Alvechurch made the trip to the Grove Stadium having lost back-to-back games at their local rivals and itching to rip up the history books to claim a win at a ground where it has been difficult to gain one. On their previous two trips to Halesowen, Church succumbed to a horrible drubbing in the Emirates FA Cup in what turned out to be Ian Long's final game in charge. Despite goals from Jack Concannon and Ross Evans, the damage had already been done, losing 5-2 in that particular game.

His processors' challenge wasn't any more easier. Having lost three of their last four before their second trip to the Grove of the season last April, their task seemed daunting. A brilliant effort from a fighting group of players in their battle to beat the drop still wasn't enough. A corner that should have never have been a corner ended up being the moment that decided the outcome as a header in the final ten minutes was the difference between the two clubs seeing Town take all three points in a 1-0 win.

History didn't favour Church on paper, but their run of form of just one defeat in their last six outings, meant that Tim Flowers have started to rise rapidly up the league table but also book their place in the Worcestershire Senior Cup final for the second season in a row in mid-week with a 1-0 win on the road at fellow local neighbours Bromsgrove Sporting. Fresh hope, fresh optimism that Alvechurch could write a new chapter in this rollercoaster of a season that they are having.

The last time these two met this campaign though saw a real dogfight between two sides chasing top spot. It was going to need a moment of magic for then-Jimmy Fry's team as teenager Daniel Shaw stepped off the bench to deliver the only real moment of the encounter as his goal from 30 yards curled into the top corner of the Halesowen Town goal to send Alvechurch top of the division for the first time.

From then on in, a rapid downfall in form and tumbling down the table led to a change in management, appointing the experienced Tim Flowers, who has since oversaw 9 victories in his opening 14 games in charge. A remarkable turnaround, and again has seen Church start to climb the table slowly. A win at the Grove could really ignite their play-off hopes and keep the momentum in full swing.

HOW IT UNFOLDED:
It was a very quiet start to the contest as both sides tried to work each other out. The only shot of the encounter coming the way of Joe Willis, who hit a tame effort into the gloves of the Halesowen Town goalkeeper four minutes in but that's all we had for the opening 20 minutes.

From there on in, the action started to deliver. A minute before taking the lead, Halesowen were starting to ask questions of a rocky Church defence. Forcing them into mistakes, forcing them into rushed passes and sloppy play. The ball came in from the right, and landed kindly for Manning to take the shot on from inside the 18-yard area but Krystian Pearce managed to rush back in to make an outstanding block and deny the hosts the lead.

As mentioned, this opportunity came just a minute before they did eventually smash the door down. An very un-like Church performance saw us wobbling and not getting to grips with the formation nor the contest. On 21 minutes, the lead did come as our defenders were claiming for a foul in the middle of the pitch, the referee saw nothing wrong with it and allowed play to continue. In which, the home team took full control of as Connor Tee pinned the Church defence before rifling his effort into the roof of the net.

The visitors really struggling to get up the field, and being pinned right in their own half. Three minutes later, it could have been two. Donnelly ghosted in behind before taking a snap shot, which forced Hollingshead into a brilliant diving save across to his right. From the resulting corner, our number one under severe pressure by all those in there, got his fist to the ball but it landed awkwardly, however there was enough bodies in the way to smother it to safety.

On 26 minutes, the pressure and noise from the 923 fans inside the ground was rising. Once again, Church makers of their own downfall. Giving away possession allowed the gate to open, but Hollingshead was equal to the strike keeping his side in the encounter at the moment as Tim Flowers tried to work out what was going wrong.

Failing to gain any control of the game, Church' troubles doubled as the Yeltz raced into a two-goal. A ball was whipped in from the left-hand side, Donnelly made an excellent run to get his head on the ball and guide the header into the far corner, this time there was nothing our goalkeeper could do about this one to deny them their well-deserved second goal of the afternoon.

Debutant Finn Howell from Solihull Moors and Manning contested for the next ball in which our young defender won but the ball ricocheted kindly into the striker's path. The luck of the afternoon not going in the away side's favour so far, but Manning's floated ball into the box was cleared by Hollingshead, who did well to punch away and keep Church in it at just the two as we headed for the break.

HT: HALESOWEN TOWN 2-0 ALVECHURCH

Not what we wanted. Not what anyone expected from the Church - who had shown real glimpses of their old selves over recent weeks, but far from it in that first-half performance. In the post-match interview, Tim Flowers revealed that he made a pact with his lads to ensure that he never has to repeat what was said at half-time ever again. Well, whatever it is he said, it paid dividends to the outcome.

For the hosts, it couldn't have gone any better for them. Back in-front of their home support after last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Spalding United. It was going the way they wanted, the reaction they needed to bounce back. Quite the turn in performance from the one we saw in September when Church won 1-0. Their performance was going from strength to strength, but could they keep up that intensity for the next 45 minutes or would Tim Flowers weave the miracle needed to turn this one around?

Six minutes into the second half, and hope was restored of an unlikely comeback. The third goal in a game at 2-0 is so key and luckily for the visiting team, it went their way. Loose in possession, Willis won the ball back high up the pitch and shaped up to shoot from 25 yards but rolled the ball into the feet of Dan Sweeney, who was under pressure from two Halesowen defenders, but hit the strike first-time and his luck was in. The goalkeeper was caught in two minds whether to palm it away or catch the shot and did neither as Sweeney's speculative shot ended up in the back of the net to halve the deficit.

Momentum really started to shift and four minutes later, the visiting side had their tails up and could smell blood. Sweeney almost turned provider this time as he brought the ball down and slipped Dylan Allen-Hadley through on goal. He used all of his pace to break away and through clean on goal but a last-ditch tackle from Ryan Wynter was all wrong. It resulted in a red card for the hosts, whose lead was clinging on by a thread. A remarkable turn of events just ten minutes into the second period.

From the free-kick that was rewarded on the edge of the area, goalscorer Dan Sweeney tried his luck and wasn't too far away as his strike skimmed over the crossbar but you could sense the next goal wasn't too far away for Flowers' men, who had rallied themselves. The anxiety in the ground was growing and a side that looked miles away from a result was getting closer to getting on terms. A striking difference from the team that left the pitch at the interval to the one that re-emerged in the second half.

We would have loved to have been a fly on that wall at the break. Just what did Tim say?!

As we crossed the hour mark, the Church side based on their second half performance gained their deserved equaliser to dampen the noise in the ground. The silence was deafening and spoke volumes. Brad Stretton, introduced at the break and wearing the number seven after Matt Richards' unfortunate departure in mid-week, was making a real difference to proceedings. His corner kick delivery was bang on the money for Pearce to rise and smash home the header. Halesowen 2, Alvechurch 2.

28 minutes left, could Church make it count now and emerge winners?

From that moment, the game became frantic and end-to-end. On 65 minutes, the Yeltz really should have been back in-front. A glorious opportunity to reclaim the lead. Donnelly, a thorn in the away defence all afternoon, shrugged off the challenge of our defenders, leaving him with the goal at his mercy from 8 yards out but his powerful strike came back off the underside of the crossbar and away to safety. A lucky escape.

Church broke on that effort with the pace of Stretton and Allen-Hadley leading the charge up the field. Due to the numbers that the home side threw forward on that attack, it opened the door for Church. Allen-Hadley drove with power and purpose before sliding Ammar Dyer in down the right, who joined the lightning-fast counter attack. Dyer put Tee on the floor before curling an effort towards goal but Platt was able to take it under his control and relieve the pressure.

Both sides pushing and pushing to find what could be a winner now.

With 14 minutes remaining, the defence still looked very vulnerable. Archie Crowther unintentionally gifted the ball to Donnelly, who saw his cross cut out by our skipper Pearce. But his clearance landed as far as Smile, who took a touch and fired in a rocket which headed over the top to Hollingshead's relief.

Mentioned before, the away side defence looked depictable all afternoon and Flowers expressed his anger and frustration that we didn't make the extra man count. It looked as if Russ Penn's men would be more likely to snatch the win. WHAT A SAVE! RONNIE HOLLINGSHEAD WITH THE SAVE OF THE SEASON. It was difficult to believe that Halesowen had not regained an advantage. Donnelly, again, held off the pressure from our defenders before rifling his effort towards goal through a whole host of bodies, in which our on-loan WBA goalkeeper made an outrageous save down low to his right to keep it out.

Time was running out for both teams to snatch a late victory.

In the 93rd minute, Alvechurch nearly stole the lead and what surely would have been all three points. The moment that they had been craving since the hosts' reduction to 10-men. Dyer delivered a beautiful cross into the area, which saw Shay Willock get his head on but it was straight down the goalkeepers' throat and with that came the last action of the encounter.

FT: HALESOWEN TOWN 2-2 ALVECHURCH