The Ambers were able to put an end to their three match losing streak after an excellent rearguard performance, playing with ten men for more than an hour, to hold out for a hard earned point away at Frickley Athletic.
The home side almost scored in the opening minute when a lucky ricochet in the box fell to the feet of Smith, but Dylan Parkin was alert enough to throw his body in the way of the shot, and the keeper then provided the assist as his long punt upfield was brought down expertly by Leon Howarth who turned and crashed an effort against the Frickley crossbar with Bradbury in the home goal grasping at thin air, Mitch Carlton skewing the rebounding ball wide of the target.
Skipper Mitch Dunne then almost played the perfect ball to release debutant Shaun Tuton but the keeper was smartly off his line to snuff out the danger, before Carlton, on his first start, caught the eye when he won the ball in his own half and sent Dunne racing away down the left with a great through ball but the cross was diverted away for a corner, from which Dunne had a couple of efforts blocked in what had become one way traffic.
It was a surprise therefore, that it was the hosts that opened the scoring very much against the run of play. Keita appealed for a penalty after his strong run down the left was halted by Henry Carne but all he got was a throw in which proved to be the undoing of The Ambers as the ball wasn’t cleared, and after Parkin had stopped Binns’s close-range effort, Keita was on hand to force the ball over the line.
Tom Cropper was then slightly fortunate to escape a yellow card after a challenge, and from the free kick, Parkin had to tip Elkin’s effort over the bar for a corner, but The Ambers weathered the storm over the next few minutes and soon hauled themselves level. Bradbury did well to punch a corner away to relative safety, but Tuton retrieved the ball way out on the right and played a good ball through for Masai Arbouin whose first time cross was handled in the box by a Frickley defender. Craig Nelthorpe sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot to claim his second goal of the season, and it was game on, or it was for two minutes anyway, as Cropper soon found himself in trouble after a challenge in the centre circle left his opponent on the floor and the full back heading for the dressing room and an early bath.
A tweak to the formation ensued with Arbouin dropping in at right back and Tuton playing the lone striker role as the midfield had to be reinforced. Johno Williams soon followed into the referee’s notebook for a cynical foul on Keita, whilst Elkin followed suit after chopping down Dunne.
Frickley were having a lot more possession now, but the disciplined Ambers were comfortably keeping them at bay, and frustration in the home ranks was evident when Murillo fired well over from way out. As half time neared, there was a let off for the visitors when Smith’s header across the box was just about to be poked in by Keita at the back post until a crucial intervention by Carne saved the day.
The home side almost grabbed the lead at the start of the second half when Smith got in on the left but Parkin threw himself down to save at his near post and Keita fired the loose ball over the bar, and with the extra man’s advantage, Frickley were starting to apply the pressure meaning fresh legs in the shape of Brandon Bagley were introduced. Collier hit a decent effort just wide after a quickly taken free kick caught The Ambers napping, and Smith’s dangerous cross managed to evade everyone in a crowded area.
Carlton then rolled an effort wide and a snap shot from Bagley missed the target as The Ambers mounted a couple of rare attacks on the break, but generally it was one way traffic towards their goal. Owen Haigh and Mason Barlow added more legs as the visitors remained resolute and as the minutes ticked away, the home side ramped up the pressure even more. Keita’s volley wasn’t far off target and Boocock shot wide late on before there was a real let off for Handsworth after Anku’s effort smashed against the bar when he looked odds on to score.
When the final whistle blew, it felt as good as a win for The Ambers given the fact that they had played with a man less than their opponents for 65 minutes, but a tougher test awaits away at Emley on Tuesday night.

Ambers Line up: Parkin, Cropper, Nelthorpe, Fewkes, Carne, Williams (Haigh 76), Dunne (Barlow 80), Arbouin, Tuton (Trench 90), Carlton, Howarth (Bagley 56, Moxam 88)