Swifts shut out
Stourport Swifts 1 Lye Town 1 MPL Tues 15th August Att: 100
Stourport Swifts were held 1-1 on Tuesday night at the Walshes as ten man Lye held on for a point.
Manager Mark Phillips was forced into three changes from Saturday through injury, plus the loss off suspended Aaron Lloyd, but produced a battling performance which should have given them all three points.
Lye almost took the lead after 10 minutes when Jack Till robbed Matt Fulloway and raced through on goal, but Dominic Richards save well at his feet. Joe Colley headed narrowly over in the 19th minute, and Reece Shilvock did the same for Lye following Billingham’s corner from the right.
Dan Flowers and Adam Meacham were both booked for Lye after an ugly exchange with Sweeney, then the visitors took the lead just before half time when Swifts failed to clear and Jack Till lashed his shot into the roof of the net from six yards.
Swifts equalised six minutes into the second half when Nick MacPherson and Ben Priest combined well to set up Perry, whose shot was well saved by Charlie Price in the Lye goal, but MacPherson followed up to force home from close range. In the 67th minute MacPherson broke clear on goal and was brought down by Luke Paskin on the edge of the box, and the Lye defender was sent off. Sweeney saw his free kick tipped over the bar by Price, and Jack Bailey just failed to connect from Perry’s right wing cross.
Stourport piled on the pressure in an attempt to force a winner, but Bailey shot straight at Price, and MacPherson shot narrowly wide with Price stranded as Lye held on for a point.
SWIFTS:Richards,Caines,Fulloway,Hurrell,Wager,Smith,Sweeney,Priest,Perry,Colley,MacPherson. SUBS USED: Bailey,Joe Hanson
Swifts are away to Bromsgrove Sporting next Tuesday, FA Cup replays permitting, and away on Saturday 25th to Rocester .
Next Home match is Bank Holiday Monday v Westfields, kick off 3.00pm
Long Eaton Utd. 1 Stourport Swifts 2 Sat 12th Aug MPL Att: 67
Swifts goalkeeper Dominic Richards produced a series of fine saves to keep his side in this match as they battled their way to three points in the opening League match of the season.
The game was only four minutes old when Richards saved brilliantly from United striker Shaun Rickford as Swifts were slow to come out of the blocks.
The visitors took a further blow when Jim Hanson was forced off with a knee injury after 21 minutes to be replaced by Jack Bailey. Richards was inaction again seconds later to tip a fierce low drive from Jake Wholey round the post.
Dan Sweeney looked the main threat for Stourport, and twice shot wide when he may have done better.
It was Bailey who broke the deadlock on 42 minutes when he pounced on some hesitant defending from defender Ryan Head and squeeze his low shot past Jake Want in the Long Eaton goal to give Swifts the lead.
Swifts had another let off just before the break when Alex Ford robbed Matt Fulloway but fired just wide.
Long Eaton produced their heaviest pressure just after the break, and from a series of corners Ben Priest was in the right place to clear Brendan Clarke’s goalbound header off the line.
Sam Beasley shot inches wide as Swifts broke from some good work by Sweeney, who was replaced by Nick MacPherson with ten minutes left.
MacPherson eased the pressure with a fine solo goal two minutes later, dancing past two defenders before firing a curling shot home from the corner of the box.
Swifts relief was short lived when Rickford scrambled one back for Long Eaton just a minute later to set up a nervy finish, but the momentum was broken when Rickford was sent off with five minutes left for two successive yellow cards.
SWIFTS: Richards,Hanson,Fulloway,Priest,Hurrell,Caines,Sweeney,Beasley,Perry,Colley,Lloyd
SUBS Used: Bailey,MacPherson
Stourport Swifts 2 Sporting Khalsa 3 (after extra time,90 mins 1-1) Att:114
Stourport Swifts went out of the F.A.Cup after extra time in this Extra Preliminary Round replay.
Swifts hung on after taking the lead through Dan Sweeney early in the second half until the dying seconds of normal time, when full back Carlo Franco gave Khalsa a lifeline with a last gasp equaliser.
Brave Swifts produced a resolute performance to trade punches with one of the MPL’s top teams, but after Aaron Lloyd was sent off with nine minutes left, they were left with an uphill struggle.
Dominic Richards was the busiest keeper in the first half, with two fine saves from Khalsa striker David Meese, but Khalsa had to thank skipper Tesfa Robinson for a last ditch tackle on Dan Sweeney as he was about to score after rounding keeper Tom Turner.
Stourport took the lead on 52 minutes when Beasley played Sweeney in behind the Khalsa defence, and he raced through to make no mistake with a low shot past Turner.
Richards was twice in action again to save well from a Meese header, and at the feet of Marvin Nisbett when he looked certain to score. Lloyd and Perry combined well to create another Swifts chance, with Lloyd’s fierce volley from 18 yards just wide.
Lloyd’s controversial dismissal turned the game into one way traffic, but Swifts looked likely to hang on until Franco popped up at the far post in the dying seconds to level.
Khalsa went ahead when Richards could only get his fingertips to a left wing corner, and defender Leon Miles scrambled home from eight yards.
Nick MacPherson almost levelled for ten man Swifts minutes later, but Turner save well as he ran through on goal. Turner saved well again from Sweeney’s 20 yard free kick before Meese increased the lead after 25 minutes into extra time to make it 3-1.
Swifts came back again when Beasley blasted home a penalty after Perry was brought down in the box, but the clock ran out.
SWIFTS:Richards,Hanson,Fulloway,Hurrell,Priest,Hudson,Sweeney,Beasley,Perry,Colley,Lloyd.SUBS USED: Maund,MacPherson,Bailey
Swifts are away to Long Eaton United on Saturday in the first League match of the season. First home match is next Tuesday, 15th August v. Lye Town, kick off 7.45pm
Swifts comeback earns replay
Sporting Khalsa 2 Stourport Swifts 2 FA Cup Att: 57
Stourport Swifts came back from two down at the break to earn a replay in this FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie.
In a fiercely competitive match, Swifts started well with Beasley and Lloyd both going close in the opening minutes. Alex Smith cleared off the line from Beckley and Richards saved well from Lawley, and also tipped over a long range effort from Bannister.
Khalsa took the lead on the half hour when Simeon Townsend pounced on a loose clearance to round Richards and score. Ben Maund tested Tom Turner with a 20 yard effort, but with five minutes to go before half time Khalsa went 2-0 up when Craig Bannister blasted a 20 yard free kick home off the underside of the bar.
Swifts started the second half brightly, and Lloyd was unlucky to see his header come back off the crossbar, and just a minute later Dan Sweeney’s close range shot hit the post from four yards out.
Manager Mark Phillips brought on Parsons-Smith and Nick MacPherson in an attempt to get Swifts back into the match, and with fifteen minutes to go it was a curling free kick from the left from Parsons-Smith that split the Khalsa defenders for Matt Fulloway to force high into the net from eight yards.
Dominic Richards produced a brilliant full length save Townsend before Jim Hanson arrived in the box to volley a deserved equaliser for the Swifts.
Ashley Parsons-Smith jinked past Khalsa skipper Robinson in the dying seconds, but Turner produced an outstanding save to keep out his thunderous shot.
The replay is at Walshes Meadow on Tuesday night, 8th August, kick off 7.45 pm
SWIFTS:Richards,Smith,Fulloway,Priest,Hanson,Sweeney,Perry,Colley,Beasley,Maund,Lloyd. SUBS USED: Parsons-Smith,MacPherson,Wager
Stourport Swifts lift Worcester Infirmary Cup after penalties win
BACK ROW (left to right) Jack Pearlman,Jack Bailey,Joe Phillips,Matt Fulloway,Rion Francis-Mills,Joe Colley,Jim Hanson,Callum Grant,Paul Hurrell,Ben Priest,Dan Sweeney,
FRONT ROW (left to right) Alex Perry,Sam Beasley,Reece Wager,Alex Smith,Harry Beaumont
Swifts fans Martin Shannon and Keith Roberts with the Worcester Infirmary Cup. The Cup is the one on the right!
STOURPORT SWIFTS - Club Officials
President :
Chairman: Pip Hanson
Treasurer:Pip Hanson
Secretary: Graham Haighway
Commercial Manager: Nigel Wager
Committee Members: Ian Sword, Margaret Sword, Laura McDonald, Brian Hewitt, Tony Lavery, Stuart Adey,Paul Reynolds, Ian Johnson
Life Members: Ian Sword,Sylvia McDonald
1st Team Manager : Mark Phillips
Assistant Manager: John Dowdeswell
Sunday Team Manager: Ian Johnson
Official Club Sponsor
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