Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Football Correspondent David Bell
Dronfield Town claimed a share of the spoils on their longest away day of the season at Eslaforde Park in Sleaford. A very testing pitch greeted both sides but it was hosts Pinchbeck United who took a 2-0 lead early in the second half with two strikes from Freddie Shinn. Dronfield’s bench once again proved to be influential as substitute Callum Mawbey pulled one back with twenty minutes to go and fellow sub Jack Bancroft secured a hard-fought point with a good finish nine minutes from time. A midweek local derby now awaits Town as they take the short journey to Staveley MW, who have made a useful start to the campaign in fourth place after six games.
A dry, ridged pitch with steepling bounce awaited both sides and was a factor in the early stages of the contest. It took fully eleven minutes for either side to show and when they did, it was Dronfield’s Arran Bovill who fired just over the bar from 12 yards out after a spell of pressure from the visitors.
Neither side really got to grips with the conditions in a scrappy encounter and it took 25 minutes before Pinchbeck’s Julian Ward hit an eighteen yard drive that never really threatened Dronfield’s debutant goalkeeper Levi Owen.
Owen easily smothered a tame effort from Ben Howlett on the half hour mark but was fully called into action a minute later.
A long punt forward found Ward, who squared for Flynn Slater but Owen made an outstanding stop from the Pinchbeck forward with his legs.
Dronfield’s Charlie Stewart saw his free kick from distance clear Ben Martin’s crossbar in the latter stages of the half as a combative but unattractive first 45 minutes came to an end.
Town came out with greater purpose at the start of the second half but found themselves two down within the opening 9 minutes.
Six minutes after the restart, from a Pinchbeck corner, Owen tipped an attempt on to the bar but Pinchbeck striker Freddie Shinn was on hand to head home and give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes later, defensive confusion reigned again for Town. A failure to clear their lines saw the ball eventually fall back to Shinn, who stroked home comfortably to put Pinchbeck two goals to the good.
Dronfield introduced another debutant in Joe Turner from the bench and also inserted Callum Mawbey and Jack Bancroft into the attack as the display began to improve.
The Derbyshire side pulled one back on 70 minutes. A spell of Dronfield pressure resulted in Callum Mawbey making sure the ball was forced into the empty net after good work down the right from skipper-for-the-day Sam Bebbington with a shot-come-cross.
Dronfield got back on level terms after 81 minutes. The long limbs of Arran Bovill won the ball that fell to substitute Jack Bancroft. He neatly cut inside his man and finished coolly past Martin in the Pinchbeck goal to make it 2-2.
A good final twenty minutes almost saw Chris Millington’s men take all three points at the death. A low left footer from Mawbey from the edge of the box just skipped past the far post and one minute into added time, a neatly-executed half volley from Dan Shelbourne from the same distance narrowly went past the post and out of play.
A point overall was a creditable result given the conditions as Dronfield join a group of five teams with ten points to their name. Just two points ahead in fourth place are Staveley MW, who will play host to Town on Wednesday evening in their next UCL Division One fixture.
Pinchbeck United: Martin, Simpson, Balding, Melson, Sheriff, Brooke, Howlett, Panton, Slater, Shinn, Ward. Subs: Cullen, Douce, Brocklesby, Stevens.
Dronfield Town: Owen, Vardy, Gladwin, Stewart, Shelbourne, White, Chapell, Bovill, Bebbington, Morton, O’Brien. Subs: Appleyard, Bancroft, Fereday, Turner, Mawbey.
Attendance: 44
