The Ambers put a stop to their three game losing run but will be frustrated at not seeing out the game at Thackley as they went into added time two goals to the good, only to concede twice to allow the hosts to gain a welcome point in a season of struggles so far.
There was a debut for Cameron Hough at centre back and a welcome return for Mitch Dunne as Handsworth went looking for a ninth successive league victory on their favourite patch of West Yorkshire, and after Jim Pollard had to make an early save to deny Stepniewski, the visitors took control of the game, with Jordan Hines being denied by Wilson who was off his line quickly to smother at the strikers feet, before Dunne saw his well struck effort from outside the box zip just wide of the post.
Dunne then fed Hines whose near post flick looked destined for the bottom corner until the intervention of Wilson who made a fine instinctive stop, whilst Toby Kenyon was then denied by a good defensive block as he burst into the area. It was generally one way traffic at this stage and Hines should really have headed The Ambers in front when he was picked out by Dunne’s corner, but the ball flew over the bar, and four minutes before the break, the inevitable happened when The Ambers conceded a free kick just outside the area, with the set piece fired home by McDaid with a strike of real quality to give the hosts an unexpected lead at half time.
Whatever words of wisdom were spoken in the away dressing room paid dividends, as within ninety seconds of the restart, The Ambers were back on level terms, as Rion Arbouin’s cross from the right was headed back into the six yard box by Dunne and the unmarked Hines did the rest, heading home against his former team.
The goal was the stepping stone for another period of dominance from The Ambers as they attacked continuously down both flanks but Thackley held out until some quick thinking by Dunne put the visitors in front, as the winger darted from left wing to right, to pick up a quickly taken throw from Charlie Booker before a stunning finish beyond the keeper, with the Thackley defence rooted to the spot wondering what had just happened.
With ten minutes to go and with The Ambers playing some lovely flowing football, it appeared that the game was put to bed when Dunne’s cross was poked home by Luke Mangham for a well deserved third, and as the game meandered into added time, all looked good for the visitors until the referee, having ignored any grappling in either box for the whole game, suddenly decided it was time to act and awarded the hosts a 93rd minute penalty which was coolly despatched by Brooks.
From that point on, it was almost inevitable that The Ambers would concede again given their current run of misfortune, and to their credit, Thackley snatched a dramatic late equaliser when Stepniewski arrived at the near post to meet a cross from the left to earn the home side a point.
The frustration in The Ambers camp was palpable at the end, but there are encouraging signs that the tide is turning back in our favour with two decent performances on the road this week, where no one could have argued had we emerged with six points rather than just the solitary one.
Next up is a trip to face Frickley Athletic next Saturday when a win would be more than welcome.