An eight-goal thriller saw Spalding United twice concede two-goal leads as they rounded off their Southern League Premier Central regular season with a 4-4 draw at Worcester City on Saturday.
Manager Jimmy Dean used the match as a fine-tuning exercise, ahead of Wednesday’s play-off semi-final at home to Halesowen – which was played after the Spalding Voice went to press.
After going into a two-goal half-time lead, Dean rotated his squad to both protect his key players and give more members of his squad a run-out.
“I thought first half, we were outstanding,” he said, adding that his team had up to six good chances to score.
“We obviously made changes at half-time and that affected the momentum and swing of the game.
“There was a bit of a change of shape as well and we weren’t the same side second half. We’ve made those changes obviously with Wednesday in mind.”
With several players on a yellow card, Dean did not want them to miss out through suspension, while top scorer Jack Roberts was hauled off to keep him pristine for Wednesday.
“We saw in the first half that we’re ready for where we need to be,” said Dean. “It was a good, comfortable half.
“We’ve got to try and use that now and move with it.”
Connor Johnson crashed a shot against a post, one of two efforts denied by the woodwork before Tom Pugh put the Tulips ahead after 32 minutes with the team’s 100th league goal of the season.
He won the ball in midfield and advanced before fired home from 20 yards.
It was 2-0 three minutes before the interval when a long throw was headed on and Mane Sani’s shot deflected in off Bart Cybulski.
Logan Stoddart was left unmarked at the back post to rifle in from a tight angle to pull one back three minutes into the second half but Dion Sembie-Ferris set Roberts up for a third goal for the visitors after 63 minutes. He won the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and ran towards the home box before planting the ball perfectly for Roberts to fire home.
A Spalding attempted clearance crashed off a forward to set up substitute Zach Guinan to make it 3-2 but a four-pass move was completed when Cybulski struck from Johnson’s flick header for his second goal of the afternoon with 17 minutes to go.
However, a mix-up at the back saw Charlie Lutz nip in to narrow the gap after 77 minutes and the hosts grabbed a point when a corner was allowed to bounce around the visitors’ box and Charlie Wise was first to react to stab the ball in from close range.
The manner of the conceded goals was a concern for Dean, who said: “I wouldn’t expect us to concede the goals we did in the second half, with the players we still had on the pitch.”
Tulips: Wilks, Sembie-Ferris (Fox), Olopade, White, Johnson (Akinba), Thompson (Bendle), Roberts (Fowkes), Pugh, Cybulski, Sani (McCammon).
Attendance: 863.
