Shepshed were hit by the late withdrawal of centre back Tristan McDade, so had to reshuffle the defence. George Davie came into the side at left back with Liam Davie moving into the middle.

The game started well with Shepshed kicking up the slope in the first half. A firm pitch made passing difficult and George Davie settled very well on his full debut. After defending well for the first ten minutes Shepshed nearly took the lead through Thomas Young. He latched on to a bouncing ball over the top, but saw his shot fly just wide of the right hand post.

Continued pressure from Ibstock finally paid off late in the half when Zach Johnson was helpless to stop a good strike into the roof of his net from the right hand side of the area.

Half Time: Ibstock United Youth 1-0 Shepshed Dynamo

In the second half Shepshed had the assistance of the slope and a greater share of the possession. They thought they had equalised early on, but a very late flag pulled play back for offside in the build up.

Their persistence soon paid off though as Thomas Young sprinted on to a through pass, just beating the last defender to the ball. Despite a heavy touch his pace meant he just beat the onrushing goalkeeper in the second challenge, and got the crucial touch to knock the ball into the net.

The equaliser was well deserved but a long final twenty minutes saw more last ditch defending from Shepshed and brave goalkeeping from Zach Johnson. Ibstock had a goal of their own chalked off for offside and were unlucky not to steal all three points when they hit the post.

Manager Graham Hedworth was pleased after the game, “This was a point won, rather than two points lost. The lads fought well but we have plenty to work on in training.”

Final Score: Ibstock United Youth 1-1 Shepshed Dynamo