Church Needs A Miracle After Being Put Through the Mill(s) - That's No Word Of A Lye !!

And so to another trip to flooded Worcestershire, this time to Lye Meadow, and more Southern Premier Central football between Alvechurch and Needham Market.

Football in Alvechurch dates back to 1913 in the form of Alvechurch Juniors FC. By the 1920s the club had changed name to Alvechurch Swifts but 1926 saw the General Strike, depression and the demise of the football club. The club was resurrected in 1929 again as Alvechurch Juniors and played at the Meadows, a field given to the club by a Colonel Wiggins, competing in the Redditch League until World War II. They then moved to Guants and purchased land in 1957 which was transformed into the current ground at Lye Meadow. The Church were runners-up in the West Midlands Alliance in 1960–61 and moved up to Division One of the Worcestershire Combination. After a seventh-place finish in their first season in the Combination, the next seven seasons saw the club finish either first or second in the league, winning the league title in 1963, 1965 and 1967. In 1965–66 they also reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup, eventually losing 1–0 to Wealdstone at Stamford Bridge with around 10,000 supporters travelling to London for the game.

The league was renamed the Midland Combination in 1968 and Alvechurch won their fourth title in 1972. That season also saw them make FA Cup history, now never to be broken; in the 4th Qualifying Round they were drawn against Oxford City. Following a 2–2 draw at home, the tie went to a (Guinness Book of Records) record five replays at Oxford City, St Andrews, the Manor Ground (twice) and finally, after 17 days and six cup ties, the Church won the fifth replay 1–0 at  Villa Park. The win meant that Alvechurch reached the First Round proper, becoming the first club from the Midland Combination to do so. They went on to lose 4–2 at Aldershot.

After finishing as runners-up in the Midland Combination in 1972/73, Alvechurch switched to the Premier Division of the West Midlands (Regional) League. The club's first season in the league saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup again, defeating Fourth Division Exeter City 1-0. This was followed by a 6–1 win at home to King's Lynn in the second round, before a 4–2 defeat at Bradford City in the third round. That season the Church also won the West Midlands (Regional) League title, the League Cup, the Birmingham Senior Amateur Cup and the Worcestershire Senior Cup, thereafter retaining the league title for the next three seasons, before moving up to Division One North of the Southern League.

Following league reorganisation, Alvechurch were placed in the Southern League's Midland Division for the 1979/80 season, and were divisional champions in 1981, beating Dartford of the Southern Division in the championship play-off, winning 1–0 at home and losing 3–2 away, and winning the tie 4–3 on penalties. A further league reorganisation then saw them placed in the new Premier Division for the 1982/83 campaign, but relegation to the Midland Division in 1990, and another relegation two seasons later saw them drop back into the Premier Division of the West Midlands (Regional) League. After the death of club benefactor Philip Palmer and a brief intervention by Geoff Turton of The Rockin' Berries pop group, the club was taken over by financial speculators and subsequently folded in 1993.

The club was re-established under the name of Alvechurch Villa in 1994, entering the Premier Division of the Midland Combination. In 1996 they reverted to the name of Alvechurch FC, and in 2002/03 the club were Premier Division champions and League Cup winners, prompting promotion to the Midland Alliance. When the Midland League was created in 2014, Alvechurch were placed in the Premier Division. They were runners-up in the league first time around and went on to win the league and League Cup double the following season thereby earning promotion to Division One South of the Northern Premier League.

Alvechurch's first season in the Northern Premier League saw them finish as runners-up in Division One South, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League. A fourth-place finish in 2018/19 led to the club qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Stourbridge 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–0 to King's Lynn Town in the final. However a change of manager, Ian Long moving to Stourbridge and all bar 4 of the squad leaving, then his successor Darren Byfield being sacked in November, has led to a terrible second season syndrome with the Church languishing in 21st place this time, garnering only 17 points, 8 adrift of safety.

Although records show the existence of a Needham Market Football Club during the late 1890s, the modern club was officially established in 1919. They joined the Ipswich & District League and subsequently won Division Two A in 1932–33 and after World War II captured the Division Two title in 1946–47 before going on to win Division One in 1952–53. 

Following relegation in 1984, in 1986–87 the Marketmen were Division One runners-up, earning promotion back to the Senior Division.  In 1996 the club were Senior Division champions, and were promoted to Division One of the Jewson (then Ridgeon and now Thurlow Nunn) Eastern Counties League. They were Division One runners-up in 2004/05 and were promoted to the Premier Division. In 2006–07 the club won the East Anglian Cup, before going on to finish as runners-up in the Premier Division and winning the League Challenge Cup and the Suffolk Premier Cup in 2007–08, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Vase, losing 4–2 on aggregate to Kirkham & Wesham (now AFC Fylde).

The 2009–10 season saw Needham Market win the Premier Division title and the League Cup double, earning promotion to Division One North of the Isthmian League. In their first season in Division One, Needham finished as runners-up, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, but losing 3–1 at home to Brentwood Town. The following season the club finished third, again reaching the play-offs, but lost 1–0 to Enfield Town. They qualified for the play-offs for a third time after finishing fifth in 2014, this time losing 1–0 to Witham Town. Finally the Marketmen went on to win the division in 2015, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 2017 they won the Suffolk Premier Cup for a second time.

Needham Market were transferred to the Premier Central division of the Southern League at the end of the 2017/18 season as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid. After a bright start, the visitors from Bloomfields, named after former player and club stalwart of 70 years Derrick Bloomfield, finished 11th last term - the Marketmen again sit 11th this time, having just appointed Kevin Horlock as their new manager.

It's a blustery morning with spasmodic rain as I join the M6 at Tabley, with traffic freely moving and providing more unusual numberplates - MOO53, the slightly (wh)iffy SK1.1NKS and the very clever H20 PTP - Pete The Pipe, unsurprisingly a plumber !! And a private car with the sticker 'How's My Driving ? Tel: 0800 F*CKU' ....

Then onto 'Smart' Motorway, 26 more miserable months of roadworks and goodness only knows how more deaths, and those red distracting bridge signs. This time Yarnfield Lane catches my eye, as two of the three clubs that play there - Stone Dominoes and Tunstall Town - have folded this season.

Past that Jolly Good Storage place, onto the M5 and still speed restrictions at Oldbury due to viaduct and technology testing. With a backcloth of the Sutton Coldfield TV mast and council tower blocks, the West Midlands is not so much Black Country as presenting a visage of fade to grey....

The M42, then joining the A441 before cutting back on myself to Redditch Road and the village of Alvechurch with The Swan, The Red Lion, Tran's Chinese takeway, a Co-op and not much else. The football club is on the right, free parking and a helpful Safety Officer who directs me to a spot for an easy and immediate exit.

Two prehistoric tractors in the car park, and after paying £10 admission, an even older caravan inside the ground - 201 is today's attendance, with two pockets of Marketmen support.

Inside Lye Meadow a narrow walkway surrounds the pitch which has a pronounced slope from left to right, the main stand on the left, a mix of red, black and yellow seats, alongside which there is a modern office and taped off grass banks. At the top end is a crumbling, weed infested covered terrace.

To the right is a warm up area and Portakabin with a 'Ministry of Defence Guard Service' sign that houses the filthiest and darkest toilets I have ever seen at a football ground. The press box and adjoining clubhouse and bar are a different matter altogether, although I can't speak for the burger bar.

I take my place in the main stand, out of the wind, and enjoying glorious views of the Worcestershire countryside. Pre match is dominated by Needham's number 5, Jordao Da Encarnacao Tackey Diogo (him again !!), warming up in a pair of ear rings, which thankfully are removed for the game. Church are in gold and black, with a hint of red, no number 6, (16 instead), and their goal keeper in a lurid salmon number; Market are in change navy.

Within the first 30 seconds Callum Page is through one on one for the Marketmen, but scuffs his shot beyond Matthew Sargeant's post. Barely thirty seconds later, at the opposite end, Marcus Garnham magnificently tips over Ryan Winwood's volley and then makes a reaction save from the corner.

Both sides struggle with a pudding of a pitch that's heavy, cutting up and full of divots. The Church shade matters, a corner from Kevin Da Veiga Monteiro catches on the wind and lands on top of the crossbar. Then Mitch Botfield seizes on a Needham mistake, pinching possession and bearing down on Garnham, but the pitch slows him up and his effort is blocked.

The Marketmen have been neat and tidy without any real penetration, but that changes in the final five minutes of the half. On 41 minutes a ball into the Church box is collected by Adam Mills, and he pulls it back for Page to stroke it into the corner. A minute later Sargeant does extremely well to turn over Craig Parker's well struck shot.

In the second period Needham take control with Parker spurning four clear chances. Alvechurch's tactics of only one attacker (Connor Deards) in the penalty box makes it easy for the Marketmen to defend; it is only when a second forward, Nehemia Zazi, is introduced from the bench that they begin to carry a threat.

With 13 minutes to go Deards cuts inside and his vicious swerving shot smacks against the crossbar. The Marketmen respond with Luke Ingram heading narrowly wide and substitute Jose Santa De La Paz (Santa to his friends !) hitting the side netting.

On 87 minutes Garnham tips over Botfield's effort and, whilst the ball is being retrieved, bizarrely two more are kicked on to the pitch by the home bench. Three balls, 'Ballfest' is the comment from the Needham fan next to me, but only one is required for the corner, which produces a scramble and a final touch from four yards from Deards for the equaliser.

When, 60 seconds later, two goal line clearances prevent Ingram from restoring the Marketmen's lead you wonder whether Church can improvise an improbable home victory. Sadly, when you're down amongst the dead men, luck tends to desert you, and so it proves.... In the third and final minute of stoppage time the ball falls to Needham's Mills and his left footed 25 yard strike is heavily deflected beyond the despairing dive of Sargeant to land in the net.

The home side are stunned and visibly deflated. Church adopt, for the final seconds, from the restart a Hail Mary 1-0-9 formation - sadly their prayers are not answered...  The Marketmen depart to Suffolk with a 2-1 victory and the three points, whilst at the same time enhancing their status as credible play off contenders.