The County Files |
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After a nail biting third round win against Durham FA, Birmingham will be hoping to take another step towards retaining the FA County Youth Cup as they take on Northumberland FA this Saturday, 18th January at County HQ, Ray Hall Lane, Great Barr. Manager Martin Sweeney has remained faithful to the majority of the squad from the 3-2 win against last year's runners up, with only two changes; Craig Thomas replaces his Rushall team mate Solomon Griffiths, whilst David Blenkinsopp makes way for Aston '76's Steve Nunn. "The game against Durham just showed how much experience the young players can gain from being selected for the County Team," said Team Spokesman, Steve Poole. "They had to give everything to secure their place in the 4th Round, and learned a tremendous amount during the 90 minutes. The standard of football at County Level is incredibly high and can really help the players improve their game even further. "The players and spectators can expect more of the same from Northumberland - so I hope the lads get lots of support on Saturday!" Admission for the 1 o'clock kick off is just £2 for adults and £1 for juniors. Birmingham CFA 0-1 Northumberland CFA Birmingham FA bowed out of the FA County Youth Cup with a below par performance against Northumberland at County HQ today. The game always looked like it would be a close affair with a place in the semi-final enough to put both teams on edge. However, it was the visitors who dealt with the pressure, producing an organised display. Their goal came 15 minutes into the second half when a Scott Blandford's neat volley beat Lye Town's Aaron O'Malley in goal. O'Malley was the main man to thank for the scores being level until then; parrying a shot in the opening seconds and leaping to pluck the ball off the head of Lee McAndrew on the half-hour mark just two examples. Chances for Birmingham were few and far between, with the best falling to Richard Langford in the 52nd minute. In his 10th game for Birmingham FA, the Kidderminster Harrier collected a through-ball from Sutton Coldfield's Adam Hughes, but saw his shot skim just over the bar, with only the 'keeper to beat. After bringing on all his substitutes; Matthew White, Steve Nunn and Ryan Murphy for Rob Rencher, Adam Flynn and Mark Lowry respectively, Martin Sweeney's last throw of the dice was to push Captain Exodus Geoghaghan up front to add height to the Birmingham attack. Once again, Northumberland dealt with every threat on their goal with efficiency, bringing on Ben Young, Ben Miley and Matthew Starforth on as fresh cover for what were becoming some very tired legs, and can now look forward to a place in the semi-final draw as reward for their effort. "We were more disappointed with the fact we didn't perform as well as we know we can," said Birmingham Spokesman Steve Poole. "We have a great record in this competition, but knew our run would end at some point, and on the day, Northumberland were the better side and we wish them the best of luck in the semis." TEAM: 1. Aaron O'Malley (Lye Town), 2. Simon Fitter (Kidderminster Harriers), 3. Rob Rencher (Sutton Coldfield Town), 4. Exodus Geoghaghan (Sutton Coldfield Town) CAPT, 5. Ashley Pringle (Bedworth United), 6. Andy Crabtree (Nuneaton Borough), 7. Nick Heath (Kidderminster Harriers), 8. Adam Hughes (Sutton Coldfield Town), 9. Mark Lowry (Stafford Rangers), 10. Richard Langford (Kidderminster Harriers), 11. Adam Flynn (Rushall Olympic / Bolehall Swifts) . |