Report

WITH ONLY 11 FIT PLAYERS SLEAFORD TOOK ON KIRKSTEAD ON A BITTERLY COLD DAY AND PLAYED AGAINST THE WIND IN THE FIRST HALF. CHANCES WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN FOR BOTH TEAMS BUT THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME MIDWAY THROUGH THE FIRST PERIOD WHEN BEN GREENWOOD WAS PENALISED FOR A PUSH ON A KIRKSTEAD FORWARD INSIDE THE AREA. JAKE ELLIS MADE A BRAVE ATTEMPT TO STOP THE SHOT BUT WAS BEATEN WITH A WELL STRUCK PENALTY. SLEAFORD PRESSED FORWARD AND HIT THE WOODWORK BUT DIDN'T REALLY THREATEN INSIDE THE FIRST HALF. WITH THE WIND AT THEIR BACKS IN THE SECOND HALF, THEY CONTINUED TO PRESS AS GREENWOOD HIT THE POST WHEN IT SEEMED EASIER TO SCORE AND OVER-HIT PASSES MEANT LITTLE REWARD FOR THE FRONT TWO. THE EQUALISER EVENTUALLY CAME DIRECT FROM A FREE-KICK WITH BEN LAMBERT HAMMERING THE BALL HOME; HOWEVER, SLEAFORD WERE FORTUNATE AS ELLIS MADE FURTHER SAVES AND KIRKSTEAD HAD A GOAL RULED OUT FOR OFF-SIDE. THAT SAID, TOWN ALSO HAD A GOAL RULED OUT FOR A PUSH AND, OVERALL, SHOWED SOME GRIT AND DETERMINATION GAINST A SOLID OUTFIT.