As Storm Agnes blew through Olivers Mount, The Ambers and visitors Knaresborough Town did their own huffing and puffing but had to share the spoils at the end of a somewhat disappointing fixture which failed to live up to the five goal thriller of last season when Town came back from the dead to overturn a 2-0 Ambers lead to take the points.
With Mitch Dunne unavailable, Brandon Bagley came into the starting eleven in an otherwise unchanged Ambers side whilst the visitors made numerous changes from the line up that triumphed in the FA Vase at the weekend.
An early Tom Cropper header from a corner missed the target before Cartman and Carr combined well, the latter shooting narrowly wide, and Dylan Parkin then pulled off a great stop from Emmett’s long ranger. Alfie Dodsworth then showed great feet as he broke through the centre of the pitch and picked out Kieran Wells who set up Bagley, but Town keeper Brown was equal to the winger’s well struck effort, before he saved his side again with a point blank save from Masai Arbouin’s close range volley from Wells’ cross.
Knaresborough, with the strong wind behind them, were soon back on the offensive, and after a couple of goalmouth scrambles, a cross into the Ambers box fell fortunately into the path of Cartman and the experienced striker smashed home the opening goal after 18 minutes.
Dodsworth then had a free kick saved by Brown, before Carr forced Parkin into action and Cartman curled an effort over the bar, but in the next Ambers attack, Arbouin fed Tom Bishop down the middle, and as he raced through under pressure from Wildin, he was sent tumbling and the central defender was adjudged to be the last man and was shown the red card.
Dodsworth saw the resultant free kick deflected away for a corner, from which Cropper’s header was easily dealt with by Brown, but it was his opposite number Parkin who took the plaudits with two fine full length saves as shots rained in from Cartman and Carr. There was then a bizarre moment and a let off for the visitors when Brown dummied a clearance to let the ball run out for a goal kick, but the ball slowed up and Wells raced past the keeper and shot for goal from the tightest of angles, but a defender got back to hack the ball away.
Town’s reprieve didn’t last long however, and on the stroke of half time, Dodsworth and Wells combined on the right to set up the incoming Michael Trench on the far side of the box and he was brought down as he was about to take his shot, Dodsworth slotting home the ensuing spot kick. Wells then almost edged The Ambers into the lead as he got on the end of Cropper’s cross but Brown was in the right place to stop the effort at point blank range.
The early stages of the second half were a non-event as both sides struggled to put anything of note together until a Wells flick set up Dodsworth but Brown was once again in the right place to repel the effort, before Arbouin got his head to a deflected cross from Trench but the ball was cleared away from danger. With the wind now behind them and with a one man advantage, Handsworth were able to dominate the game, but their play was slow and ponderous at times, allowing the hard working visitors to keep them at bay without too much drama, forcing Johno Williams and Sam Fewkes to try their luck from distance.
Both sides refreshed their line ups in a bid to either consolidate and take a point or go all out for the victory, but it was the former that prevailed with some late drama seeing Parkin pull off a double save to deny Cartman and White, before sub Craig Mitchell saw red after a 50/50 challenge with Smith deep into added-on time.
So, it was a frustrating night for The Ambers given that they played with the extra man for an hour, and it did feel like two points lost at the end, but on the plus side, it was another game unbeaten against strong opposition.
The Ambers retain their second place in the table ahead of a trip to face Rossington on Saturday.