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EH Trophy dreams over

Kings Heath Pickwick 2nd XI  5  Coalville Town 2nd XI  2

Coalville Town 2nd XI  1  Ashby 2nd XI  4

Coalville saw their hopes of 2nd XI EH Trophy glory ended by Kings Heath Pickwick at Birmingham's Moseley School on Sunday.

Despite a spirited and gutsy effort from the Coalville side, their opponents, who play a division higher than Town, proved to be too clinical in front of goal and to have a little bit more about them physically to see off Town's challenge.

Coalville started reasonably well and had the first real chance when Ryan Mason fired wide. Kings Heath had a few chances, but were struggling to find the target as Stuart Jobburn and Carl Marshall ploughed in with some strong challenges at the centre of the Coalville defence.

Stuart Jobburn on the ball

Tony Crowie, Dave Mee and Liam McArthur were working hard in midfield for Town against their robust opponents, but it was the home side who had most of the territorial dominance. Niki Arnold had a good chance for Coalville, but despite doing all the hard work to get into a shooting position, he completely missed the ball and ended up in a heap on the floor. Greg Tongue in the Town goal had to be alert to deny a Pickwick forward in a one-on-one situation.

The teams changed ends with the game still goalless, but within minutes of the restart Kings Heath had found a way through with a well-taken goal, and a couple of minutes later Tongue was picking the ball out the back of his goal for a second time after another good finish from close range.

Coalville fought back though and got a foothold in the game when Mason's cross-shot was turned home at the far post by Brent Clamp.

Coalville's goal under pressure - Greg Tongue saved this effort

But this seemed to wake Kings Heath up again and they soon went through the gears. A flowing move down the right saw the ball played across goal for a Kings Heath player to slide home at the far post to make it 3-1. It soon became 4-1 with another excellent finish, and then the scoreline was given a gloss that the game that had gone on before didn't deserve when Kings Heath added a fifth.

But Coalville again showed some spirit and got a deserved second when from a penalty corner Mason slipped the ball into the path of the hard working McArthur who flicked home past the Kings Heath keeper.

Captain Crowie on the ball, supported by Jobburn

Coalville sought another goal to give the game a fairer score, with Mason seeing a penalty corner go wide, Darren Ward just failing to get a touch on a long through ball and Arnold forcing a save out of the Kings Heath keeper, but it wasn't meant to be and Town must learn the lessons from this game against a side who won the West Midlands Premier Division last season and apply them in their East Midlands Premier Division league campaign - which starts on 29 September at North Notts.

The previous day Town had taken on local rivals Ashby and, with a scratch side, Coalville were swept aside 4-1 by a side two leagues below them in the league structure.

Town fell behind midway through the first half, but levelled up before the interval when Mike Browbank fired home a penalty corner.

The sides went in level at the break, but it then fell apart for Town as Ashby regained the lead shortly after the restart, and then grabbed two more as Coalville capitulated to a poor defeat.