Cooksey rescues point for Ambers

After a difficult week, the last opponents that The Ambers would want to have been facing were Maltby Main but that was the challenge that awaited them on Saturday. There were many familiar faces on view for both sets of supporters, with seven ex Ambers in the Main starting eleven and one on the bench, whilst the Handsworth squad featured former Maltby forwards Ollie Fearon and Ryan Carroll.
It was a couple of the old boys who had the first strikes on goal, but efforts from Jordan Turner and Cameron Rigby were wayward, before Tom Claisse skewed a volley wide after some good build up play from The Ambers.
The breakthrough for the home side arrived after just 15 minutes when Turner scampered through in the left channel, only to be brought down in the area by the onrushing James Leverton, Danny Frost stroking home the subsequent spot kick.
Leverton redeemed himself shortly afterwards, as Turner once again raced clear of The Ambers back line but was thwarted by the keeper who blocked him bravely. The save was the springboard for some good Ambers pressure which led to the equaliser on 25 minutes. Kurtis Turner cleverly fed Jake Currie who turned and crossed a fine ball to the back post where skipper Lee Cooksey rose to bullet a header into the net.
The Ambers finished the half strongly with Kurtis Turner drawing a fine save from Jim Pollard with a decent strike, and Fearon also going close with a header from a Currie free kick.
The second half started with the same intensity that the first period had ended with, and it was turning into a really well contested spectacle with neither side giving an inch. Jed Phillips had the first effort of the half with a long range header which found Pollard’s hands before a cracking drive from Nodder was spectacularly headed off his own line by Fearon. Late on, an in-swinging corner from sub Danny Deakin just needed the faintest of touches as it arrowed across the Maltby six yard line, but there was no one on hand to put it away.
Chances were few and far between as the game wore on, but there was certainly no lack of effort from both teams as they prompted and probed for an opening, but it wasn’t to be, and when the referee blew for the final whistle, both camps will have been happy with their hard earned point.