|
Added Monday 29th September
I thought we were Northern? In football FA Cup draws that is. Obviously not as we have been drawn at home to Maidstone United in the 3rd qualifying round. They're currently seventh in the Ryman Premier with 17 points from 10 games. In other words they are thoroughly beatable and home advantage will make us favourites. I will obviously come back and delete that if we lose.
Added Sunday 28th September
Morell Maison has said he has no intention of quitting following the fracas at Chippenham which again proves how much notice we should take of rumours that always circulate following any incident. That's fair enough and in a lot of ways I'm glad but I am a bit confused that the club are holding their own investigation because I don't know what they can do. Morell is the owner so if he wants to stay he stays doesn't he?
Anyway, cup draw tomorrow. King's Lynn away anyone?
Added Saturday 27th September
Halesowen Town 3 Gainsborough Trinity 0
I'm assuming Gainsborough Trinity had an off day because they were dire. If their display is representative of the standard of Blue Square North then we've nothing to fear from it. 3-0 was an entirely fair scoreline and summed up the match. In short we battered them. And it was lovely and sunny. It was, in stark contrast to last Saturday, a great day.
Added Thursday 25th September
Apparently Saturday's incident was included in the referee's report so now the pesky FA are on the case as well.
Added Tuesday 23rd September
Sutton Coldfield Town 1 Halesowen Town 1 (Halesowen win 6-5 on penalties)
More drama in an unusual week for the Yeltz albeit in the less than glamorous surroundings of the Southern League Cup Preliminary Round (Ken Turner has been tampering with the balls I tell you).
Jack Allward was the goalkeeping hero this time, after Nick Bussey received his obligatory red card, saving in the shoot out to send Halesowen through to a first round meeting with Stourbridge at the Grove next month. Sutton went in front in the first half but Dino Melitas, the juggling American, equalised shortly after Bussey received his marching orders.
Added Tuesday 23rd September
Devastating news. Curtis Ujah has been released. I'm not convinced he was actually a footballer so it doesn't matter. We have signed Daren (one 'r', thank you very much) Dykes, a centre forward, from Rugby.
Speaking of centre forwards - Wiltshire Police have confirmed that a complaint of assault was made by a 28 year old man after the game on Saturday. Their investigations are ongoing.
Added Monday 22nd September
The Express & Star has reported that the club will investigate the "alleged incident" between Morell Maison and Dean Brennan. Colin Brookes said:
“We will deal with this when the time is right. It is early days. We have got to sit back and not say anything - until we find out what happened, how it happen and why it happened.
“We cannot pretend something has not happened but until we know exactly what did happen and what sequence it happened in, it is difficult to comment.”
Apart from using the words 'happen' and 'happened' possibly a world-record number of times, there is some sense in this approach. There may be a way out yet.
Until we hear something concrete I'm going to dream of FA Cup glory for the rest of the week.
Added Sunday 21st September
I've changed today's post twice now. With something as potentially damaging as this going on I'm not going to add fuel to the fire by circulating rumour about what's going on. The only thing that will be of any benefit is to wait and see what the club do to rectify the situation. Until then it's pointless to guess.
Added Saturday 20th September
Fight, fight, fight...
Except it's no laughing matter. This is all unconfirmed and I would stress that I am not presenting this as fact but rumours coming back from the game suggest Morell Maison punched unused sub Dean Brennan after the final whistle causing him to need medical attention. The extent of his injuries aren't known although anecdotodal evidence suggests a black eye and stitches.
If this is true then there are going to be serious ramifications. Morell Maison was a breath of fresh air when he took over but if he has (and I stress if) assaulted one of his players in full view of witnesses then I would be very surprised if it just goes away. Bearing in mind he is far from just being the manager of the club then it is potentially very serious indeed.
Added Saturday 20th September
Chippenham Town 2 Halesowen Town 1
Biggest test of the season so far and it's been failed. Chippenham, despite their poor start, are always a tough side to play and they have exacted revenge for last season's play-off defeat. I wasn't there so I am only surmising here but it looks like we started with 3 at the back and were two down in twenty odd minutes. Curtis Ujah, one of the three (about 85 minutes played for us so far and we've conceded four so he's not off to the best start), got injured after about 40 minutes so we revert to a back four and don't concede again.
Can I just say it again for the avoidance of doubt: Three central defenders. Why?
Added Tuesday 16th September
Halesowen Town 8 Meir KA 1
Just scraped through then. We could have had at least 15 but their 'keeper, I reckon, was pretty close to being man of the match. Jay Denny, FA Cup goalscoring machine (and sponsored by Bright Golden Haze - I don't know if I've mentioned that) got a hat-trick and Justin Rowe and Jermaine Palmer got two each. We scored their goal for them but they returned the favour. It was that kind of night.
Extract from Morell Maison's programme notes:
"In what can only be described as the door, a few players will be leaving us over the next days with couple arriving..."
Added Monday 15th September
We really ought to beat Meir tomorrow and if we do we'll play Gainsborough Trinity of Blue Square North at the Grove in the FA Cup second qualifying round.
Added Sunday 14th September
Halesowen's ambitious plans to redevelop the Grove to include a hotel and extensive ground improvements were always likely to be controversial. I've got some doubts myself but I'm not in full possession of the facts so I'm keeping them to myself. Other people have no such reservations.
Mick Freer of Hales Owen Abbey Trust (presumably Hales Owen to show they've been in Halesowen several million years or at least long before everybody else starting spelling it wrong) issued this rallying cry: "Will the council and councillors protect the Rec as their predecessors have or will they be swayed by the propoganda of jobs, investment and status?"
Now let's face it, the Rec is fine as it gives room for kids to play and dogs to poo, but an area of outstanding natural beauty it is not. To object to the development, as Mr Freer has done, because it might bring jobs, investment and status to the area is ridiculous. Jobs - who needs 'em? Evidently not Mr Freer.
Added Saturday 13 September
Meir KA 1 Brazil 1
Hmmm, Morell Maison is still searching for his first win as Yeltz manager in a Cup competition after today's result. It will be a pretty poor show if he doesn't manage it in the replay on Tuesday night after another goal from in-form Justin Rowe cancelled out an early Meir KA strike.
Still, we're in the hat on Monday, and that, as every dull as ditchwater football pundit with tell you, is the main thing.
Added Friday 12th September
 It's one of the best days of the season tomorrow. First qualifying round of the FA Cup and even though it's an away trip to Meir KA, it's still exciting. They're excited too - their manager Gary Woolrich told their local paper:"We went to watch Halesowen play Oxford City a couple of weeks ago and they were awesome. They were 2-1 down, but pushed the button and won 5-2 at a canter.
"I would like to say we saw a weakness we could exploit, but that would be lying. We will be massive underdogs.
"But this will be the biggest day in our club's history and it's an occasion to be enjoyed. As long as the lads give everything, we can't ask for anything more."
I know we're a lot higher in the pyramid and should (repeat should) win comfortably but bloody hell Mr Woolrich we're not Brazil.
Added Sunday 7th September
Rod Brown - Rugby manager who wouldn't make rash predictions for the season ahead is probably glad now. He might have said something silly like Rugby would be bottom of the league and he would have buggered off to Bromsgrove again. Oh, hang on...
In other news, Ludovic Quistin has been released from Hednesford for over-enthusiastic (or in the words of their manager, "silly") tackling in training. There's a young man with ruined shorts at Cradley Town who could have told him that.
Added Saturday 6th September
Following the newspaper report I am happy to report that the disguises that Suki and I now wear whilst out on walks have been successful. We have been recognised by absolutely no-one.
Today's game against Mangotsfield has been postponed following the filthy, stinky, appalling and altogether typical weather we have been on the receiving end for the last several months.
It's bad enough for us but Mangotsfield must be fuming. Told to travel this morning they will now have to turn round and go straight home again. Sometimes I think no-one at Halesowen takes any notice at all of the weather forecast. It's not as if the rain has come out of the blue.
Added Thursday 4th September
Well, my story has been published in the Halesowen Chronicle. I am even on the front cover! Well, my picture is(I have an uncanny look in photos of looking half cut even when I haven't had a drink) with a link to the story on page 11. The story is not entirely correct, in fact if I was being particularly hard-hearted I would claim I'd been misquoted but I'm grateful to be in there at all so I won't. To put the record straight, I haven't sold 100 copies yet unfortunately and it's been more than 4 years since the last fanzine. More importantly Suki is in the paper! Anyway, click here for the story.
Added Wednesday 3rd September
Halesowen Town 5 Oxford City 2
If I was an Oxford fan I'd feel slightly aggrieved today. Not because of losing the game because overall the best side won but by the margin. It's unusual to score 5 at home and be slightly underwhelmed but the game was in the balance until the last few minutes when we got three quick goals.
Morell Maison knows more about football than me - of that I am certain. He clearly also knows more about his players than I do but I must admit I'm slightly bemused by the three at the back and wing-backs routine of the last few weeks. I've a nasty feeling a better side will exploit the gaps but I could be wrong. It has been known.
| 
