Halesowen 2, Dunstable 0

GOALS from Robbie Bunn and Ash Parsons handed Halesowen victory over Dunstable.

Wayward finishing in the first half had left the Yeltz frustrated but the got the job done in the second half to leapfrog their visitors into the top five in the Southern Central Division One table Halesowen handed a debut to forward Simeon Cobourne but had to be patient before coming out on top.

They enjoyed a good spell of early possession at the Grove as Dunstable dropped off and looked to contain their hosts in the opening stages.

Town created the first sight at goal when Robbie Bunn glanced a header wide after James Bowen’s cross from the left.

Bowen continued to advance well down the left flank and worked visiting keeper Dan Green with an angled drive from range just four minutes later.

The early pressure continued as Reece Hewitt saw a shot blocked by Green before Bowen had a shout for a penalty waved away by the referee after having his run blocked in the left corner of the area.

The main issue for the Yeltz was that their good build up play too often broke down in the final third as the half drew on.

Dunstable didn’t offer much themselves, however, and their only effort of the half saw Brendon Bunn easily gather a weak free-kick from Taylor Rhiney just past the half hour mark.

Hewitt should have done better after being played in by Ash Sammons a minute later but Green tipped his rising shot over the bar.

Defender Luke Abraham cleared off the line to deny debutant Cobourne on opener before Green then saved low from Gibson as the half ended goalless.

The second half started as the first hand finished as the Yeltz continued to be wasteful in front of goal.

Cobourne played a quick one-two on the edge of the box with Robbie Bunn but blazed his shot over the bar from the corner of the six-yard box.

Ash Sammons then fired narrowly over from range as Halesowen continued to press the issue without finding the back of the net.

It took a second clearance off the line, this time from Newman Carney, to keep the Yeltz out on 57 minutes.

Good work down the left channel from Colbourne set up Hewitt but his powerful shot was somehow headed off the line and over by the backtracking Carney.

Halesowen finally broke the deadlock on 64 minutes when Robbie Bunn fired under Green from the edge of the box.

The goal came from a quick Yeltz break after a rare Dunstable spell of possession in the Hales half.

The home side looked to wrap up the game heading into the final 15 minutes but Gibson was denied by Green after turning well in the area.

The Yeltz found the killer second four minutes from time when Ash Parsons was on hand to poke home from close range after sub Jamie Molyneux rose to meet Bunn’s 86th-minute corner.

Keeper Brendon Bunn denied Dunstable sub Josh Crawley with his feet to make sure there would be no late fightback from this visitors.

Halesowen: Bunn, Ashmore (Molyneux 84), Bowen, Piggott, McCone, Parsons, Sammons, Bunn, Gibson, Cobourne (Wright 88), Hewitt (Yates 84).

Unused subs: Evans, Hawker.

Dunstable: Green, McNully, Abraham, R. Frater, Carney, Powell (Ajayi 70), Elliot, Tavernier (Crawley 70), Christie, Rhiney (Grant 70), N. Frater.

Unused subs: Pickering.

Att: 418.