Watts treble moves Swifts into 4th

 Stourport Swifts 3  Wolverhampton Casuals 0   MPL  9th March 2024  Att: 130 

Jack Watts revived the Swifts play off hopes with a hat trick to lift them up to 4th in the table.

Swifts pressed from the start, and Matt Harland and Watts both saw early efforts blocked by some resolute defending from the Casuals back line. Matt Hanson then came close with a 30 yard piledriver which whistled past the left hand post. Casuals then showed some danger themselves, and in the 12th minute Josh Mckenzie crossed from the right, and Charlie Emery was grateful that Reece Taxor’s close range header was straight into his arms.

With 35 minutes gone Watts and Ben Tilbury combined well to set up Ethan Tivey, but his shot was deflected for a corner, and a minute later Watts broke the deadlock to put his side in front, taking a slick touch and driving smartly on the turn past keeper Stan Amos from 12 yards. Casuals almost scored with an instant reply, but Tom Cottam’s header came back off the Swifts crossbar, and on the stroke of half time Emery produced a fine save to tip Cameren Philip’s low shot around the post.

Ten minutes after the break Watts should have made it two, but headed Jamie Meddows’ cross straight at Amos, but he made no mistake two minutes later when Ben Tilbury teed him up nicely on the edge of the box, and he fired in low inside the left hand post. Watts completed his hat trick in the 71st minute, when he blasted in from the spot after Harland was brought down in the box.

Swifts should have added to their tally in the closing stages, but George Baker, Goodluck Eke and R’mar Murray all passed up good chances to increase the scoreline.

SWIFTS: Charlie Emery, Joe Hanson, Jevons, Ethan Hanson, Murray, Harland, Meddows, Matt Hanson, Tilbury, Watts, Tivey. SUBS USED:Birch, Baker, Eke, Canavan, Jim Hanson

Swifts draw a blank

 Stourport Swifts 0  Atherstone Town 1   MPL  5th March 2024  Att: 118 

Stourport Swifts lost out in their second play off challenge in four days as in form Atherstone snatched all three points with a thumping 73rd minute strike from substitute Jess Adcock.

Swifts aggressive start pinned the visitors back in their own half, and Ethan Tivey forced a fine save from keeper Finn Osborn after 14 minutes, and Jack Watts burst through on goal only for Osborn to sprint from his goal and narrowly win the race in time to block. Jamie Meddows tested Osborn again five minutes before half time with a snap shot he did well to hold.

Swifts best chance came five minutes after the break when Matt Harland slipped a short pass in behind the visitors defence for Meddows, but his angled drive flashed inches past the post.

Atherstone began to apply some pressure of their own after this narrow escape, and Charlie Emery was twice called into action to deny Jamie Spears and Toby Batram. Watts twice went close, first seeing skipper Richard Blythe block his goalbound effort, then firing over the top after cutting inside from the left to open up the Atherstone defence.

 Ben Tilbury almost put the Swifts ahead after Osborn was caught outside his box trying to clear, but his long range lob was denied a goal as Callum Rudd got back just in time.

The winner came minutes later, when Batram crossed deep to the far post from the left for Adcock to blast a fierce left footer past Emery from range.

SWIFTS: Charlie Emery, Joe Hanson, Jevons, Ethan Hanson, Murray, Harland, Meddows, Matt Hanson, Tilbury, Watts, Tivey. SUBS USED:  Birch, Bailey, Eke, Canavan

Highgate edge seven goal thriller

Highgate United 4 Stourport  Swifts 3   MPL 2nd March 2024  Att: 67

Highgate hero Ryan Harkin put Stourport Swifts to the sword in this 3rd v 4th battle for the play offs.

Harkin gave his side a 2-0 half time lead, when after 9 minutes Swifts defenders gave him far too much room on the edge of the box to sweep past Emery from 20yards, then six minutes before the break raced clear to calmly round Emery and tap in. Jamie Meddows came closest for the Swifts in the first half, forcing keeper Reece Francis to a brilliant one handed save with a curling left foot shot, and Goodluck Eke’s shot was blocked by Palmer when he looked certain to score.

Swifts pulled back a goal to give themselves a shot in the arm just after the break when Eke headed against the bar from Jack Bailey‘s, and reacted first as Highgate tried to clear to drive in from close range.

The goal set up an end to end second half, and Highgate restored their two goal advantage two minutes later when Bassit Mendey drove through a crowd of players past an unsighted Emery from 12 yards. The Swifts surged forward again, with Meddows and Matt Harland tireless in midfield as they pressed for another goal, which came on 59 minutes when Drew Canavan took advantage of a deflected Joe Hanson cross at the far post to force home as defenders hesitated. Eke almost equalised when his clever flick from Hanson’s cross went narrowly wide with Francis scrambling.

Harkin completed his hat trick with 20 minutes left when he escaped Ben Jevons’ close attention to break clear and calmly stroke in off the post, but three minutes later Eke raced in at the far post to tuck away a low Meddows cross from the left to give the Swifts a fighting chance of a point, but despite mounting some serious late pressure, they could not find a decisive finish.

SWIFTS: Charlie Emery, Joe Hanson, Jevons, Ethan Hanson, Matt Hanson, Canavan, Harland, Meddows, Bailey, Eke, Tilbury  SUBS USED:  Murray, Slevin

First half blitz puts Swifts in charge

 Stourport Swifts 3  Studley 2   MPL  24th February 2024  Att: 148 

Three first half goals saw Stourport take control of this match with a commanding display against 3rd placed Studley.

Ethan Tivey opened the Swifts account in the 9th minute when he drove in a cross from the right from Joe Hanson which Studley keeper Brendon Bunn could not hold at the near post. Tivey was on hand again just four minutes later when his driven cross was parried out by Bunn only for Ben Tilbury to arrive and tap in at the far post. Skipper Ben Jevons was alert to clear a dangerous cross from Bailey Fuller, and seconds later Jack Watts cleverly set up Tivey for another attempt but his shot flew wide.

Swifts went three up in the 29th minute when he chased a lost cause into the box, but Bunn’s clearance was fired straight at him and rebounded into an empty goal.

Watts almost made it four ten minutes before the break, but his thunderous effort crashed back off the crossbar, and Tivey then saw his snap shot blocked by the advancing Bunn’s legs.

Studley began the second half with some real purpose, but Watts, clean through on goal, delayed his shot to allow Matt Hughes time to block his attempt with a last ditch tackle, and Tilbury, just a minute later, saw Bunn save with his legs with a similar chance. The visitors kept up some sustained pressure as Swifts seemed happy to sit back and defend, and they were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Zac Guinan fired an angled drive past Emery to pull one back. Watts and Tilbury both forced Bunn into further action, but Swifts nerves began to jangle when Finn Holmes raced in behind in the 67th minute to calmly round Emery to score.

Swifts struggled to hold back the wave of attacks, and after Emery saved well from Studley sub Romario Martin, Jim Hanson produced an acrobatic clearance off the line from Holmes’ follow up effort.

With ten minutes to go, Tivey did well to stretch tall and head clear as Harry Eden almost connected with Reiss Taylor-Randle’s free kick, and Emery held on well to a series of threatening crosses as Studley continued to pressed hard, but Swifts back line held firm to hang on to all three points.

SWIFTS: Charlie Emery, Joe Hanson, Jevons, Ethan Hanson, Jim Hanson, Harland, Meddows, Canavan, Tilbury, Watts, Tivey. SUBS USED: Murray, Glenister, Bailey, Eke

 

Chairman: Pip Hanson 07966 644762

Treasurer: Pip Hanson

Secretary: Graham Haighway  07780 997758 email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Commercial Manager: Nigel Wager 07912 890997

Press Officer: Ian Johnson 07970 237758  email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Committee Members: Ian Sword, Margaret Sword, Tony Lavery, Paul Reynolds, Claire Davis, Paul Frankling, Mark Wenham.

Accreditation Co ordinator : Paul Frankling 07786 380911   email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Life Members: Ian Sword, Sylvia McDonald

Team Manager : Quentin Townsend

Assistant Manager: Dean Rutter

PLEASE NOTE NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED IN THE GROUND

 Official Club Sponsor

 Worcester Caravan Sales