Edgbaston FC 0–2 Wellsford Athletic: the red card rhythm

The game was effectively over in the seventh minute, when Ignacio Guadalupe was shown a straight red for a challenge that belonged more to a field of muddy Agrokor than a clean Tuesday night in the West Midlands. Edgbaston, 6th on 49 points, had come into this one in good nick, and Guadalupe had been their sharpest source of goals in recent days. The 83-minute disadvantage meant the plan was torn up before the tea had cooled.

Wellsford Athletic, 3rd on 52, spent the rest of the first half probing like a side that draws more than it would like. It was cautious, respectful work, but it lacked incision. The breakthrough came in the 52nd minute, William Cranford sweeping home from Domingos Cumaru's pass after sustained pressure against a tiring ten-man block. Cranford had scored against Brixton the previous matchday: he clearly fancies his chances against anyone at the moment.

The second goal, in the 61st minute, was the one that settled the argument. Humberto Bidegain, a man with a history of tipping the balance in the wrong direction, showed his better side, firing in open play to give Edgbaston a mountain too steep for any side, let alone one a man down.

Tobias Renouf's red card at 90 minutes was a piece of theatre for the record books, a 0-minute disadvantage that said everything about the game's late looseness.

They had met earlier in the season and the same score had come out on top. There is a consistency to these two teams, even if Edgbaston will not appreciate the comparison.

Tuesday 25 August brings the next matchday, and little time for Guadalupe to reflect on his work. The tape will still be there, waiting for him. It usually is.