With four games to go in the title and promotion race in the Premier Central Division of the Southern League, it is still all to play for.
Just three points separate the top four teams in the standings, with only five points between the next five. Following a string of remarkable results on Saturday that saw seven of the top eight teams draw, Spalding sit four points off the final play-off place after a 1-1 draw at AFC Telford United.
The ‘golden’ fifth place is currently held by Stamford, the day’s only winners, with the Lincolnshire rivals due to meet at the Sir Halley Stewart Field on Easter Monday in what could be a promotion-deciding clash.
The Tulips’ other fixtures see Alvechurch the visitors this Saturday, with away games to play at AFC Sudbury and Barwell.
Manager Jimmy Dean said: “Three of them still have something to play for, which you don’t really want, but then so do we.
“It’s still just one game at a time. We’re fighting to the death and giving everything we’ve got.”
Spalding made the trip to Shropshire after three wins on the bounce, while the hosts were defending an 11-game unbeaten run.
Telford took an 18th-minute lead when Matty Stenson chested down a cross before beating goalkeeper Aaron Chapman with an overhead kick that flew into the net off a post.
Kieron Freeman saw an effort bounce back off the frame of the goal before the Tulips grabbed a point when Liam Moore headed in from Dan Lawlor’s corner just after the hour mark.
Dean said: “It was a game of two halves and I had a big frustration at half-time. Not because they were miles better than us but because we weren’t doing the stuff that we had been told to do.
“The distances weren’t close enough and we weren’t transitioning hard enough or picking up second balls. We needed to show our experience more but we didn’t.
“I thought Telford had a decent hold of the game without creating loads of chances.
“We reacted well to their goal and in the second half we made a triple substitution and became really dominant.
“I felt we had our heels stuck in the ground a little bit and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and that was what we were trying to do with the impact (of the substitutes). There was a freshness about us and we probably should have nicked one at the end.
“It was a good game between two good teams who both wanted to win it but our reaction after half-time shows how much these boys care and I’m pretty proud of that.”
Tulips: Chapman, Brown, Fox, Moore, Cartwright, Lawlor, Roberts (Cybulski), Freeman (Sano Sani), Clifton (Nyahwema), Walker, Sembie-Ferris (Law). Sub: Sherif..
Attendance: 1,446.
