Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s David Bell
Dronfield Town earned a very creditable point on the road at playoff-chasing Shirebrook Town with a 2-2 draw. After a goalless first half, Sam Bebbington and Alex Wilkinson shot Dronfield into a 2-0 lead. A triple substitution proved to be the spur that Shirebrook needed and a pair of Jay-Jay Cutts strikes saw them claim a share of the spoils in what proved to be an entertaining encounter. Dronfield’s league position of 18th remained unaffected despite the result but it does tee up an intriguing encounter with 19th placed Radford FC at the Stonelow Stadium next Saturday.
The signs of things to come were demonstrated as early as the second minute when Shirebrook’s Lewis Macaskill fizzed a cross across the face of goal, a feat repeated by Dronfield’s Arran Bovill up the other end of the pitch almost immediately.
Shirebrook registered a claim for a penalty soon after, believing that Isaac Reardon had handled the ball but the referee clearly wasn’t interested.
Dronfield created several chances in a half where they took the game to their higher-ranked opponents. On 21 minutes, a Sam Bebbington header from a corner on the far side was cleared off the line, Callum Mawbey putting the follow up wide.
Just three minutes later, Bovill’s pull back was skied over the bar by debutant Ryan Oxley but after an impressive start, Oxley was stretchered off the field shortly after with a serious ankle injury to be replaced by Alex Wilkinson.
Still Dronfield continued to press. Skipper Callum Mawbey’s header back across goal from Connor Chapell’s deep free kick saw Sam Bebbington unable to apply the finishing touch.
Dronfield started the second half brightly too. A Bebbington long throw was cleared only as far as Arran Bovill, whose useful left footed volley was spectacularly tipped over the bar by Shirebrook keeper Harrison Kissane.
The visitors did get their reward on 54 minutes however. A good run up the left by Alex Wilkinson saw him cut inside and curl a lovely shot which beat Kissane but came back off the post only as far as Sam Bebbington, who gratefully fired into the empty net.
Shirebrook made a triple substitution on the hour mark, which almost reaped instant rewards as Joe Godfrey’s right wing delivery was headed wide of the mark by sub Ben Hartley at the back post.
Despite the clear improvement in the Shirebrook display, Dronfield got their second on 71 minutes. Bebbington returned the favour for Wilkinson this time. His persistence saw him win the ball near to the byeline and he squared for Wilkinson to fire home from close range and make it 2-0.
It took Shirebrook five minutes to get one back. Dronfield were slow to clear their lines and Shirebrook’s Joe Godfrey nipped in to square for Jay-Jay Cutts, who tapped in with the score at 2-1.
A further two minutes elapsed when the hosts levelled matters. More Shirebrook pressure resulted in Cutts shooting from the left hand side; Alex Wilkinson attempted to clear the ball for Dronfield but it ended up bouncing up into the roof of the net to make it 2-2.
Dronfield continued to seek a winner. Substitute Ryan Watters’ 20 yard shot was tipped out of play to his left by a sprawling Kissane and despite further spells of pressure, Lewis Naylor’s side were forced to settle for a well-deserved point.
Town’s league position doesn’t change as a result but they will need a display of a similar magnitude when they encounter nineteenth-placed Radford FC at the Stonelow Stadium on Saturday.
Shirebrook Town: Kissane, Shaw, Childes, Joseph, Eyes, Tate, Cutts, Foster, Godfrey, Tansley, Macaskill. Subs: Boston, Neto, Duruaku, Hartley, Grant.
Dronfield Town: Hill, Reardon, Stewart, Appleyard, Morgan, Mawbey, Chapell, Bovill, Walker, Bebbington, Oxley. Subs: Rogers, Wilkinson, Worrall, Watters, White.
Attendance: 111
