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Hednesford Town were on their travels again as they faced Warrington Rylands at the Hive Arena. The Pitmen started the game sluggishly and found themselves a goal down in the opening three minutes, when Jake Burton turned the ball past Tony Breeden at the far post from an early Rylands’ corner. Breeden was on hand in the tenth minute to prevent Tunde Owolabi from adding a second with an acrobatic save. The Pitmen replied with a freekick taken by Chris Hussey which curled narrowly wide of the near post upright. However, it remained the home side with the majority of the attacking play, and they doubled their lead on 23 minutes when an attack down the right-hand side produced a cross from which Guy Hall was able to apply a finish. Hednesford manager Gavin Hurren made a tactical change just after the half hour mark bringing on Dan Turner in place of Kieron Freeman to give the Pitmen more attacking impetus. The tactic came to fruition in the 39th minute when some good running from Turner allowed him to tee up Jake Jervis who pulled a goal back with a fine strike from the edge of the box. Just before the half time break Pitmen skipper Joss Labadie took a shot from distance which was well saved by Rylands’ keeper Luke Pilling.
HT 2-1
Early in the second half Jamie Morgan put a dangerous cross into the Rylands’ box which was scrambled away by the home defence, before Ollie Harrison replaced the injured Joel Taylor for the Pitmen. Another long-distance effort from Labadie went close to beating Pilling, however the keeper was able to push the ball behind for a corner. Pilling palmed away the subsequent corner and the danger was cleared as the Pitmen sought to find the equaliser. A Pitmen freekick was taken by Labadie and flicked on by Harrison causing a scramble in the Rylands’ box, before Pilling was able to gather the ball in. Rylands’ had the chance to put the game to bed in the 74th minute when substitute Ryan Tioffo appeared unmarked in the area, however Breeden made an outstanding save from Tioffo’s header. Hall squandered another chance for the home side as he pulled his shot wide of the mark with only Breeden to beat. The Pitmen’s hard work and endeavour paid off in the 84th minute when Hussey produced an inviting cross from the left-hand side, allowing the towering presence of substitute Nathan Blissett to head the ball past Pilling. This would prove to be the last piece of decisive action, as the Pitmen completed their comeback and came away from Warrington with a creditable 2-2 draw.
Warrington Rylands; Pilling, Smith, Regan, Furman, Waring, Caddick, Hardcastle, Burton (Hough 45), Kiwomya, Owolabi, Hall. Subs not used Smith, Martin, Akpo
Hednesford Town; Breeden, Morgan, Taylor (Harrison 51), Freeman (Turner 32), Wynter, Hussey, Trickett-Smith (Blissett 59), Labadie, Jervis (Watson 70), McHale, Doyle-Charles. Sub not used Brown.
Attendance 639
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