Men's 1st XI Vs Harborne 2

Telford and Wrekin Men's 1st XI welcomed Harborne 2nd XI to St George's on a fresh but sunny Saturday afternoon. 

The hosts were at full strength with the exception of Liam Hennessy who had fallen to Covid, and Dave Tracey who had twinged his calf at training earlier in the week. 

Harborne seemed to have more of the ball in the opening exchanges, but Telford remained patient without the ball and gave the visiting team very little space in the final third. After a fairly quiet start to the match Telford got into their stride with the ever-present Tom Mallett being instrumental to both of Telford's goals in the first half. 

Mallett won a penalty corner for the hosts which was dispatched by Callum Stacey. His drag flick ripped into the back of the net which beat the Harborne keeper for sheer pace. Minutes later in was 2-0 with Noah Higginson in the right place at the right time as Tom Mallett's pass found the forward at the back post to tap home. 

Telford had most of the possession in the remainder of the first half and managed the game well through to half time where the message was control and discipline would be key in the second half. 

A 2-0 lead is never a comfortable score line and the next goal was an important one. Telford's practice of penalty corners in the week paid off as Tom Mallett joined the goalscoring party. His drag flick beat the keeper as the ball was slotted into the bottom left corner of the goal to give Telford a 3-goal cushion. 

Harborne came straight back at the hosts as Telford failed to clear their lines and after a scramble in the 'D' the ball finally ended up in Neil Davies' goal. 

The hosts didn't let this affect them and the three-goal lead was reinstated minutes later. Tom Gough won the ball high up the pitch and found Tom Mallett 1 on 1 with the keeper. The outcome was never in doubt as his reverse strike beat the oncoming keeper for his 12th goal in as many games. 

With Harborne pushing for a way back into the game with 10 minutes to go Telford remained disciplined with their defensive shape and thwarted any attacks that came their way. 

An excellent result following the Christmas break means that Telford remain 2nd in the league as they travel to North Staffs next weekend.