REPORT: Heather St John's 3-0 Atho - Lutterworth Athletic

Heather St John's 3-0 Lutterworth Athletic

Saturday 4th April 2026

Lutterworth Athletic were beaten 3–0 away to Heather St John's, as the hosts proved clinical at key moments despite Atho growing into the contest during the second half.

Following the emphatic 6–0 home win over AFC Bridgnorth, Dan Carter made several changes to the starting XI.

James McGrath returned to the side, while Bradley Harris came into midfield and Luke Merrall was named in the starting line-up.

The hosts opened the scoring in the 26th minute, capitalising on their early momentum.

Atho struggled to find an attacking rhythm in the first half, with a long-range effort and a free kick failing to trouble the Heather goalkeeper.

The game became more difficult just before the break, as Heather doubled their advantage in the 44th minute to take a 2–0 lead into half-time.

Lutterworth were also forced into a change when James McGrath suffered an injury in the first half and was replaced by Connall O’Dwyer.

Atho looked to shift the momentum after the interval, with Adetomiwa Efunnuga introduced at half-time in place of Adam Shaw.

Further changes followed as Alex Vineall entered the match, and the adjustment in shape helped Lutterworth begin to gain a foothold.

The visitors came close to pulling a goal back when captain Jay Finlay, pushed forward into an advanced role, met an Alex Webb cross with a powerful header that crashed against the crossbar.

Moments later, O’Dwyer, now operating from the left, cut inside and unleashed an effort from distance that also struck the woodwork as Atho threatened a route back into the game.

Despite that spell of pressure, Heather regained control in the closing stages and sealed the victory with virtually the last kick of the game, converting a cross at the back post with an acrobatic finish to make it 3–0.

It is a quick turnaround for Atho, with the next match coming in just 48 hours as Lutterworth travel to face Coventry Copsewood on Easter Monday.

Thank you to everyone who travelled to Heather to support the team this afternoon, your backing is greatly appreciated.

LINEUP

Jake Bull (GK)

James McGrath

Jay Finlay (C)

Ben Whitehead-Thompson

Ethan Flaig

Blake Kindred

Bradley Harris

Taylor Blyth

Alex Webb

Luke Merrall

Adam Shaw

SUBS

Connall O'Dwyer

Alex Vineall

AJ Young

Adetomiwa Efunnuga

Max Johnson