by a string of disappointing results, as the Brewers continue to be frustratingly inconsistent. Alan Davies, Mark Blount and Les Hornby all line up for the Dr. Marten's League squad against an FA XI in a representative match at Gloucester. Meanwhile, Brewers striker Martin Devaney announces his retirement after making 88 appearances, and scoring 30 goals since joining from Gresley two and a half years previously. Veteran defender Charlie Palmer joins Albion's Southern League Cup opponents Moor Green on loan. The former Derby County defender has not been able to command a regular first team place since the early part of the season. His loan spell later becomes a permanent move to the Moorlands club. Dr. Marten's Midland Division Moor Green bring an end to any hopes Albion have of retaining the League Cup, as the Brewers go down to an embarrasing 3-1 defeat. Then, in the final game before the festive period, Dorchester Town are allowed to steal a point courtesy of an error by Les Hornby. The Brewers midfielder completely miskicks an apparently routine clearance with Albion leading 2-1, to let in Dorchester's Tommy Killick to score a 90th minute equaliser. A real sickener for the Brewers before the big derby clash against Gresley Rovers.
A goalmouth encounter from Boxing Day at the Moat Ground A howling gale whips across the Moat Ground's slag-heap of a pitch on Boxing Day morning, and as usual in these games, the football on offer is far from classic. The Brewers, with the benefit of the slope and the wind at their backs, dominate possesion in the first half but a series of missed chances lets Gresley off the hook. Predictably, the ex-Gresley players- Garner in particular- get plenty of stick from the home fans. Even more predictably, Gresley manage to score against the run of play, to take all three points from their rivals. Scott Guyett, playing without his contact lenses following a mix up at the chemist, heads the Moatmen in front, keeper Stuart Ford stops everything thrown at him, and Gareth Jennings kills the game off with another header four minutes from time, allowing the Gresley fans a rare opportunity of crowing over their neighbours, in what proves to a season of one crisis after another at the Moat Ground. Back at Eton Park two days later, and the Brewers banish their festive hangover with a 5-1 thrashing of Bromsgrove Rovers. Darren Stride provides the opening goal with an incredible run from deep to lash in a cross headed in by David Holmes. A rare error from Nick Goodwin allows a former teammate of the Brewers keeper -Mark Whitehouse- to equalise for Bromsgrove, but Albion are soon back in front when Micky Cotter pounces on an error by the Bromsgrove keeper. Shortly before half time it's 3-1 and Bromsgrove are down to ten men- keeper Parsons sent off for bringing down Holmes. Without a substitute goalkeeper, outfield player Recky Carter is forced to take the green jersey, and is powerless to stop Andy Garner's confidently struck penalty. Garner and Cotter both add to their tally in the second half of a hugely entertaining game for the home crowd. Not such a good day for former Albion players Darren Grocutt and Karl Payne, neither of whom last the full 90 minutes- Payne in particular having a rotten Eton Park return as he suffers a broken leg. For the Brewers though a terrific way to round off the year, and a welcome tonic to take away the taste of defeat in Round One of the Gresley encounter. And so - on to round two...
Into the new year - January & February '98... Back to previous page Back to season 97-98 index
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