Fearless in battle
By Adam Summers

IAN Hutchinson hailed his side’s willingness to put their bodies on the line after they began their Zamaretto Premier Divis-ion campaign with a deserved point at the Grove.

And it would have been all three had substitute Warren Byerley’s effort not been ruled out on 74 minutes.

The ex-Dorchester Town forward tucked the ball into the net following a scramble in the Halesowen goal-mouth but the referee ruled it out and instead opted to award a penalty for an earlier infringement by Lee Ayres on Cameron Mawer.

Sam Charles stepped up to the spot but his effort was saved by Dean Coleman, much to the relief of the Yeltz, who then laid siege on Weymouth’s 18-yard box only to come up against a dogged and resilient rearguard.

After the full-time whistle, Hutchinson understandably wanted an explanation from the referee regarding the controversial penalty incident and he received an honest response.

The Terras’ boss said: “There was a scramble and Warren put it away with his first touch but for some reason instead of giving the goal, the referee gave a penalty instead for someone pulling down Cameron in the build up.

“When I asked him for an explanation afterwards he just said ‘hindsight is a wonderful thing’, so whether he thought he had got it wrong I do not know.

“But, anyway, these things even themselves out over the course of the season and at the end of the day we have come away with a clean sheet and a point on the board, which shows we are moving in the right direction.

“However, the most encouraging thing for me was the way the lads put their bodies on the line in the final 10 to 15 minutes when they began to put us under a lot of pressure. If we show that type of spirit and character every week we will do just fine.”

Hutchinson was also quick to dedicate the team’s fearless display to the late Bob Lucas, who sadly passed away on Thursday. He added: “I think our late president would have been proud of each and every one of them at the end. They threw themselves at everything, put their heads in there when they had to, and showed tremendous spirit throughout. The way they went about their business was just fantastic.”

The Terras’ incredible workmanlike performance scarcely seemed possible at kick-off, which was put back to 3.35pm, following a nightmare six-hour coach journey that saw them get stuck on the M5 due to an accident.

Hutchinson’s men barely had enough time to warm-up but it did not seem to hinder them as they created two of the best chances of the first period with Jules Emati-Emati sending a lob against the underside of the bar, and Charles being denied by another splendid save.

Emati-Emati broke the offside trap on nine minutes before sending the ball over the onrushing Coleman but his effort cannoned back off the bar and when Simon Radcliffe followed up, Craig Connor was on hand to make a fine block on the line.

Charles then broke clear later in the half only to see his low drive brilliantly saved by Coleman, who instinctively kept the ball out at his near post.

With no Stefan Moore or Tony Thorpe up front, Halesowen lacked a cutting edge in the final third despite creating plenty of openings, with the impressive Tom Manley dealing comfortably with everything that came his way in the Terras’ goal.

Former Aston Villa forward Moore was initially named among the home side’s substitutes but a late change saw him omitted from the squad altogether, while ex-Luton Town striker Thorpe carried out his coaching duties among the management staff.

David Stone had Halesowen’s best chance of the first half when he latched on to a fine ball from Michael Nardiello only to see his effort blocked at point-blank range by Manley.

The Terras’ stopper is proving somewhat of an inspirational signing and in the closing stages he was called upon again, as he showed superb reactions to deny Nathan Smith what would have been a certain winner.

Hutchinson said: “In a way we are slightly disappointed that we did not come away with all three points but there is no doubt that we would have settled for a point before kick-off.

“They are going to be one of the strongest sides in the league and for 35 minutes in the second half we totally dominated. We put the ball into good areas and it was just a shame we were not rewarded with the goal that our sheer effort deserved.”

Many people did not give the Terras a chance at Halesowen but Hutchinson’s men upset the odds with a display of passion, commitment and sheer hard work. Those three qualities were trademarks of the late, great Bob Lucas, who without a doubt would have had a big smile on his face after such an impressive showing.