No-Messing Nomads Into the Next Round

No printed programme, but available for online viewing. Here's a screenshot of the front cover.

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 31 August 2024 at Cropston Road
Result	Anstey Nomads 3 Alvechurch 1
Competition	FA Cup First Qualifying Round
Hopstats	Ground 791 on the lifetime list. Here because I wanted to tick off an unvisited Step 4 ground and this seemed a good choice for an FA Cup game as the visitors were from Step 3 in a different league. Nomads play in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division and Alvechurch are in the Southern Premier Central.
Context
Alvechurch enter the competition at this stage. Nomads had a thumping 5-0 win away at Grimsby Borough in the Preliminary Round.
Match Report
Anstey scored in the first minute through Leo Brown with their first attack, but for me this result was decided on the hour when Alvechurch striker Dan Sweeney had two good chances in quick succession with the score at 3-1. The first was a header straight at the keeper Conrad Logan, and the second was a shot that rolled just wide. If either or both of those had gone in, the last half-hour would have been more interesting, but as it was the Nomads were able to hold on fairly comfortably while still looking strong themselves on the break. This was an open and entertaining game for the passing neutral, with end-to-end passages of play and a good contest between attacking threat and defensive strength. The Anstey supporters had redefined optimism with their chant of, “We’re the famous Anstey Nomads and we’re going to Wemb-er-lee” just before the Alvechurch equaliser. This came when a defensive slip near halfway allowed Dylan Allen-Hadley to run unchallenged for a calm and composed finish with 25 minutes on the watch. The Anstey response was immediate, however, and they re-took the lead within a minute through Kyle Tomlin, and the score stayed that way until half-time. With hindsight, Alvechurch will rue missing two good first half opportunities. On one occasion they sliced open the home defence on their left flank but the cross from the byeline came in too close to Logan. The other was from a superb turn from Kieran Wakefield but his shot was then saved by Logan’s feet. The third Nomads goal was a peach, and came just five minutes into the second half. It was beautifully worked on the break through the centre and James Tague cut inside to curl a great shot in off the bar. They might have got a fourth but a deflected shot pinged back off the crossbar. By the way, well done to whoever chooses the eclectic pre-match music playlist. You are clearly dedicated to expanding the musical horizons of anybody under 30 years of age. Good work. Also thanks to the Anstey and Alvechurch social media streams for help in identifying scorers.
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Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Green beats Orange, as predicted, but no clean sheets. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (83 from 170)
What Next?
Hopefully something next weekend from my priority list, but the length of journey will depend on how I’m feeling at the end of my first week in a new teaching job!