A 0-0 draw at home to an Alvechurch side battling against relegation left Spalding United manager Jimmy Dean admitting he thought his team’s play-off charge was over.
“I was expecting to be holding my hands up and saying it’s over, but I don’t think it is. Other teams have dropped points and we have Stamford to play so we can’t give up now. We wanted to win all four games to sneak in but can’t do that now so just have to do what we can.”
Only two of the top nine teams managed to get maximum points and the Tulips remain four points behind Stamford, who occupy the final play-off place, with three games to play.
“Any team can beat any team,” said Dean, who remains confident his team can still grab a play-off place and be playing in National League North next season.
“We’re still in decent form. We’ve drawn a couple now but we’ve gone five unbeaten and we’ve still got everything to play for. But we’ve got to win games now; draws are no good, but we’re not dead. It’s three more cup finals and we’re going to attack them.”
A game of few chances saw the visitors stifle the action in frustrating fashion.
Sam Cartwright saw a header cleared off the line and substitutes Joe Nyahwema and Jason Law also came close but the ball would not fall kindly for the home side.
Dean said: “It was a difficult afternoon. Our opponents came here and set up to try and stop us from creating chances and scoring goals, which was their prerogative but it made it very difficult to break them down.
“Three or four times in the first half we got behind them but never really had the end product. The second half was more of the same but we tried to smash it quicker and play in the spaces, which was a lot more effective. We had three or four excellent chances at the end and, even though it was a horrible game against a team playing an ugly way, we should have scored and we should have won.”
Dean also said the Sir Halley Stewart Field pitch had not helped his team.
“It’s a really difficult surface to play on. When you’re up against a team playing a low block, you need to be able to play one and two-touch and it is difficult on there.
“It’s nothing against the lads who look after the pitch, because they’re down here all week giving their all, but having two sides playing on it doesn’t help, which isn’t the club’s fault but it’s how it’s been.”
Pinchbeck United share the facilities and Dean added: “It became really difficult to actually do what we’re good at; playing in the wide areas, with one and two-touches to get crosses into the box. Everything needed an extra touch or an extra moment or thought. It killed us in those attacking moments.”
The Tulips make the trip to AFC Sudbury on Saturday before Monday’s play-off six-pointer derby against Stamford in what could be the final home match of the campaign. Those are both must-win games to keep hopes alive going into the final programmed fixture on April 26 at Barwell.
Tulips: Chapman, Brown, Fox, Moore, Cartwright, Lawlor, Roberts, Freeman (Law), Cybulski (Clifton), Sano-Sani (Sherif), Sembie-Ferris (Nyahwema). Subs: Ngandu.
Attendance: 494.
Photos by Adrian Smith.
