On a wet and windy afternoon we made too many mistakes and eventually gifted the visitors the points , our second successive home defeat, which badly damaged our play-off hopes as we slipped back to 6th. place and now face a difficult task in this ever-changing league table.
The long dry spell ended with a damp and miserable morning and the weather worsened as the kick-off approached, heavy rain and a strong wind making things difficult for both sides. We were set to play up the slope, but with a strong wind at our backs and we did not take advantage of the elements in a poor opening half-hour, but we took the lead just before half-time when Stefan Brown flicked on a long throw and James Clark scored with a first-time shot into the bottom corner of the net. In a disastrous start to the second half, we conceded two goals in a minute or so when Paul Strudley brought down Adam Watkins and Steve Wales scored from the penalty spot. Worse was to come almost immediately when Davis Longe-King fired in a long shot which went in off the underside of the bar to give the visitors the lead, but Stefan Brown was brought down in the area and Mark Draycott levelled the scores in the 54th.minute. We did plenty of attacking and created a number of chances, but lacked the composure to convert any of them, and, at the other end, Strudley made a remarkable save as he juggled the ball away for a corner when the visitors looked likely to score.
The weather worsened as the game wore on, the wind became stronger and the rain heavier, conditions which might have led to an abandonment or a delayed start had they happened before the kick-off. However, with time almost up, the referee, quite rightly continued, With only 2 minutes left, Wales saw Strudley well off his line and let fly from somewhere near the halfway line with a shot which flew into the empty net and robbed us of even a point.
Team; Strudley, Horgan, John,Rusby, Day, Jones(O’Brien) Clark Herring, Brow, Draycott, Preen Subs; Goodger, Tyler, Rees, Boardman.,