Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

HUCKNALL TOWN 2 - 2 DROYLSDEN

Nationwide North, Tuesday 20th March 2007

Report by Gary Owen

On paper, the Bloods will be disappointed to have only secured a point against the Nottinghamshire side who had only collected one point from their last four matches.

However, come the final whistle, it could prove to be a valuable point in their quest for the Nationwide North title, seeing as they had to fight back from 0-2 down, and despite Kettering's maximum haul up the road at Worksop.

Droylsden should have taken the lead as early as the tenth minute, but Terry Fearns when clean through could only shoot straight at Damien Beattie.

That missed proved crucial as it was the hosts who took the lead, but that was not before both Gary Ricketts and David Johnson had gone close for Hucknall. It was central defender Russell Cooke who broke the deadlock on 33 minutes as he headed home from a corner kick.

Droylsden's night took a turn for the worse just moments later when debutante David Johnson capitalised on hesitancy by Craig Robinson to loop a shot beyond Paul Phillips to put the hosts in dreamland.

Phillips was again called into action, saving low from Johnson's shot on the turn, and Kevin Lynch saw two efforts go the wrong side of the post before the break.

Shortly after the re-start, The Bloods went on the attack as Steve Jagileka chased what looked like a lost cause, but found Fearns, who was denied by Beattie's legs, the keeper quickly smothering the ball before Steve Daly could pounce.

However, Fearns made it thrid time lucky to notch the first of his brace on 51 minutes. With Hucknall looking for an offside decision, he kept his cool to convert Phillips' long punt upfield under Beattie from the inside left channel.

Phillips then had to come out of his goal to force the impressive Johnson wide, but Hucknall almost restored their two-goal cushion through Michael Fox after a great break by Ricketts. Unfortunately for the Town midfielder, his shot beat Phillips, but struck the inside of the post before rolling agonisingly along the face of goal, and Ricketts' follow-up was blocked near the line by Robinson.

On the hour mark, Droylsden had strong claims for a penalty waved away as Steve Halford semed to be shoved in the back at a corner kick, but Droylsden drew level five minutes later. Fearns collected the ball in the inside right channel before turning the last defender inside out and shooting accross Beattie into the opposite corner, sending the travelling support into raptures.

The Bloods tried hard to find the elusive winner, but chances were hard to come by, and they were often frustrated by the assistant's offside flag. With six minutes remaining, Jamie Tandy crossed early for Daly, whose well-placed header was expertly saved by Beattie, and he smothered the rebound in what proved to be the Bloods' last chance to steal all three points.

Hence, Droylsden's one-time seven point lead now stands at just two from second-placed Kettering. That gap could be back to five points before the Poppies visit Ewen Fields to face Hyde United on Sunday, after which only seven games will remain.

HUCKNALL TOWN: Beattie, Powell, Legg, Wilson, Cooke, Burns, Hanson, Dempsey, Ricketts, Johnson, Fox.

SUBS: Hawkins (for Burns, 70), Cowan (for Wilson, 75), Hearn (for Johnson, 88), Akers (not used), Smith (not used).

DROYLSDEN: Phillips 7, Halford 6, Warner 7, Ruffer 7, Robinson 6, Morris 6, Lynch 6, Kelly 6, Fearns 6, DALY 8, Jagielka 7.

SUBS: Williams (not used), Tandy 7 (for Lynch, 75), Fowler 6 (for Kelly, 85), Norton (not used), Burke (not used).

SCORERS:

HUCKNALL TOWN - Cooke (33), Johnson (36)

DROYLSDEN - Fearns (51 & 65)

REFEREE: Mr. M. E. Murphy (Coventry, Warwickshire)

ATTENDANCE: 272