Midland Football League Premier Division
Saturday 15th March 2025
Stone Old Alleynians’ wait for a first win since January continued as they suffered a frustrating 1-0 home defeat to Romulus. Despite a determined effort, the Old Boys were undone by a first-half volley from visiting captain Jordan Francis and were unable to break down a well-organised Romulus defence.
Early exchanges and a missed opportunity
Romulus started brightly, making good use of the large pitch and controlling possession in the opening minutes. Alleynians gradually found their rhythm and thought they had an early breakthrough in the 13th minute, only for the assistant referee’s flag to halt their attack for offside.
The visitors remained composed in possession, while Alleynians found attacking moments hard to come by. In the 18th minute, player-manager Luke Askey went down under a challenge in the Romulus box, but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty. Moments later, a high ball into the Alleynians’ box was confidently claimed by goalkeeper Raajan Gill under pressure.
A misplaced clearance from Romulus keeper Lewis Gwilliams in the 25th minute gifted Jack Tomlinson a long-range shooting opportunity, but Romulus defenders recovered quickly to snuff out the danger.
Stunning strike puts Romulus ahead
Gill produced a superb save in the 30th minute, pushing a shot from Romulus winger Isai Marselia around the post. However, the visitors made their breakthrough ten minutes before the break. A swift attack down the left led to a cross into the six-yard box, where Romulus captain Jordan Francis met it with a stunning volley to put his side 1-0 up.
Alleynians responded well and pushed forward before the interval, with Sam Wilson appearing to be fouled in the box, but once again, the referee was unmoved.
Half-time: Stone Old Alleynians 0-1 Romulus
Second-half resistance
Romulus nearly doubled their lead early in the second half, as Ryan Nesbitt’s powerful strike forced another excellent save from Gill. From the resulting corner, a Romulus header rattled the crossbar before the Old Boys managed to clear.
Alleynians struggled to create clear-cut chances, though Kacper Mikulski carved out a rare opportunity in the 62nd minute. Cutting inside, he unleashed a fierce 20-yard shot that forced Gwilliams into a save at full stretch. From the corner, Wilson rose highest but could only direct his header into the keeper’s hands.
As the match progressed, Romulus remained the more dangerous side. Marselia went close in the 80th minute after a pacey run, while Alleynians’ best late chance came when Joe Baxter’s cross was nodded on by Wilson to Matt Thomas, but his effort was comfortably gathered by Gwilliams.
Final push falls short
With time running out, full-back Sam Minshall surged forward past multiple defenders in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a point. However, his final shot lacked power and was easily saved, sealing a hard-fought 1-0 win for Romulus.
Full-time: Stone Old Alleynians 0-1 Romulus
Match details
Stone OA Starting XI:
Gill, Baxter, Minshall S, Askey, Thomas (C), Sedgley, Connolly, Wilson, Tomlinson, Mikulski, Van Der Laan
Substitutes:
Griffiths, Goodwin, Newton-Taylor, Bowater S, Bowater J
Upcoming fixtures
- Highgate United (A) – Tuesday 18th March, 7:45 pm
- Lichfield City (A) – Saturday 22nd March, 3:00 pm
