THE goals may be raining in at potent Alvechurch but manager Ian Long was more pleased with a clean sheet.

The Lye Meadow outfit made it 14 goals in four games last week after they defeated Boldmere St Michaels 5-1 last week in the Polymac League Cup and then followed that up with a 3-0 victory at Bardon Hill on Saturday in the Midlands Premier.

The win at the weekend was all the more impressive because Church were reduced to ten men after 19 minutes after Mark Smith was sent off a violent conduct.

Connor Deards had already fired Alvechurch ahead before the dismissal but after some reshuffling by Long, Karl Edwards and Joel Ambalu both hit the back of the net.

Long said: "I was very pleased because we've shown two different sides over the last week.

"Against Boldmere we played some very good football but against Bardon it was a battling display and both performances bode well for the future.

"Mark has been good as gold for the last three years, I think that was his first sending off.

"I didn't see the incident but he apparently he retaliated to something a Bardon player did. We'll have a chat in training on Thursday.

"But we changed a few things and I thought the three lads in midfield protected the back four really well and we took our chances. The clean sheet was just what I wanted."

Alvechurch were fifth in the table before last night's trip to Walsall Wood.

They go to Shepshed Dynamo on Saturday (3pm ko) and take on Coventry Sphinx at home next Tuedsay (7.45pm ko).