Spalding United 2
Boldemere St Michaels 2
For the third time in a matter of weeks, Spalding United continued their unbeaten start to the league season thanks to a late goal to draw 2-2.
This time it was Archie Jones who struck with two minutes left, his second of the game, to ensure the Tulips avoided defeat against a Boldemere St Michaels side just below them in the league.
There was still time for Jones to be sent off but Spalding held on to make it 15 unbeaten and keep them third in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
There were few clear cut chances in the opening exchanges of a match watched by 283.
Josh Moreman had two half-chances for the hosts pulling a shot wide of the near post once and scuffing a cut back that the keeper gathered comfortably.
At the other end Andre Brown pounced on a loose touch from a Tulips defender but blazed well over.
Boldemere opened the scoring on the half hour as a good move down the left led to Owen Parry squaring across goal for Robert Thompson-Brown to score on the half volley.
It was only 1-0 at the break, thanks to Spalding keeper Michael Duggan being alert enough to smother Parry’s effort after being put through one-on-one.
The Tulips were gifted a leveller shortly before the hour as Boldemere’s Kieran Westwood made an ill-judged lunge in the area on Stefan Broccolli.
Jones sent the keeper the wrong way.
The parity lasted just five minutes though as a well worked Boldemere move opened them up and Harry Craven had bags of time to finish past Duggan.
Spalding responded with Nathan Stainfield’s header from the edge of the area off a corner flicked on to the bar by Broccolli with Elliot Sandy vollying the rebound only for a Boldemere block to save a goal.
The same player headed just over from another corner before the late goal came in the 88th minute.
Sub Dylan Edge beat two defenders before squaring for Jones to tap home.
The Tulips went searching for a winner, though a chance of a Boldemere counter was ended by a Jones pull back who was given a second yellow after being unlucky to have seen the same colour earlier in the half.
Only a brilliant bit of defending denied the ten men a win as Jordan O’Brien’s ball in from the left was acrobatically cleared with Edge sliding in for a tap in.
Spalding remain third in the league, five points behind new league leaders Stamford, who won 3-1 at St Neots, while Halesowen Town slipped from top spot after a 3-2 loss at Coleshill.
Sporting Khalsa have moved above Boldemere and into fourth place just a point behind the Tulips and they are the visitors to the Sir Halley Stewart on Saturday (November 19) in a 3pm kick off.
