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The Nailers ground
out a point in East Yorkshire to keep in touch with the top five teams in
the UniBond Division One South.
Belper Town travelled
to the Victoria Pleasure Grounds to face fellow play off hopefuls Goole
AFC and needed a positive result to leap frog them in the league table.
Joint managers Andy
Carney and Danny Hudson made one change from the team that made a draw
with Shepshed a week ago, and it was Andy Rushbury who started ahead of
Michael Harcourt who was named as a substitute.
Goole stunned Belper
with a goal inside the first two minutes when Nigel Danby
collected a clearance from a corner kick and struck a cleanly hit 20
yarder past Paul Pettinger into the far corner.
However the Nailers
were a whisker away from equalizing in the 4th minute when
Anthony Wilson found Andy Rushbury in space with a cross from the right,
but Rushbury’s shot was deflected wide by the ‘keeper.
Belper put over
numerous crosses in the ensuing 10 minutes or so without creating any
clear-cut chances, and when they had a promising free kick opportunity in
the 15th minute, Rushbury’s effort didn’t clear the nearest
defenders.
James McDaid did
better for the home side with his free kick two minutes later and Danby
hit an angled shot into the side netting.
The Nailers brought
Craig Parry into action for the second time when Danny Hudson’s free kick
was headed on by Wilson, but straight into the ‘keeper’s hands, and
Krystof Kotylo did well to get the ball over in the 25th
minute but Parry came out very quickly to smother the ball at Wilson’s
feet.
Ross Hannah broke
through 3 minutes later but hesitated just long enough for Danby to get a
crucial tackle in, then McDaid ran 30 yards at the Belper defence on 32
minutes but when he shaped up to shoot, he mis-kicked.
Parry was Goole’s
saviour a minute later when Hannah crossed early to find Danny Hudson
unmarked on the edge of the area and although Hudson hit the ball
cleanly, the Vikings’ ‘keeper got down well to stop the shot.
Goole began to press
Belper back in the latter stages of the first half and had two or three
chances to extend their lead, with Steve Rollinson the chief culprit on
35 minutes when he put the ball wide with only Pettinger to beat, and
volleying over from 15 yards on the stroke of half time.
Belper were back on
level terms within three minutes of the restart when Anthony Wilson’s
subtle knock on was collected by Ross Hannah and he hit a crisp
shot past Parry at the near post.
Pettinger was called
into action in the 51st minute when he punched away McDaid’s
right wing cross and then he was in the right place to claim as the ball
when it was returned from the opposite side.
The Nailers caught
Goole cold on 57 minutes when Wilson helped the ball on to Richard Haigh
but his effort was deflected comfortably to the ‘keeper, then Hannah
nearly beat Parry to the ball on 61 minutes after Lee Stevenson bisected
the Vikings’ defence with his pass.
Brad Hill sent
Pettinger sprawling in the 68th minute with a low drive that
looked destined for the far corner, and then Danny Hudson’s 74th
minute free kick took a slight deflection off a Goole defender’s head and
away from the target.
Chris Tate looked to
be in an offside position in the 77th minute when he had only
Pettinger to beat and he put his shot well wide, and Belper tried to push
for a winner towards the end but Andy Rushbury’s shot from the edge of the
area went disappointingly straight at Parry.
In the dying moments
the Nailers went close to claiming all the points when Scott Lowe’s
header hit the outside of the post.
Despite having long
spells of possession in which the final pass was always the stumbling
block in this gritty Nailers performance, a point at this crucial stage
of the season away from home has to be considered one gained rather than
two lost.
Tim
Harrison’s Photo Gallery
Nigel Oldrini
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