Market Drayton Town 1
Spalding United 1
Nialle Rodney scored a great debut goal to earn Spalding United a valuable point at Market Drayton Town after a horrendous journey into deepest Staffordshire on Saturday.
The Tulips spent five hours on the road to Greenfields Sports Ground after being gridlocked on the A1 near Grantham – and then having to find a detour route around Stoke on Trent due to another road accident.
When the Evo-Stik League First Division South game finally got underway at 3.15pm Scott Ryan (13) fired the hosts ahead, only for ex-Nottingham Forest striker Rodney – signed on Wednesday – to level on the stroke of half time.
Tulips boss Pat Rayment felt it was two points lost for his side.
He said: “I suppose it was job done after the horrific trip up.
“We’ve now got three draws from three on the road. I was happy with draws at Romulus and Sheffield FC, but this feels like two points dropped to me.
“We had the chances to win it. Nialle’s goal was great and he played very well.
“But the goal we conceded was criminal defending. It was so, so poor from us.”
If the journey to the game wasn’t bad enough, the game itself failed to live up to expectations.
But at least a share of the points was a welcome factor for the Tulips – against a side that had won their last three games without conceding a goal. It may have been an injustice, but the Spalding could have won the lion’s share of the points if some of their chances had been taken.
Once again, the Tulips defended well with Nathan Stainfield and Neal Spafford dominant in central defence.
However, the pair were caught out by a home attack which resulted in Ryan beating a static Michael Duggan with a well-driven low shot on 13 minutes.
The visitors went on to dominant much of the play, but there was little spark up front with some promising build-ups coming to nothing.
One promising sequence of passes down the right side did, however, end with a desperate goalline clearance by Drayton’s Josh Green.
At the other end only the woodwork denied Will Whieldon and the home team a second goal before the Tulips finally got back on level terms on the stroke of half time with Rodney neatly applying the finishing touch near the far post following a free kick and a flicked on header by skipper Stainfield.
On the hour the normally lethal Josh Moreman hoisted the ball over the home bar and Ross Watson was inches wide of the target with a low drive from 25-yards as the Tulips looked for a winner.
A double substitution brought Tom Waumsley and Charley Sanders into the action at the expense of Rodney and Michael Frew.
Ten minutes later Sam Murphy replaced Watson, but the deciding goal that the Tulips sought failed to arrive.
Spalding are on the road again tonight (Tuesday), as they visit Basford United for another league clash.
Tulips: Duggan, Walker, Jackson, Spafford, Stainfield, Millson, Rodney (Waumsley 60), Watson (Murphy 70), Frew (Sanders 60), Banister, Moreman. Not used: Lawlor.
Attendance: 87.
- Young striker Jordan Nuttell has rejoined Boston Town from Spalding United.
Tulips boss Rayment feels it’s the best move for the player and both clubs.
He said: “Jordan has great ability, but he needs to start believing in himself.
“There’s only so much a manager can do, he needs to do the rest himself.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Thurlbourne has signed dual forms with the Tulips and UCL Division One side Peterborough Sports after successfully recovering from a career-threatening ankle injury.
