The Pitmen travelled to a rain soaked Manchester to face fourth placed Trafford, credit has to be given to the ground staff at the Shawe View Stadium for their work in getting the match to go ahead despite the terrible weather.
The Pitmen started the game the brightest of the two teams winning a couple of early corners and two freekicks which required the Trafford keeper Sam Booth to take action. The game sprung to life in the 13th minute when Jack Bearne was harshly booked for a tackle on a Trafford player. The injustice of the booking sparked Bearne into a fantastic run two minutes later delivering an inch perfect cross for Jake Jervis to beat the keeper and apply a close range finish to give the Pitmen a lead in the 15th minute. Jervis, revelling in the number nine role, produced a flick on which Dan Trickett-Smith went close to getting on the end of, narrowly beaten to the ball by Booth. Trafford came close to an equaliser in the 34th minute, Matty Lusakueno delivered a dangerous ball into the Pitmen box and a first time effort by Rio Clegg crashed off the crossbar.
HT 0-1
The Pitmen remained on top at the start of the second half, they were rewarded with a series of corners and saw Dom McHale shoot narrowly wide. Omar Holness tested the Trafford keeper with a strong shot in the 64th minute before Trickett-Smith saw an on target effort deflected behind for a corner. Clegg went close for Trafford heading wide a cross from Matty Morgan. Morgan went one better in the 73rd minute scoring the equaliser with a stinging shot from outside the area. Two minutes later Trafford went close to taking the lead when Hilal Khan sent a shot just wide. However the next goal would go to the Pitmen as another cross from Bearne caused problems in the home box, with Trickett-Smith able to bundle the ball home for a deserved winning goal.
Trafford; Booth, Higgins (Nisbett 83), Sotona (J Donohue 88), Fagbola, Norris, Higginbottom, Morgan, Byrne (Smith 70), Clegg, Lusakueno (C Donuhue 70), Gill (Khan 61).
Hednesford Town; Rose, Roberts, Sparkes (Gwilt 79), Spence, Harrison, Johnson, Trickett-Smith, Holness, Jervis, McHale (Sutherland 66), Bearne. Subs not used; Alamu-Tajudeen, Brown.
