Bloxwich Town 0-1 Feckenham FC

FECKENHAM were forced to fight a rearguard action in the second half before pulling off a prized 1-0 win over Bloxwich Town in Midland League Division Two match.

The result signalled back-to-back wins for Aaron Blackwood's side after digging deep in the second half to seal the points.

Umit Eminoglu returned to Feckenham's attack and soon made his presence felt when he fired a 30 yard free kick which smashed against Bloxwich's crossbar before being cleared away.

But Eminoglu had better luck when he scored from the penalty spot on 16 minutes after Ben Welsh had been fouled.

Danny Murphy then went close for the Millers when he saw an effort on goal squirm the wrong side of the post.

But Feckenham had to ride their luck as well, especially when a well driven shot deflected off Joe Nokes and onto his own crossbar.

Bloxwich began the second half in much more determined manner and hit the crossbar for a second time when a strike from distance caught in the wind and flew towards goal.

Ben Ellicott did manage to fire the ball into the back of Bloxwich's net again on 67 minutes only to have his goal ruled out for off-side.

Ultimately it was Millers goalkeeper Josh Goddard and his back four who took the plaudits, holding firm as Bloxwich delivered a late onslaught.

Delighted Feckeham boss Blackwood said: "Bloxwich are a tough outfit to crack at their place as recent results against NKF Burbage, Redditch Borough and Moors Academy have shown.

"We had to battle hard to beat a physical and hardworking Bloxwich side."

Feckenham face Coton Green at home this Saturday in the Presidents League Cup with kick-off at 2.45pm.

TWO promising Feckenham footballers were honoured when selected to play for the Birmingham County FA under-18 side this week.

Midfield man Kieren Donnelly and striker Jake Johnston were both chosen for the county side which beat AFC Birmingham 2-0 on Sunday.

The most pleasing aspect for Feckenham is the fact their under-18 side has only been running for the past three months.

Aaron Blackwood said: "It's fantastic to see the progress the team has made to date under Rob Donnelly and Gerry Corrigan. These are talented lads who are receiving much deserved recognition."