UniBond League First Division South - Tuesday 2nd. March 2010 - Att 82

Team: Jack Baker; Ross Lloyd, Colin McAllister, Carl Ruffer, Danny Warner; Brad Maylett, Ryan Broadhead, Peter Heler; Ronnie Morgan, Carl Lamb (Mike Moseley 66) & Steve Foster. Substitutes not used Steve Brodie & Brian Pritchard

On paper a point for the Albion wasn't a bad return, especially on a "ski-slope" of a pitch with a very heavy clinging surface, not at all conducive to Albion's normally crisp passing movements. In truth though, like so many matches of late, points went begging.

For a home team, looking to go second in the table, the appalling turnout from the local populous was truly scandalous. Not quite as bad was the performance of the youthful looking match officials. Within the first twenty minutes both Danny Warner and Carl Lamb's contributions were somewhat limited as the referee brandished yellow cards to them for transgressions far worse than some of the challenges inflicted on them and their team-mates!

Playing up the slope Albion had most of the possession, Brad Maylett let fly a twenty-five yard shot that went wide of the left post following a corner from the right and after a nice interchange of passes between Peter Heler, Ronnie Morgan and Carl Lamb the final ball to Ryan Broadhead, back in his usual attacking role, saw the midfielder shoot straight at keeper Andy Richmond.

However, just like they did at Wincham Park ten days earlier, Glapwell scored totally against the run of play, in the 23rd minute of the game. Witton sloppily lost possession on their left flank and possibly then hoping for an off-side flag allowed Ian Brown to get to the by-line from where he provided a low ball into the central goal area that was easily converted by Aaron Shelley.

Within a quarter of an hour though Albion justifiably were back on level terms. With a couple of Glapwell players lying on the ground in the visitors' half play was allowed to continue and a crisp move up the left side followed by a swung ball to the right saw ROSS LLOYD let fly from fully 35 yards out with the ball crashing into the net off the underside of the crossbar - a level surface and it would have probably finished feet over!

In stoppage time Witton should have been going into the break with a lead, again play was allowed to continue, this time with Steve Foster down injured, Warner drifted a great ball in but Lamb could only find the left upright with his headed attempt.

If Albion enjoyed most of the possession in the first period the second saw them even more in the ascendance but the end result was that Richmond was never really tested. They went close a couple of times, on the hour mark Heler's great cross from the left saw Morgan's header go wide of the far post whilst Foster was only a whisker away from connecting with a similar cross this time from the opposite flank.

A moment of unnecessary dallying on the ball by Warner almost proved catastrophic as Jamie Clarke danced into the box but was unable to profit when his final ball was wasted.

As mentioned earlier the attendance figure announced was hard to fathom out, especially when half that figure had endured the horrendous mid-week sortie over the Pennines. The appreciation shown by players and supporters to each other, as the team trooped off at the end, spoke volumes for what our club is about!