Chasetown 1
Spalding United 1
In-form Spalding United extended their unbeaten run to five games with an impressive point at Chasetown on Saturday.
Having trailed at half time following Lee Butler’s 20-yard free kick, leading scorer Andrew Tidswell headed a second-half leveller to ensure the spoils were shared in the Evo-Stik League First Division South clash.
The Tulips had their chances to win the game, but boss Pat Rayment was satisfied with a point against a Chasetown side that beat them 2-0 at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field back in August.
Rayment said: “I’m happy with a draw. We had plenty of chances to win the game, but if I’m honest any side would do well to come here and get a point.
“It’s five games unbeaten for us and I have to be happy with that. I keep saying it, but we’re still improving game by game and I’m sure there’s even more to come.
“Saying that, Ryan Oliver has missed one of the easiest chances you’ll ever see.
“I couldn’t tell you how he missed, I really can’t. He’s taking a lot of stick from the lads.
“He’s lucky nobody filmed the game, as it’d stack up with some of the most famous misses of all time.
“But he’s a good lad, Ryan, and he’s doing a great job of the team.”
The opening 30 minutes were virtually void of goalmouth activity at The Scholars Ground, writes Ray Tucker.
The Tulips first real effort came on 35 minutes with a surging left-side break, but Mitch Griffiths fired Jamie Thurlbourne’s cross over the bar from close in.
Shortly afterwards both man-of-the-match Lewis Webb and Ryan Oliver – who had taken the number nine shirt ahead of the ill Tom Waumsley – were denied in a packed area.
Always dangerous on the break, Chasetown broke the deadlock on 38 minutes when the dominant Bulter converted free kick that was conceded by Kern Miller.
The Tulips took a more authoritative grip on the game after the break, playing with real conviction and putting numerous passing sequences together to put pressure on the home defence.
One such break came in the 50th minute with Michael Leary, Thurlbourne and Lewis Webb combining well to find Adam Jackson. He pinged a great cross into the area for Oliver, who was unable to head into the gaping goal from six yards out.
The promised equalising goal followed on 58 minutes, with Tidswell homing in on another astute Jackson cross to beat the keeper with a close range header.
Only the woodwork denied the Tulips and Nathan Stainfield in the 65th minute – and Miller’s follow-up effort ricocheted off a defender’s legs and inches of the goal.
Waumsley, who shrugged off his cold to enter the fray on 59 minutes at the expense of Oliver, did have a great chance to win it when he raced through on goal for a one-on-one situation with keeper John Bateman.
The striker rushed his shot and the chance to go ahead was lost, but in the end a draw proved more than satisfactory for the Tulips, who stay on the edge of the play-off picture.
Tulips: Duggan, Leary, Jackson, Miller, N Stainfield, Webb, Griffiths (G Stainfield 80), Hall, Tidswell, Oliver (Waumsley 59), J Thurlbourne. Not used: Nuttell, McKue, Pycock.
Man-of-the-match: Lewis Webb.
Attendance: 153
