Back Row (left to right): Jemuel Mills (hidden), Tonn Adcock, Karl Douglas, Ross Casey, Jason Gibbons (Secretary), Steve Solomon (Manager), James Kelly, Kieran Fitzgerald, Robert Ellis, James Ward, Lee Harris, Aaron Keen, Alexander Webley (part hidden), James Sawyer
Front Row: Christopher Lloyd, Nicholas Ellis, Liam Norris, Stephen Sadler, Thomas Ells, Sam Sadler

PLAYER STATS - click here

PLAYERS
Adcock, Tonn 
Blaxland, Craig 
Casey, Ross 
Conlon, Ryan 
Douglas, Karl 
Ellis, Nicholas 
Ellis, Robert 
Ellis, Thomas 
Ellis, William 
Fitzgerald, Keiron 
Gasper, Matthew 
Gouldstone, Andrew 
Harris, Lee 
Hempenstall, Shane 
Keen, Aaron 
Kelly, James 
Lloyd, Chris
Mills, Jem 
Moss, Jack 
Norris, Liam 
Richardson, Dyllan 
Sadler, Sam 
Sadler, Stephen 
Sawyer, James 
Solomon, Owen 
Thompson, Mitchell 
Toon, Ben 
Ward, James 
Webley, Alexander

A top of the table clash beckons me today as I head east of Birmingham to watch Chelmsley Town host Droitwich Spa at their ground in the village of Marston Green. It's in the Midlands Football League, 2nd Division. It will be another new ground for me.

The weather is promising,cold but with no rain likely to fall for a change.

This match has been on my radar and I have been encouraged to go as 1/ it will be a new ground for me 2/ Droitwich are a local team to me and have been doing well this season and 3/ the Communications Manager of Droitwich Spa, Ben Lloyd, has been in touch with me, as he has come across this Blog and has said he has enjoyed reading about my travels. He also said that it would be good if I could take photos for the club at this match.

I journey to Birmingham on the train and after a spot of shopping and some lunch, take the London Euston bound train from New Street station to get to Marston Green. When we are approaching the platform I can see the tower blocks of Chelmsley Wood in the near distance gleaming in the sunshine. 

Although Marston Green is classed as a village, it does boast a population of 5,000 and is basically part of the commuter belt for Birmingham, Solihull and probably London. While making the 20 minute walk to the ground, I can see several houses that have a cottage like look and gives an impression of a village atmosphere. There is countryside close by as well and with the sunshine and daffodils  in bloom by the roadside there is definitely a hint of Spring in the air.

I soon find the ground just to the left on the Coleshill Road, make my way through the small car park and turn right towards the club house, which is behind one end of the pitch.
  
This end has an entrance door, through the netting, (see above) through which the players go on to the pitch from the changing rooms. 

I find several Droitwich supporters in the club house and chat to Ben Lloyd before heading out to view the proceedings. It looks like that at least half of the spectators are from Droitwich today. The club have experienced an upturn in fortunes this season under the guidance of joint managers, Wayne Oliver and (ex-Worcester City player) Mark Owen.There has been talk of promotion in the Worcester News and the possibility of ground sharing with another local club, as Droitwich don't have the right facilities in place if they do finish in the top two.

Chelmsley Town club have been going since 1927 and are just behind Droitwich in the table, in 3rd place, while Rostance Edwards sit in top spot. Droitwich have also been unbeaten in their last 21 matches!

The players troop on to the pitch, with Chelmsley in light blue shirts and black shorts and shirts. Droitwich Spa are in their away strip today of white shirts, red shorts and socks.

It's a game with not much quality football on show to be honest, competitive though with both sides not giving each other an inch, which you expect in a match of this nature.

Droitwich Spa go close after 23 minutes when a free-kick is dinked in and their No.9, James Lemon, is just wide with his effort.

Chelmsley go even closer on the half hour when they have a shot from the right that clips the cross bar.

It's still goalless at the interval and it's a difficult call to predict who the likely winners might be today.

At half time I go in to the club house for a much needed cup of tea. It's a pretty good facility for a club of this size and both the bar and tea bar are doing a good trade.

Also apart from the main pitch, there is another at the back of it and a smaller one on the right side of it. On the other side the ground is bordered by housing.

So the second-half gets under way and it's the home team who come to the fore.

After 56 minutes Chelmsley are awarded a penalty when they have a player brought down in the area. Their No.11 , Mitchell Thompson, duly dispatches a shot to the Droitwich's keepers left and they quickly proceed to press home their advantage in the very next minute.

Their No.9, the burly Kieron Fitzgerald, attacks down the left of the visitor's area, draws the tackle from the Droitwich captain , Mike Seeley (as shown below) and skips past on his right before bearing down on goal and squeezes in the ball through the narrow angle and in to the net, despite the keeper being in close proximity. Very good goal!

For a big guy, Fitzgerald is very nimble on his feet. So now the Saltmen have a mountain to climb to get back in this match.

Despite stepping up their efforts Chelmsley hold firm, well marshalled in defence by the silver haired Ross Casey.

Near the end of full time, Chelmsley nearly add to their tally when their top scorer, Chris Lloyd first blazes over the bar and then has another shot saved at the near post.

In injury time though, Droitwich's top scorer, James Lemon scores with a shot from the left but it's come too late to save their unbeaten record.

I think the best team has definitely won today but I am sure that Droitwich can play better than this. This win sees Chelmsley hop over Droitwich in to 2nd place. It's going to be an interesting last few weeks of the season, with Chelmsley, Droitwich, Rostance Edwards and Alvis Sporting all in the running to win the Division 2 title. Alvis have several games in hand and an unbeaten league record but have the pressure of playing at least twice every week before the finish.

Match entertainment: 5/10
Match attendance: 75
Match entrance fee: Free
Match programme: None available 

MATCH REPORT
Source: CNS Sport

Woodlands WMC have won the Coventry Telegraph Cup Final after a 2-1 victory over Chelmsley Town at the Ricoh Arena.

Chelmsley Town from the MFL started the brighter with a couple of efforts including a Keiron Fitzgerald free kick in the sixth minute which just went over the bar of keeper Steve Crook, who has played for Coventry Sphinx this season, from twenty five yards.

The first goal of the evening came in the tenth minute and saw the ball fall for Ben Twigger who executed a neat shot into the bottom corner from twenty yards.
 
Craig Formaston's Woodlands side won a corner in the 12th minute and had settled down on a wet evening on the outskirts of Coventry.
 
Chris Lloyd had a great chance in the 16th minute when he was sent through but he stopped by the feet of Crook and sent over a free kick from range in the 25th minute.
 
As the rain came down. Town won a corner which Tom Ellis blasted over and Lloyd had a 32nd minute shot blocked by Brook.
 
Chelmsley were unlucky not to have had a penalty when Lloyd was pulled down and Chris Brook fired wide at the other end.
 
Keiron Fitzgerald fired over for Chelmsley five minutes into the second half as the rain continued to come down 
 
Chris Brook tried with a thirty five yarder but five minutes later.
Chelmsley attacked down the left, the ball came to over Mitchell Thompson and somehow, Ben Thackery cleared off the line.

Lloyd had a 63rd minute shot from fourteen yards pushed over for a
corner.
 
Woodlands won one of their own after making a double change in the 68th minute. James Kelly parried the flag kick but Chris Brook was on hand to stab home. 
 
In the 74th minute, Woodlands were down to ten men when Scott Hadland was sent off for having his hand on the throat of a Chelmsley Town player.
 
Chelmsley tried to seize the numerical advantage and Nicholas Ellis got some twenty five yards out and drilled a stunning shot low in to the net.
 
Sadler let rip with a shot that Brook had to push over in the 88th minute but Woodlands WMC held on and won the cup..