Spalding United v Rainworth Miners Welfare preview: Tulips look to extend unbeaten run close to four months

Spalding United host lowly Rainworth Miners Welfare on Saturday (3pm) looking to push their unbeaten league run close to four months.

The Tulips were last beaten in the league on October 4, at Sheffield FC. In 20 league and cup matches since then, the Tulips have won 15, drawn 4 and lost just once.

However, Pat Rayment’s side got out of jail at Norton United last Saturday – the 13th league match without defeat – when two goals in the final six minutes snatched an unlikely point.
Rayment thought the unbeaten run was at an end.
“With six minutes to go I couldn’t see where we were going to get a goal from so it was obviously nice to get a point,” he said. “But we should have won it. Andrew Tidswell could have had a hat-trick – he missed some unbelievable chances – and Tom Waumsley missed two open goals.”

The result saw the Tulips drop a place to fifth, but the point was good in the context of leaders Sutton Coldfield Town and Mickleover Sports losing.

Rainworth Miners Welfare are fourth from bottom, but four of their six wins have come away from home. They have lost six of their last eight league matches and were beaten 3-1 at home by play-off chasing Stafford Rangers last Saturday.

The wealth of Tulips’ goalscoring options all over the pitch is the last thing Rainworth need – only bottom side Brigg Town have conceded more than their 70 in 28 matches.

This week’s scheduled Lincs FA Senior Trophy quarter-final at Stamford was postponed due to a frozen pitch. It might be rearranged for Tuesday.

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