Kidsgrove Athletic 2
Spalding United 0
Spalding United’s travel sickness struck again on Saturday as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Evo-Stik NPL Division One South strugglers Kidsgrove Athletic on Saturday.
Grove took the lead in the 62nd minute through captain and former Port Vale striker Anthony Malbon, before substitute Joe Woolley sealed the Tulips’ fate in the second minute of added time.
The defeat sees Marcus Ebdon’s side drop down to 11th in the table ahead of Wednesday night’s trip to Carlton Town (7.45pm) and leaves them with an uphill task to get into the play-off picture with games running out.
It was another example of Spalding failing to take their chances, as they were unable to win their first away game since November 2015.
Ebdon said: “This match summed us up. We can’t seem to find any form on the road.
“We also missed a lot of presentable chances, before gift-wrapping them a goal.
“The second goal doesn’t concern me, as we were pushing for a point and got punished.”
In the opening stages of the game the Tulips looked the business.
Sam Murphy fully tested goalkeeper Harry Pickering with a low drive following a good passage of play.
Shortly afterwards skipper Nathan Stainfield powered a header into the roof of the home net – only to have the effort ruled out for offside.
Then, in the 32nd minute, the keeper clutched Dan Banister’s crisp effort at the second attempt at the end of a good right side movement.
At the other end, Michael Duggan had his first real taste of the action to deny the dangerous Malbon, who had worked enough space inside the area to get in a firm shot.
Just before the interval, Joe Curtis pinged a corner kick into a packed home goal area – but somehow 16-year-old Jonny Lockie missed the opportunity to score his fist senior goal for the club.
Unfortunately, Lockie bowed out of proceedings five minutes after the break after sustaining an ankle injury, being replaced by Stuart Eason – who was returning from a similar injury.
Eason and Curtis had shots go just wide of the woodwork in the opening minutes of the second, but Grove stepped up a gear and subjected the Tulips’ defence to some serious pressure. Malbon was denied by the outstretched legs of Duggan, before breaking the deadlock on 62 minutes with a left-footed shot after dodging past defenders on the 18-yard line.
Spalding fought back well with possibly their best prolonged passage of play in the game. James Tricks was denied a shot by a superb penalty area tackle by Paul Taylor, then Tulips’ man-of-the-match Paul Walker ran the ball virtually the length of the pitch before being denied a shot by a strategically placed boot.
Banister also tested Pickering, but a deserved equalising goal eluded the Tulips – and to rub salt into their wounds substitute Woolley hit them with a second goal in added time.
Tulips: Duggan, Walker, Jackson, Spafford (Humble 90), Stainfield, Banister, Lockie (Eason 50), Murphy, Waumsley, Tricks (Sanders 80), Curtis. Not used: Talbot.
MOTM: Paul Walker.
Attendance: 120.
