A 1-1 draw with the steadily improving Stocksbridge Park Steels was a fair result at the end of a day in which returning goalkeeper Harry Garman pulled off a tremendous second half save to ensure his side took a vital point home with them.
In the first half, Stocksbridge probably had the better of the play although Town could have taken the lead if Jack Normanton’s flying header on sixteen minutes had been just a foot lower.
Stocksbridge took the lead in the 31st minute when striker Luke Rawson muscled off his marker Josh Dacre and from some sixteen yards out beat keeper Jamie Hassall.
Ex-Chesterfield youngster Rawson, who was on Town’s books three seasons ago before moving to Bradford Park Avenue, was putting himself about and Town’s defence had to work hard to keep a check on him,Tommy Marshall and Ross Goodwin.
The scoreline remained 0-1 at the break and Town needed to start crafting out a few openings in the next 45 minutes.
In the 60th minute, referee Kavan Hurn issued a caution to Stocksbridge’s Luke Hogg and the player continued to rant at the referee and was then showed a second yellow and a red.
Jack Crook came on for Cameron Bedford and he proceeded to make forward runs and the ball was being played out to left wing back Brandon Webster but his crosses were not his usual accurate ones and the chances to equalise were being lost.
In fact Town’s equaliser in the 62nd minute came from the right after an appeal for a penalty had been turned down. The ball ended up in the box and Mo Qasim hooked it in the net.
Five minutes later and Dacre kicked off his line as the visitors had made rapid headway into the Town half down their left.
A further five minutes later and leading scorer Qasim, coming in to the box from the left, curled a superb shot on target which had `goal’ written all over it, but a diving Garman just got a hand to it to send it over the bar for a corner.
The visitors had settled for taking a point back but Town, with fresh legs on in the shape of Myron Gibbons and Ashley Butterworth, were hell bent on trying to land all three. However, despite pressure on the Stocksbridge goal, they just couldn’t grab a winner but with other results going their way, they remained in 15th place of the 20 clubs and nine points ahead of the bottom club Winterton Rangers.
On Saturday, Town make the trip to Newcastle to take on fourth-placed Hebburn Town who they beat 6-5 on penalties back in September in the FA Trophy. Hebburn this past Saturday had a 3-1 home win over sixth-placed Consett.
The game is possibly one away from former Bradford City winger Jack Wilson making his long awaited comeback, according to assistant manager Louis Axcell and centre back Matt Nebard will still be away in Italy with his school. There were no injuries after the game with Stocksbridge.
The coach leaves the Dusty Miller at 11am.
