Gedling MW 1 - 1 Rainworth MW

Gedling MW ................ 1 (Thornton 62')
Rainworth MW............. 1 (Adeleye 43')
(HT 0-1)

A Josh Thornton strike midway through the second half secured a point for Gedling Miners Welfare against Rainworth Miners Welfare in an enteraining game at Plains Road.

Seeking revenge for their 4-1 defeat at the hands of the visitors back in September, the hosts began brightly and immediately looked to settle any nerves with a flurry of early chances.

Shomari Doyle's poor clearance allowed Curtis Millward to cross but Courtney Hastings, towering above both Chris Timons and Ryan Herbert, couldn't keep his header on target with only 3 minutes played.

A minute later, Hastings, this time linking up well with Felix Hogg, did excellently to skip inside Doyle, though his curling effort was superbly matched by 'keeper Josh Hollis who palmed away.

After being dumped out of the League Cup by Sherwood Colliery in the week, Gedling came into this with extra incentive, hoping for a quick turnaround in form that has seen consecutive defeats.

They dominated the early stages in this one and were unlucky not to be ahead, with Rainworth indebted to their goalkeeper.

Shortly after Kieran Harrison's free kick flashed wide of Hollis' right-hand post on 10 minutes, the away custodian frustrated Gedling even further when Hastings forced him into another good save, before denying Josh Thornton from point blank range as he followed up the initial attempt.

The game mellowed and Rainworth, unbeaten in five before the start of play, posed more of a threat as they enjoyed a decent spell in possession and arguably should have gone ahead with 36 minutes on the clock.

Brad Cox's neat pass into the path of Cal Lytham found the midfielder in behind a static Gedling defence, but he lacked much needed composure as he bore down on Keaton Sharpe and his effort was spooned over from an angle.

6 minutes later and Lewis Weaver, dangerous in his approach all afternoon, had Sharpe scrambling to cover his angles when the winger's dangerous free kick whistled marginally wide. However, only seconds later, the visitors did find themselves ahead.

A raking ball forward was flicked on by Aidy Harris for Blessing Adeleye to race onto, and despite having his first shot saved by Sharpe, a fortuitous rebound gave Rainworth's talisman the chance to pass home into an empty net and give his side a half time lead.

The second period was only minutes old when Rainworth had a fine opportunity to extend the scoreline as Weaver raced down the left wing, but he couldn't find a way past the magnificent Sharpe who saved well with his knee.

Hastings then went close at the other end when his header tested Hollis' reflexes but the 'keeper, himself impressing, tipped over and kept Rainworth ahead.

An end-to-end game, Gedling also had their own chances to draw level and may have been ruing missed opportunities in the first half.

Thornton's free kick just before the hour caused some panic in Rainworth's ranks and Hogg went close to scoring when he diverted a loose ball goalwards but Hollis did well to scoop clear.

With the 'keeper in inspired form, Matt Newton's arrival into the fray just after half-time was key and having seen chances come and go throughout the match, it was the substitute that found himself in the centre of Gedling's 62nd minute equaliser.

When his lengthy run was illegally halted by Joe Toon, it allowed Ross McCaughey to in-swing a fine delivery which was headed convincingly back across goal by Millward and a left-alone Thornton stabbed home at the back post to deservedly draw Gedling level.

Now going for the jugular, Gedling pushed forward looking for a return to winning ways.

Harrison's long pass gave Jermaine Palmer half a chance in behind a statuesque Rainworth rearguard but the home debutant could only drag his effort wide with 15 minutes remaining.

Chasing a late winner themselves, Rainworth substitute Declan Brown had two fine chances to seal the 3 points with only minutes spare.

Firstly, he failed to make the most of Dwayne Brown's clearance when his volley flew agonisingly over the crossbar.

Then, with the last attack of an action-packed game, his uninterrupted run saw him with through on goal, but some hesitancy allowed Dean Gent to retreat and clear his lines as the points were shared.

An entertaining game for the neutral but a tie that both teams may have felt they should have gone on to win. Gedling are back on the road next Saturday (14 December) when they travel to Heanor Town, kick off 15:00.

Match Attendance - 87

Referee - Christopher Arnell
Assistant Referees - Alex Cotterill & Kevin Tietjen

Gedling Miners Welfare - Keaton Sharpe, Dwayne Brown, Cameron Thurgood (Joe Meakin 45'), Ross McCaughey (c), Dean Gent, Kieran Harrison, Jermaine Palmer, Josh Thornton, Courtney Hastings (Matt Newton 49'), Felix Hogg (Jimmy Spiers 70')
Unused Substitutes - TK Mushambi
Cautions - Palmer (foul 25')

Rainworth Miners Welfare - Josh Hollis, Shomari Doyle, Joe Toon, Ryan Herbert, Chris Timons, Connor Wright, Cal Lytham, Brad Cox (Declan Brown 70'), Blessing Adeleye (Jono Drake 70'), Aidy Harris (c), Lewis Weaver
Unused Substitutes - Kieran Coupe, Jack Cornell, Keiran Derby

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