> 21.10.2006

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Hednesford and local rivals Halesowen Town will have to do it all over again on Tuesday night after playing out an entertaining tie in front of a healthy crowd at Keys Park this afternoon. There was only one change to the side that gained a draw at Mossley, with Danny Jellicoe unavailable, so Phil Hadland returned to the starting line-up. On the bench, a number of teenagers from the successful youth set-up were named on the bench, as the Pitmen came up against five former Pitmen in the Halesowen squad, none more so than former Pitmen manager and legend Chris Brindley, who was named amongst the Yeltz subs

Both sides showed plenty of application throughout the first half, with Halesowen producing plenty of attacking football and the Pitmen attempting to use their pace to catch them on the counter attack. Darren Alexander was his usual busy self throughout the half, firing one effort wide and seeing another effort blocked as he twisted and turned inside the area, all inside the first twenty minutes. The Pitmen went even closer soon after when Tom Marshall's free kick crashed off the right hand post

This was followed by an instant response from the away side, who themselves hit the woodwork after the ball had bobbled around the Hednesford area. Keeper Ryan Young managed to get something to it to turn the ball onto the bar and out for a corner

The real drama came right at the end of the half. A corner from the right found the head of Gary Knight, who rose to head home his first goal for the club. Just as the Yeltz looked to be going in with their noses in front, the Pitmen responded with virtually the last kick of the half. A floated cross from the left was headed back across goal by Alexander, finding Marshall, who scrambled the ball home through a forest of bodies

 The second half was your typical end-to-end cup tie; it started as early as the second minute of the restart, when Marshall and Iain Screaton clashed going for the same ball, allowing Halesowen to run through unchallenged. Former Pitman Paul Szewczyk fired in a shot, but Young made a magnificent save despite being the only man to beat. The big striker was guilty of a bad miss seven minutes later, when he blazed over from close range when it looked easier to score

 Back came the Pitmen and Chad Sheppard almost gave them the lead, but his well-struck free kick came back off the post on sixty three minutes. Halesowen were then awarded a penalty just a minute later when Screaton was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area by the referee, allowing Matt Lewis to sidefoot the ball past Young and regain the lead for the visitors

 Typically, the Pitmen rolled their sleeves up and came back at Halesowen, with Phil Hadland almost getting in following a cross from Mario Pedro. No matter, as Pedro himself levelled the game on seventy two minutes, poking the ball home past Yeltz keeper Danny Woodhall after a scramble in the area

The home side raised their game and Sheppard once again nearly put the Pitmen in front with a free kick, but his effort just dropped wide of goal. As the Pitmen pressed, the game became stretched, and they almost caught Halesowen on the break with five minutes left. Dyer raced onto a through ball, but was pole-axed by Woodhall as he darted around him two yards outside Woodhall's area. Amazingly, the referee only gave the Yeltz keeper a yellow card for the foul, incurring the wrath of the home supporters when he left the field at the end

A classic cup tie, and here's hoping for more of the same on Tuesday night when the two sides meet in the replay   cds

Halesowen (A) FAT

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Action from Keys Park: 1. skipper Chris White getting ready for a corner  2. Iain Screaton & Tom Marshall watch former Pitman Paul Szewczyk   3. Goal! Tom Marshall and team celebrate 

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