On a night where their unbeaten run would be tested, the home side welcomed the runaway league leaders Droitwich Spa to The Hayes hoping to extend their streak to four games. A brilliant run of form has seen them start to rise up the table after a win and two draws against sides in and around them at the foot of the table. Realistically, the home side would have been hoping for all nine points but worked hard to ensure that if they couldn't win it, they didn't lose it.

A change in management saw Paul Hasker and Bryan Allcott take the reigns after a shock departure from Richard Tonks. A 4-2 win against AFC Bridgnorth plus a 1-1 draw against Redditch United before an entertaining 3-3 draw against Kidderminster Harriers had overseen to the new era quite well frankly put. A testament to the character and resilience the side are showing.

Meanwhile, the league leaders arrived on a six-match winning run in the league. But did suffer two defeats in a row in two cup competitions, which has seen their season falter a little bit considering their high standards that they have set this season. Their last dropped points in the division came against one of the sides that are also competing for the league title, Worcester Raiders. That night they suffered a bad 2-1 defeat at home, but since then have picked up 18 points from a possible 18 making a dauting task that Church faced.

Under the lights for their penultimate home game of the season, The Church were aiming to make it three without defeat on home turf.

HOW IT UNFOLDED:
On a rather mild night for football, it was the visitors to get us underway for what had the makings of an important fixture for them, who knew a win tonight would allow them to put one hand on the trophy. It was Spa who started the brighter of the two teams, too. Goalkeeper Logan Elliss was called into action twice in the opening exchanges.

In the 12th minute of the contest, some skilful passage of play from the silky winger allowed him to roam into the space that was opening up in front of him. The angle was tight and always against the winger, but he hit a snapshot towards goal and forced Elliss to make an important stop with his feet. Three minutes later, he was forced into another vital save down to his right keeping the score at bay.

There were warning signs for Alvechurch, who couldn't quite get out of their own half. Being pinned right in and under severe pressure from all crosses coming into the penalty area. A succession of corners being given away, the writing was on the walls, you felt. From their first three corners of the match, the hosts were lucky to escape on all separate occasions. Three free headers ended up sailing over the crossbar.

Another waves of attacks and corners kept coming at the boys. To their credit, they were standing strong to the onslaught and not allowing Droitwich to take the advantage. The latest corner in the 32nd minute was brilliantly kept out by Elliss. The defender managed to gallop away from his marker in the middle leaving him with acres of space to head the ball towards goal but our number one got down well to his left to make a key stop at a key time in the encounter.

Having cleared the ball away, Church finally registered their first real chance of the game. From the resulting corner, Hemming was able to hook it to safety. The returning Jaelon West picked up the loose pieces before having a right go at the defence, who were dropping deeper and deeper allowing West to continue his powerful surge towards goal. As the space opened up, he let fly from 25 yards out and forced the last defender into a brilliant block.

It was a sign that on the counter, they could be a real handful and a real threat to the leaders.

However, in the 39th minute, the deadlock was broken and the only real way that it looked like it was going to come from. You probably guessed it. From a corner. The set-piece was on a plate for the travelling team. The initial header was blocked in the middle, not quite sure we knew anything about it but the players in red and black reacted quickest to the loose ball, it was cannoned in from 5 yards out to hand the away team the lead on the stroke of the half-time whistle.

HT: ALVECHURCH 0-1 DROITWICH SPA

Having had to withstand almighty pressure in that first half, their resistance was broken but not their faith. At the interval, we asked the Church boys to believe that they could get something from the game. The only way to do that was to believe in one another and ensure that they could bounce back together. Stay in the match would give us the best possible chance to be able to try and catch them out.

Within the first 30 seconds of the half, it couldn't have gone any better. The Droitwich Spa goalkeeper flew out of his goal to deal with what to have looked like a routine clearance, but their number one took a huge gamble with the ball. He tried to turn on the ball and go out the other side but Harry Ackerman was on hand to win it from him. The ball fell kindly for Lewis Hart, who had to be composed with the finish, and with that, he rolled the ball into the back of the net to draw us level.

The goal seemed to lift the spirits, and their belief + confidence. Now playing as if they were going to be the team to get the next goal. For the first ten-twenty minutes of the second period, Alvechurch truly put the champions-elect into a state of real jeopardy. A place I'm sure that they wouldn't have experienced in many games this season.

Church came within a foot of the post of turning the game on its head in the 64th minute. A fantastic weighted ball into the right-channel set Jayden Lees free. We believe he went for the cross but his cross-cum effort crashed against the frame of the goal from a seemingly impossible angle. It had the goalkeeper worried, but Church claimed that the goalkeeper got a touch on the ball to take it onto the base of the post. A goal-kick was given, which angered the home players.

Hasker's side continued their push for a winner and were probably within an inch of snatching it. A lofted ball over the top was chased and Lees again won the battle before attempting to lift the ball over to Ackerman in the middle. He was waiting and waiting for the ball to drop right onto the laces of his right-foot but the faintest of touches from the Droitwich defender was enough to save them from going behind.

An unbelievable effort from the group. It was now either about seeing it over the line or trying to go gung-ho for the win.

There was a chance right at the end for the away side to snatch the victory but a wild effort in the 93rd minute from inside the 18-yard box was absolutely rifled out of the ground and into the Padel Tennis courts just behind the 3G astroturf to spare the blushes of our defence, who failed to clear the ball properly.

Dug in deep to grind out a point nonetheless, and they should be super proud of their efforts to take a point from a team that hadn't dropped a single point since December 2024.

FT: ALVECHURCH 1-1 DROITWICH SPA