MIDLAND FOOTBALL COMBINATION
PREMIER DIVISION

Brocton (0) 1 West Midlands Police (2) 2

West Midlands Police took all three points in their first ever game against league newcomers Brocton who made the step up to the Midland Combination from the Midland League where they finished in ninth place, winning 17 and drawing 6 of their 36 games, scoring 74 goals whilst conceding 53. It was also the first time West Mids had played at the Cannock Sports Stadium.

It was a game of two distinct halves. West Mids dominated the first half but took their foot of the pedal during the second half and allowed Brocton back into the game.

Police took the lead on 21 minutes when a Gagi Bedi cross was half cleared to Lyndon Price who knocked the ball back into the box to Mark Bellingham who headed the ball on and forced his way through the Brocton defence and past keeper Michael Shezper to run the ball into an empty net. Three minutes before half time, Police deservedly added goal number 2 when Bellingham fed Bedi on the left flank and from the resultant cross Bellingham was on hand to squeeze home a neat header on the far post. A rare headed goal for Bello.

In the second half, on 75 minutes a long clearance from Police keeper Ross Bate bounced through to Bellingham who lobbed the advancing keeper towards an unguarded net but Brocton defender Andrew Chandler raced back to head the ball over the bar and deny Bellingham a hat-trick.

Brocton should have pulled a goal back on 85 minutes when, from a corner, a Police defender was adjudged to guilty of pushing. But the chance was missed when Chandler drove the resultant spot-kick wide. Brocton did score a consolation goal in stoppage time when Andrew Harrison scored with a close range header from a deep cross.