Stone Old Alleynians lost their final home game of the season against championship contenders Wem but can consider themselves unlucky.
It was the Old Boys that started off the brighter in this West Midlands League Division 1 game on 27th April and they could have taken the lead after 10 mins. A cross from Danny Heard hit the post and the ball cleared to Paul Whalley, 25 yards out and his rasping drive was brilliantly tipped over the bar by the Ryan Ford, in the visiting goal.
Sam Wilson half volleyed just wide following a corner. Twice Wem managed to scramble the ball away when after about 30 mins, it was the visitors, who started to dictate play, went close on two occasions and were thwarted by an excellent save by Adam Heath, before the interval.
Half Time:- Stone Old Alleynians 0 – Wem Town 0
In the second half after Wilson came close, it was Wem continuing where they left off and pushing the Alleynians back and Heath tipped a free-kick onto the post and out for a corner. In a breakaway Wilson had a shot pushed out by the keeper and Whalley’s follow up was cleared of the line. But it was Wem, who had been mainly on top over this period, who took the lead. A corner was cleared to Jordan Batchelor, just outside the area, who hit a crisp low drive through a crowd of players to give Heath no chance.
Stone began to find their early rhythm again and the unlucky Wilson saw his shot strike the keeper’s feet. Heard had two glorious chances to equalize when he headed over 2 corners in quick succession. With Stone piling on the pressure, top scorer Heard was unlucky, when he swivelled and cracked yet another corner over the angle of bar and post. Again the hosts came close, Adam Tomkinson, whose free-kicks and corners had played havoc with the Town defence all afternoon, put one in from the half-way line. This was half cleared to Luke Matthews, whose first time shot cleared the bar, before the Old Boys ran out of time.
Final Score:- Stone Old Alleynians 0 – Wem Town 1
