Knowle bounce back with win at Bloxwich

Report below from Knowle's match against Bloxwich Town on Saturday 13th January.

Knowle bounce back with win at Bloxwich

Knowle bounced back from their cup exit last week with a hard fought win away at Bloxwich Town. Knowle had the best of starts when debutant Taylor Byrne headed in Steven Ruck's corner from the right. Bloxwich had a chance to respond straight away with a corner that flashed across the 6 yard area without anyone getting a touch on it. Knowle extended their lead in the 15th minute when Tom Craine drilled in a shot across the keeper from the edge of the penalty box. At the other end Knowle survived a scare when the home striker's shot on the turn cannoned into Conal Dowling in the Knowle goal. However, the home side did pull one back when the referee awarded a penalty when Niall Attenborrow clipped the heals of a home player and they duly converted the spot kick.
Craine tested the keeper at the start of the second after Sam Hulme did well to get to the goal-line and cut the ball back. Knowle then survived two scares when the Bloxwich centre half had a free header from a corner which fortunately went wide and then Dowling smothered a shot from close range after a scramble in the area. In the 62nd minute Craine burst through the home defence but the home keeper got enough on his effort to send it wide. In the 79th minute Nathan Corry gave the ball away on the corner of the penalty area and he was relieved to see the resultant shot go wide of the right hand upright. At the other end Ruck drove a shot just over the bar from the edge of the area. Then a Dowling clearance was headed on by Craine for substitute Gavin Lamb to race in on goal but his shot under pressure was just wide of the post. Craine also volleyed a Ruck free kick just over from the edge of the area. Having survived a period of pressure from the home side and with the game entering the 5th minute of added time Knowle sealed the victory when Lamb headed a corner away and Corry ran past the home keeper on the half way line and passed the ball into the net before the retreating defenders could get back.

The win moves Knowle up to 4th in the league but with a number of teams below them with games in hand.

Next they face Moors Academy in the quarter final of the Smedley Crooke Cup at Hampton Road next Saturday with a 1.45pm kick off.

Updated 20:45 - 31 Aug 2019 by Grant Harrison