Bees beat the freeze to grab vital win
STUDLEY manager Danny Brain is hoping his side has turned the corner after they ended a four-match losing streak with a 3-0 victory over Stone Old Alleynians at the Beehive on Saturday.
He drafted in two new players, snapping up midfielder Zaki Kamali from Wolverhampton Sporting and Boldmere St Michaels defender Taz Chibaya who has been getting game time with Smethwick Rangers.
And the pair made a decent impression before Kamali went off at the break with the goals coming from skipper Charlie Shaw, teenager Nate Timbrell and Ash De Mulder.
“We brought Taz and Zaki in and I thought they offered us a lot in the first half,” Brain said. “Zaki’s strength is through the middle but we asked him to play off the right and we knew that Taz behind him was quick and athletic which he showed on the overlaps.
“Zaki was a little unfit which is why he came off at half-time - it was a change that needed to be made.
“They had a big no.9 [Jack Tomlinson] up front and to be fair that was their only threat. He was a handful but I thought we dealt with him really well, getting as many bodies as we could around him when they looked to play the ball into him. I thought we nullified their threat.”
The Bees were well worth their win, dominating the chances throughout. Kyle Moseley was just wide of the target with an early Studley effort before they opened the scoring with a controversial goal just before the break. A foul on winger Szhem Whyte-Hall had the referee reaching for his book but before he could take the name of the Stone defender, the home side took a quick free-kick and skipper Charlie Shaw sent an inch-perfect effort over the keeper.
It was 2-0 eight minutes into the second period when visiting keeper Raajan Gil miscued a clearance and Nate Timbrell lifted the ball back over his head and into the net.
Ash De Mulder wrapped up the scoring on 83 minutes with a fine shot with Stone’s only real effort coming in the final few minutes when Jack van der Laan crashed a penalty against the crossbar and out of the ground.
Brain added: “We needed the win and hopefully we have turned the corner now. What has been clear over the last few weeks is our desire not to be beat and we have been putting an emphasis on the out of possession work. If you get that right then you find yourself in the game longer.
“Their attitude over the last couple of weeks has been brilliant and I think that has been reflected in their performances - not just against Stone but also against Brocton the previous week when I thought we were unfortunate not to get anything from the game.
“Three points and a clean sheet has meant there is a real good vibe around the changing room which is something that we have been missing. It has been a tough few weeks with an unsettled squad and players leaving. Hopefully we can now find some stability.”