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

HINCKLEY UNITED 1 – 1 DROYLSDEN

Blue Square North - Monday 10th August 2009

Report by Gary Owen

Typically, a point away from home is always welcome. However, towards the end of this game, it was clearly the hosts who were the more pleased with a share of the spoils given The Bloods' ascendancy in the closing stages.

The Kintters began well, with the powerful Adam Webster and tricky Andy Gooding both recording shots off target, but Droylsden soon began to get into their stride when Simon Yeo forced Chris MacKenzie into the first of a number of saves, this time low to his right from Steve Beck's angled cross.

Gooding's shot went too high for the hosts, as did Alex Meechan's at the other end, before Meechan got a shot on target, but the sting was taken out of it by a deflection enabling MacKenzie to smother.

Yeo shot straight at MacKenzie from another Beck pass before MacKenzie made his best save so far to keep out a deflected shot from Alex Brown after Tony Gray appeared to have been shoved in the box.

Hence, it was somewhat against the run of play when Hinckley took the lead. A breakaway out of defence saw Gooding skip into the box, wrong-footing Carl Ruffer, who stuck out a leg to trip the Knitters' midfielder. Webster slammed the resultant spot kick down the middle of the goal on 35 minutes.

Buoyed by their unexpected lead, Hinckley began well after the re-start, but Alex Taylor's shot lacked any power to trouble Craig Mawson in what was the hosts' first shot on target from open play.

Ruffer then did well to clear under pressure as Hinckley bore down on the Droylsden goal, and Mawson had to be off his line in smart fashion ahead of Webster after he had cleverly beaten Colin Cryan.

However, having weathered that early second half storm, it was mainly one-way traffic the other way, but a combination of some wayward shooting and desperate defending kept the Bloods at bay.

Gray's shot was blocked allowing MacKenzie to save and Brown shot over. Undeterred by their lack of a breakthrough, Droylsden continued to press. A probing run from Meechan down the right flank caused problems for the home defence, and Liam Brownhill showed great ingenuity to swivel and hook the loose ball over the defence and into the far corner of the net for a 73rd minute equaliser.

Beck saw another shot blocked as the visitors looked for the winner, but their momentum was curtailed when a set of floodlights failed for the second time in the evening (and for the second consecutive Droylsden visit!), but this time the referee saw fit to halt proceedings to allow a repair. This was much to the annoyance of the Droylsden players, who were mounting an attack at the time.

Five minutes later, the lights shone once more and play was resumed by a drop-ball which Droylsden did not contest, and so Hinckley hoofed the ball out of play deep into the Bloods' half.

Rob Lloyd looked like he might repeat his achievement of Saturday, but the substitute found the ball stuck under his feet just yards from goal.

Hinckley forced a couple of late corners to keep all hearts in mouths, but their lack of urgency when retrieving the ball for goal kicks and throw-ins illustrated who was the best pleased with the point.

TEAMS

Droylsden:

Mawson, Woodyatt, Brownhill, Ruffer, Cryan, Williams (Lloyd, 58') Brown A., Gray, Yeo (Brown P., 70'), Meechan.

Subs not used: Roche, Halford, Howarth

Hinckley United:

MacKenzie, Mace, Giddings, Lavery, Collins, Franklin, Hall (Lister, 79'), Gooding, Webster (Eribenne, 58'), West (Taylor, 46'), Dillon.

Subs not used: Catrwright, Storer.

REFEREE: Mr. Simon Barrow (Tamworth)

ATTENDANCE: 451