Tiptoe through the Tulips

[DJ]

Saturday's meeting with Spalding United promises to be a hugely important game. It's now almost a third of a century since another big game against the Tulips away on 25th April 1990 (it's the same ground as today, just named differently) where victory secured promotion to Halesowen's highest ever level - effectively just two steps below the Football League. It was a long day, I set off from London at 2pm (via Oxford) in a borrowed Fiat Uno for a game which started comfortably but ended with totally shredded nerves. I recall H and several committee members pacing up and down the long open side of the ground in those agonising final minutes, hardly able to watch. Here's my report:

Beazer Homes Midland Division - Wednesday 25th April 1990

Spalding United 2 Halesowen Town 3

Yeltz beat Spalding 3-2 to clinch promotion to the Beazer Premier for the first time in the club’s history. Club Secretary Harry Rudge said “There was euphoria on the bus back. It is the highest the club has ever been.”

No-one deserves this success more than Rudge who has been the club’s inspiration for the last 50 years. Yeltz now travel to Willenhall on Monday night needing only one point to take the championship. The Yeltz philosophy throughout the season has been to ignore what the other teams are doing and keep on winning and they deserve nothing less than that crowning glory.

Yeltz took the lead at Spalding through new boy Timmy Langford. Andy Pearce scored from the penalty spot to put Yeltz two up and Paul Hunter scored a brilliant individual goal to give the visitors a 3-0 cushion at half-time.

Spalding launched a determined fightback after the break and pulled back two goals with high balls and long throw-ins bombarding the Yeltz goal in the final minutes, led by the huge Kevin Topliss. But Halesowen’s nerve held and they left with three valuable points. The pressure was starting to get to some of the players. Even veteran Malcolm Hazelwood showed signs of nerves, missing a second half penalty. Nuneaton’s chance of catching Yeltz evaporated when they dropped two points at Grantham.

The quality of the squad John Morris has built up this season is reflected in the number of scouts from league clubs seen buzzing around the Grove on Saturday. Morris says: “People tell me Derby, West Ham, Sheffield United and Wolves were all here.” Several players have already been linked with league clubs - centre half Andy Pearce played for Coventry reserves against Blackburn. Lightning forward Paul Hunter has also attracted league interest and played for Sheffield United reserves against Nottingham Forest.

Yeltz play their remaining two games at Willenhall on Monday (30th) and finish the season with a difficult game at Grantham on May 5th.

Halesowen Town: Tim Clarke; Mark Penn, Stuart Edwards, Eric Smith, Andy Pearce, Leroy Hemans, Malcolm Hazelwood, Sean Flynn, Tim Langford, Paul Joinson, Paul Hunter. Subs: Lee Joinson, Graham Price.

Spalding United squad: Billy Miller; Andrew Ryder, Clive Worthington, John Humphreys, Ian Ladd, Martin Henderson, Martyn Boyers, Fergus Rushe, Albert Hunter, Lee Rippin, Paul Langford, Mark Waite, Kevin Topliss.

Referee: Mr J.M. Lee (Corby)

Attendance: 417

[andy]

Remember it well. Most nerve shredding game ending I think I've seen. On the way back in the car was listening to the England v Czechoslovakia ending, we seemed to have found a rare talent that Bobby Robson was calling daft as a brush. Gazza anyone?

[old git]

As one of those committees members you mention, I vividly recall that in the shed behind the goal, (which is no longer there) we’re some steeplechase barriers. Every time the ball went into their half in that final 20 minutes I bent down and hid behind them.
The team bus back was one long drunken ride which then meant cars abandoned and a long walk home from the Grove, but by God it was worth it