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| Ten-men Poppies increase Brewers woe |
| A
chorus of boos rung around Eton Park at the end of this match after the Brewers
failed to kill off a Kettering Town side who finished the game with only
ten men and no trained goalkeeper. There has been little to excite the home fans recently and this FA Trophy Fourth Round clash proved no exception, with the first half as dreary and uninspiring as the weather, Aaron Webster - once again a beacon in a sea of mediocrity - coming closest to breaking the deadlock with a late effort saved by Kettering goalkeeper Mark Bunn. |
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| Albion
looked more lively after the interval, and should have been firmly in control
after taking the lead in bizarre circumstances on 66 minutes when the Poppies
'keeper idly rolled the ball out in front of him in preparation of a clearance,
failing to notice Brewers striker Robbie Talbot lurking behind him.Talbot
nipped in to steal the ball off the hapless Bunn, who proceeded to haul him
down inside the box. The referee pointed to the spot, and Bunn received an automatic red card, bad news for Kettering boss Kevin Wilson, who had chosen not to name a substitute 'keeper in his squad. Midfielder Craig Norman took over between the sticks, and his first action was to pick the ball out of the net, Webster converting the penalty with his usual cool assurance. The situation looked bleak for the Ryman League side, but somehow Albion contrived to throw away a golden chance to progress into the last 16, and within three minutes Kettering were level. Gary Butterworth floated his free-kick into the box, and Jason Turner was on hand to take advantage of slow reactions from Matt Duke - another bad day for the Brewers 'keeper - to gleefully sweep the ball into the Burton net. Duke partially redeemed himself by denying Chris Difante a good chance to put the visitors in front, and there seemed a curious lack of urgency from the Brewers who perhaps just wanted to get out of the wind and rain and back to the warmth of the dressing room. Craig Dudley and Sam McMahon shot wastefully high and wide late on and Talbot - the bete noir of the home crowd at the moment - failed to convert his chance, as Albion failed to test the Poppies makeshift 'keeper, protected as he was by some dogged defending from the visiting defence. Kettering thoroughly deserved a second chance at a Conference scalp, and with confidence seemingly at a low ebb in the Brewers ranks at the moment, you wouldn't bet against the Northants side coming out on top from Tuesday's replay at Rockingham Road (7.45pm). |
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| Late Stanley goal denies Albion |
| Albion's
frustrating second half of the season continues to splutter along as they
were held by a late goal against Accrington Stanley on Saturday. An improved performance on last week's 1-0 defeat at Stevenage Borough, failed to provide any goals in the first half, with strikers Dale Anderson and Robbie Talbot seemingly particularly effected by the crisis of confidence which seems to be running through the side at the moment. A header from Aaron Webster - one of the few players to be performing to their potential at the moment - headed in Craig Dudley's corner to put the Brewers in front two minutes into the second half, and they looked to be hanging on for their second victory in a fortnight over the Lancashire side, until Peter McEvilly headed the visitors level eight minutes from time. |
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| Albion
move up a place to 13th, but it will take more than that to lift the spirits
of the home fans who've seen what looked like being a highly promising season
slip away - just two points from their five league games since Christmas
have left the Brewers just ten points clear of the relegation zone. A good run in the FA Trophy would be the ideal tonic, and Albion have an ideal chance to move into the last 16 when they entertain Ryman League Premier Division Kettering Town Saturday. The last time Kettering visited Eton Park on the penultimate Saturday of last season, a 2-0 win over the already relegated Poppies ensured Albion's Conference survival. |
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| Trophy thriller |
| The
Brewers put their Christmas and New Year blues behind them to blast into
the Fourth Round of the FA Trophy with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Accrington
Stanley on Saturday. Albion boss Nigel Clough opted for a much more attack-minded line-up than of late, with Dale Anderson and Robbie Talbot up front, and Andy Ducros and Andy Corbett working the flanks. Meanwhile Sam McMahon marked his first home start with an influential performance in the heart of midfield, while Darren Stride was back to his combative best after being called to fill in in an unfamiliar centre back role. Albion's attacking ambition was evident right from the first whistle, with Talbot having an early effort tipped round the post by Stanley 'keeper Jamie Speare, and Dale Anderson shoting narrowly wide. |
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| The
breakthrough came on 22 minutes, McMahon's killer through-ball setting free
the pacey Dale Anderson, who left his marker trailing in his wake
before chipping the ball over the outcoming Speare. Ten minutes later Albion looked firmly in control of the game when Andy Ducros' corner set-up a rare headed goal by Aaron Webster, but a second half fightback from the visitors ensured an exciting climax to the game. Paul Howarth's sweetly-struck shot from an indirect free-kick gave Stanley the boost they needed shortly after the restart, and despite going down to ten men, Steve Halford sent off after hacking down the goal-bound Anderson, the battling Lancastrians fought back to 2-2, leading scorer Paul Mullin capitalizing on a weak clearance to fire past Duke. Despite the setback, you felt that Albion still had enough in their armoury to regain the lead, especially with the extra man, but thoughts of an unwanted midweek return to deepest Lancashire were starting to form in the minds of the home fans when a slip-up by the Stanley 'keeper helped the Brewers back into the driving seat five minutes from time, Jon Howard on hand after Speare had spilled Ducros' cross. The final nail in the Stanley coffin came on the stroke of full-time, substitute Dean Calcutt bringing down Ducros in the box, and Aaron Webster converting from the spot with his usual cool precision. A hugely entertaining game, an improved performance, and some promising displays in several areas of the field have given a timely morale boost to Brewers fans who will eagerly await the Fourth Round draw. Meanwhile the Brewers are next in action when they have a tricky away trip to Stevenage Borough this Saturday (3pm). |
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| No New Year cheer |
| Nigel
Clough was left reflecting on a meagre Christmas and New Year period for
the Brewers, after falling to defeat at the hands of Morecambe at Eton Park
on Saturday. Albion came into the game desperately hoping for a win, after only narrowly escaping a double defeat to rivals Tamworth, Darren Stride's goal four minutes from time cancelling out a first half injury time effort from Norman Sylla at the Lamb on New Year's Day. Dale Anderson's saved penalty was the other significant action in that much, and the young striker found himself on the bench for the visit of Morecambe, with Robbie Talbot given a chance to impress against his former club, alongside Andy Corbett up front. |
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| Aaron
Webster, one of the few Albion players to have impressed at the Lamb after
coming on as substitute, also returned to the starting line-up, Glen Kirkwood
was brought in to partner Darren Wassall in central defence, while there
was also a starting appearance for midfielder Barry Williams. The changes appeared to have done the trick, with Albion instantly showing more attacking promise than they had in either of the Tamworth games, Talbot coming close with an early effort. Morecambe's game allowed for a much more entertaining contest than was the case with the stifling tactics used by Tamworth, and there were chances at either end. Barry Williams saw a header from another former Shrimp Lee Colkin's cross headed off the line, Andy Corbett had a long-range effort saved by visiting 'keeper Craig Mawson, while at the other end Michael Stringfellow came close with a header. In an evenly balanced game Albion could count themselves a little unlucky to go behind, Danny Carlton prodding home from close range after Matt Duke had failed to hold Nick Rogan's shot on 68 minutes. Dale Anderson was introduced to try and introduce a bit more zip up front, but the closest Albion came to an equaliser was Darren Stride's late effort, blocked by Mawson. The result sees Albion sink to 14th in the table, and the pre-Christmas talk of the play-offs now seems rather fanciful. The Brewers will be hoping to lift their spirits with an FA Trophy run when FA Cup heroes Accrington Stanley visit Eton Park on Saturday (3pm). |
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