The Pitmen had to be content with a point this afternoon as they were once again pegged back from a winning position with hosts Gainsborough grabbing a late leveller at Northolme

Hednesford’s trip up north to Lincolnshire saw manager Gavin Hurren forced into one change to the side that had started the victory over Leek Town last weekend, as the influential Ollie Harrison was ruled out after picking up a muscle knock in training and was replaced by the fit-again Elliott Johnson

Gainsborough’s season continued in a stop-start nature, with the Holy Blues sitting just outside the play-off places ahead of play today. The experienced Russ Wilcox made two changes to his side from the one that had beaten Morpeth Town two weeks ago as Lincoln City loanee Charlie Parks came in for Fraser Preston and Jordan Helliwell replaced the prolific Jonny Margetts up front. The highly-rated Grimsby Town striker Henry Brown - a youngster who had played against Manchester United in the Mariners' famous League Cup win over the Red Devils earlier in the season - was amongst the substitutes after joining Trinity on loan in midweek

 

An early flurry of Gainsborough set-pieces saw the Pitmen on their mettle as Chris Hussey forced behind a free-kick from the right from Parks for a corner kick to the hosts

Parks was involved on the right once more in the third minute, winning a free-kick for a foul on him. A good ball in by Lewis Butroid was cleared by Ryan Wynter as far as Hornshaw, whose low effort was hacked clear by some last-ditch Hednesford defending

The visitors had been slow to get going so far, struggling with their early ball retention and giving it away cheaply to the Gainsborough midfield. Tony Breeden’s scuffed kick in the sixth minute fell at the feet of Hornshaw, who couldn’t take advantage of the bouncing ball in front of him and had his pocket picked by Johnson

Three minutes later, Butroid took another free-kick out on the right after the referee had handed the Holy Blues a cheap free-kick; his deep ball into the box was aimed at Jack Leckie, only for birthday boy Breeden - 38 years-old today - to make the claim under pressure inside his own six-yard box

Gainsborough stopper David Robson required a spell of treatment a minute later after feeling something in his hamstring following a goal kick, though he had appeared to have received a clear message from the sideline to do so, which was missed by the match officials

Theo Williams created the game’s best moment so far in the twelfth minute as he latched onto a long ball forward and beat Jamie Morgan for pace down the left, crossing low into the box where neither Sisa Tuntukwana or Javelle Clarke could turn the ball home as it skipped across the face of goal before being turned behind by Breeden for a corner kick

The Pitmen’s first real chance was handed to the out-of-form Montel Gibson in the fifteenth minute as he picked the pocket of the dawdling Jacob McLouglin twenty-five yards from goal, taking it into the area before striking a firm low shot at goal, forcing Robson into a good save down to his left

Referee Mr Morris was antagonising both sets of supporters with his inconsistent decision-making, handing the Pitmen a goal kick on seventeen minutes after a long-range effort from Parks appeared to have taken a very clear deflection off Johnson before going behind 

Robson’s kicking was a source of concern for the home side, with several early unforced kicks from the stopper sailing harmlessly out of play. Put under pressure from Ahkeem Rose on twenty minutes, the stopper shanked his kick straight out of play for a Hednesford throw-in on the left flank

Breeden was alert to the danger posed by a free-kick on twenty-four minutes, plucking Jackson’s floated free-kick out of the air ahead of Leckie after Tuntulwana had won the kick following a foul on him from Johnson out on the Trinity right

Some defensive mishaps from the hosts handed the Pitmen a great chance to open the scoring on twenty-eight minutes, as the hosts were handed a hotly-disputed penalty kick; Robson had initially denied Omari Sterling-James after the winger’s cross from the left briefly threatened, with Morgan and Liam Kinsella looking to pick up the loose ball on the edge of the box. Helliwell’s attempt at clearing the danger ahead of Kinsella saw him bring the midfielder down, with Mr Morris pointing to the spot as a result. The Gainsborough players were furious, as they felt the challenge had occurred outside the box, but the match officials were content with their decision after a spell of consultation. Jackson went into the book for arguing his point a little too aggressively to Mr Morris, who also had words with skipper Butroid. Rose was handed the ball and dispatched a confident penalty beyond Robson, sending the stopper the wrong way for goal number fifteen of the season for the striker

Max Sheaf went into the referee’s notepad on the half-hour mark for a late and clumsy challenge on Hornshaw in the centre of the park, picking up a deserved yellow card despite his protests otherwise

Rose was handed a couple of sniffs at goal two minutes later as Sheaf headed Hornshaw’s clearance back into the box, with the Pitmen’s goalscorer turning and shooting from eighteen yards out but seeing his effort blocked by Parks. After winning the ball back in midfield, Kinsella picked Rose out once more with a clever pass, but Rose’s effort lacked power on this occasion and was easily fielded by Robson

Kinsella’s neat play, allied with his willingness to keep running, was a standout of the Pitmen’s first half play, taking the ball forward on thirty-six minutes before playing a delightful ball to send Sterling-James away down the left - his lay-off to Taylor saw the left-back send over a cross that as too high for anyone in a white shirt to reach and ran out of play on the far side

Two minutes later, Sterling-James tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area after showing some good feet to go around Parks but saw his effort deflected behind for a corner kick

Sterling-James followed Sheaf into the referee’s notebook with three minutes of the half remaining, picking up a booking for a foul on Helliwell on the Gainsborough right

In first half added time, a good cross from Butroid on the right caused the Pitmen all sorts of issues, with Hussey clearing the danger after holding off Williams off. The home fans felt that Hussey had raised his hands to push Williams off and pleaded for a penalty kick, but their pleas were waved away

After a slow and laboured opening first fifteen minutes, the Pitmen had very much come into the game and had shaded the remainder of the first period courtesy of Rose’s opening goal. Gainsborough had struggled to create much in the way of clear-cut chances in the final third and you did feel that the introduction of Margetts was inevitable at some time early in the second half

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There was to be a ten-minute delay to the second half after some, frankly, pathetic and juvenile behaviours from both sets of supporters that was dealt with very poorly by the Gainsborough stewards. On the pitch, the Pitmen settled well after the restart, with Hussey trying his luck with a free-kick to the right of the penalty area just sixty seconds after the restart - his low curling effort at goal stuck the side of the wall, however, and Gainsborough were able to clear

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Three minutes later, Rose was played through on goal down the left as he latched onto a pass from Gibson, seeing his low effort from the edge of the box blocked by the covering Leckie

Gainsborough made a very early change at the start of the second half, bringing young Grimsby Town loanee Henry Brown on for Williams on fifty-one minutes as Wilcox looked for more firepower from his side

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Breeden was on his mettle for the Pitmen to make a claim down to his left on fifty-five minutes after Tuntulwnana played the ball into the path of Helliwell, whose pull-back into the danger zone was snapped up by the veteran at his near post 

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Mr Morris's bipolar afternoon continued three minutes later as he elected to only speak to Tuntulwana and Morgan after a clash between the pair on the Hednesford right, rather than book the two players. Butroid's resultant free-kick into the box was played deep into the penalty area and into the path of Brown, whose ball back across the box was claimed by Breeden ahead of Helliwell

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Shortly after the hour mark, a superb run from Morgan saw him make a driving run into the Gainsborough box, taking the bobbling ball past two players before Helliwell hacked the ball clear

The Holy Blues made their second change  of the afternoon came on sixty-six minutes as former Sheffield Wednesday forward Preston came on in place of Helliwell to add to the attacking options

 

Within a few seconds, Wynter was the latest player to have his name taken by Mr Morris as he was shown a yellow card by the match official for scything down Tuntulwana

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Tuntulwana - who had shown some nice touches in and around the Pitmen’s penalty area - was taken off as soon as he had got back to his feet, with Frank Mulhen coming on in his place

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Some good play down the Gainsborough right on sixty-eight minutes saw Parks sent over a cross towards Brown, who was denied a chance by Breeden's very timely punch away from danger

The away side’s first change of the game came with twenty minutes remaining as Dan Trickett-Smith came on in place of goalscorer Rose, who had struggled to get any joy during the second period

Within a minute, Gainsborough made their last available changes of the game as ex-Rushall Olympic defender Ashton Offler came on in place of Parks on the right and Margetts came on in place of Clarke 

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Mr Morris incurred the wrath of the sizeable away following behind the goal two minutes later as he awarded the hosts a free-kick down the Hednesford left despite it appearing that Taylor had made a wonderful clean sliding challenge to win the ball off Offler

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Taylor - once again a very steady attacking influence for the Pitmen - was involved again with twelve minutes of the game remaining as he tried his luck with a long-range effort from the left-hand edge of the penalty area that he lifted just over Robson's crossbar

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The Pitmen's inability to kill games off when in a winning position once again came back to bite them with ten minutes remaining as Brown capped his Trinity debut with an equalising goal; a through ball from Margetts saw it skip past both Sheaf and Wynter, with neither Hednesford player able to get a toe onto the pass which allowed Brown to run in on goal, taking a touch before slotting past the advancing Breeden from twelve yards out

Looking for a response, the Pitmen made an attacking change with six minutes remaining as striker Dan Turner came on in place of the booked Sheaf. This saw the away side move to a four-man forward line, with Sterling-James playing in the free role behind them

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Breeden's suspect kicking nearly came back to haunt him on eighty-six minutes as his rushed first-time kick on the left of his penalty area fell straight at the feet of Mulhern, whose rushed lobbed effort from twenty-five yards out fell well wide of the stopper's right-hand post, much to his relief

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Two minutes later, Margetts drew a foul out of Wynter to the left of the Hednesford penalty area with some clever hold-up play, with Wynter appearing to get a touch on the ball before making contact with the experienced striker. Preston took the resultant free-kick and played it to the far post, where Leckie's flick on fell at the feet of Hornshaw - his rising effort failed to test Breeden, however, as the ball ended up on the roof of the net

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Gainsborough were reduced to ten men on eighty-nine minutes as Jackson was shown a second yellow card by Mr Morris for a mistimed and clumsy challenge on Taylor out on the left touchline

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With the game moving into five minutes of added time, Margetts mometarilly got in behind the Hednesford defence as he raced onto a pass from Hornshaw, but was beaten to the bouncing ball by Breeden

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Trickett-Smith picked up the game's sixth booking of the afternoon in the fourth minute of added time as he blatantly pulled Margetts back in the centre circle to stop the striker from turning and playing the ball forward

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Deep, deep into added time, Morgan went close to breaking his Hednesford duck as a deep ball into the box from Turner found the right-back at the far post, only for the ex-Radcliffe man to turn his effort wide of goal under pressure from Offler

Both sets of players squared up the match officials at the final whistle as tempers boiled over, with Mr Morris's dreadful display of officiating questioned by players on both sides. Sheaf took his protests a little too far and earned a second yellow for dissent as a result

A point gained, but one that really could have been three had it not been for a momentary lapse of concentration at the back. The Pitmen’s ultra-defensive set-up had once again invited pressure onto them after taking the lead, leading to a third game in seven where they had allowed the opposition to claw themselves back into the game. The Pitmen go joint top of the league but stay below Hebburn Town on goals scored, and with the Hornets now having a game in hand due to their game being called off today. The Pitmen return to Keys Park for the first of three home games in February, when they face an inconsistent Whitby Town side next Saturday 

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​Gainsborough Trinity: Robson, Parks (Offler 71), Jackson ▆▆ (89), McLoughlin, Leckie, Hornshaw, Butroid ©, Helliwell (Preston 66), Tuntulwana (Mulhern 67), Clarke ▆ (Margetts 71), Williams (Brown 51)     Subs unused: None

Hednesford Town: Breeden ©, Morgan, Taylor, Hussey, Johnson, Wynter ▆, Sheaf ▆▆ (Turner 84), Kinsella, Gibson, Sterling-James ▆, Rose (Trickett-Smith 70 ▆)      Subs unused: Maye, Labadie, Parke

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