The Pitmen produce another battling performance to earn themselves a point against mid-table Basford United at Keys Park this afternoon, making it back-to-back clean sheets in the process

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Last Saturday had seen the Pitmen finally end their five-game losing run with a 1-0 win over fellow relegation candidates AFC Rushden & Diamonds, with player/manager Danny Glover bringing in Tamworth's young right-sided player Lucas Yeomans in on loan from their league rivals. Yeomans came straight into the side as one of three changes to the side that had started against Rushden as he replaced Mark Derricott at right-back, whilst James McQuilkin came back in ahead of Tom Thorley and Glover brought himself back into the fray as he swapped places with Jordan Graham up front

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Fifteenth-placed Basford made their first trip to Keys Park since 2019 off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Mickleover last weekend, continuing the Ambers' inconsistent form in 2023 so far. Manager Mark Clifford made four changes of his own to the side that had started the Mickleover game as Mitchell Tait, Brad Beatson, Lewis Carr and Ben Starkie came into the side ahead of Owen Betts, Brad McGowan, former Hednesford man Courey Grantham and Kameron Campbell

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The game had barely got going before it was brought to a shuddering halt inside two minutes as Beatson was floored by a clash with his own team-mate Josh Barnes and required several minutes of treatment before the game could continue 

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There was a further break in play three minutes later as Hednesford's on-loan goalkeeper Luke Jackson was also left on the deck after an accidental clash with Kevin Da Silva Bastos and also required a spell of treatment for the young stopper from sports therapist Shannon Kincade

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With such a fragmented opening to the game, it was perhaps unsurprising that there was a wait until the ninth minute for the first chance of the game that fell to Basford; a miskick from Yeomans allowed the dangerous and pacy Da Silva Bastos in on goal, only for the former Nottingham Forest man to shoot straight at Jackson, who made a fine one-handed save to turn the forward's low shot away for a corner kick

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A minute later, Gregg Smith's flick-on found Da Silva Bastos in behind a hesitant Hednesford defence, with the ex-Tamworth man blazing over the crossbar from eighteen yards out as his first-time shot was watched over by Jackson

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Basford continued to have the better of the opening quarter of the game with a good chance from a free-kick in the fifteenth minute as Clark was fouled to the right-hand side of the Hednesford penalty area by Ethan Patterson. Skipper Matt Thornhill curled the resultant cross into the box and found the head of the rotund Smith, whose header back across goal caught Da Silva Bastos on his heels and bounced harmlessly wide of the post

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The Pitmen's first sight of goal came in the twentieth minute of the game as some neat and tidy build-up play involving Chay Tilt and Steph Morley down the left saw the Hednesford skipper whip in a fine cross onto the head of Todd Parker, whose downward header was saved by former Hednesford loanee Kieran Preston in the Basford goal

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Back came the visitors, who forced back-to-back corner kicks through the trickery of Tanzania International Starkie and were dealt with well by the young centre-back partnership of Ben Kaninda and Patterson, who are continuing to show a growing maturity and understanding between them

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The Pitmen were pulled back for a tight-looking offside call against Tilt on twenty-seven minutes as a deep cross from Yeomans was aimed at the winger on the far side of the penalty area, only for the assistant on the Wimblebury side to raise his flag 

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Jackson was also proving a frustrating barrier to goal for Basford, making another fine save just after the half-hour mark as Smith win a free-kick just outside the Hednesford penalty area, allowing Thornhill to hit a sweetly-struck shot at goal that the Sheffield Wednesday stopper made a good save inside his six-yard box

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Patterson again proved his worth to his new side with another excellent block tackle on Da Sila Bastos two minutes later, coming across the face of his own penalty area to stick a leg out and divert the forward's goalbound shot away for a corner kick

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With ten minutes of the first half remaining, the hosts had a glorious chance to open the scoring through Glover as Tilt's neat through ball sent the Hednesford manager clear of the Basford defence, only for the striker to pull his low shot inches past Preston's left-hand post with only the keeper to beat

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More trickery from Da Silva Bastos saw him force his way into the penalty area on thirty-eight minutes with a slalom-like run past former Tamworth team-mate Yeomans and Kaninda before Patterson and Jackson managed to divert the ball behind for a corner kick to the visitors, which was wasted by Thornhill out on the left as he curled the ball out of play

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Despite Basford edging the first-half possession and chances, the hosts finished the half strongly and had two good chances just before the break. On forty-two minutes, Tilt laid the ball back to Morley, whose out-swinging cross was headed straight into the arms of a grateful Preston by Glover from eight yards out

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In the final minute of the half, Jackson again did well to command his six-yard box with a confident punch away from Smith as Thornhill's corner kick looked to pick out the striker at the far post

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With plenty of added time at the end of the half, the Pitmen carved out one final chance with the last kick of the period as the quiet Max Brogan picked up Dom Roma's clearance just outside the penalty area but drilled his half-volley wide of Preston's right-hand post with a first-time effort

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It had been a first half lacking in much quality or imagination from both sides, with this very much reflected in the scoreline at the break as neither attack had shown much in the way of intent or penetration in the final third of the pitch. Hednesford had struggled to get the likes of Tilt and Brogan into the game, relying on Glover's knock-downs and Morley's cultured delivery from the left to create the few openings that they had created

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The home side made a strong start to the second period, creating two good chances in quick succession as they looked to strike early on. Two minutes after the restart, Morley picked the ball up just inside the Basford half and made a move towards the Ambers penalty area before striking a firm shot at goal from twenty-five yards out that was gathered by Preston

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On fifty-two minutes, Glover was pushed over by Beatson and the Pitmen were awarded a free-kick to the right-hand side of the Basford penalty area. Parker took the kick and swung the ball into the back post, where Patterson arrived to head high over the crossbar from seven yards out

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Neat play from Basford saw them catch the Pitmen out with a quick and initiative counter through the centre of the pitch two minutes later, only for an offside flag against Da Silva Bastos from the assistant on the Wimblebury side to halt the forward's progress as he broke into the penalty area

 

A foul by Yeomans on Tait handed Basford a free-kick in a dangerous position just before the hour mark that was chipped into the penalty area by Thornhill but drifted well wide of Jackson's goal with no one in red able to get on the end of it

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The Pitmen's first substitution of the afternoon turned out to be a double change for the hosts on sixty-three minutes as Thorley returned to action in place of the out-of-sorts Brogan and Stanley Asomugha replaced Tilt in a like-for-like swap down the flank

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Another forceful run from Da Silva Bastos saw the former Loughborough Dynamo man skip away from Kaninda's challenge on sixty-five minutes and take the ball into the penalty area but struck a weak right-footed shot straight into the arms of Jackson at his near post

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Basford's one and only change of the afternoon came two minutes later as Tyreace Palmer - another member of the squad who had returned this week from a loan spell at Loughborough - came on in place of Clark

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On sixty-eight minutes, the Pitmen made their final change of the afternoon as Kettering Town loanee Graham came on up front to add his physical threat as he replaced McQuilkin

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Asomugha was the first player to receive a caution from referee Mr Jackson seconds later as the winger went into the book for a clumsy challenge on Tait down the right. From the resultant Thornhill free-kick, Beatson made a late run into the penalty area to meet his skipper's deep cross but headed inches wide of the upright from a tight angle

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Kemy Agustien - enjoying an extended run in the Hednesford team - went within a whisker of giving the hosts the lead on seventy-three minutes as he picked the ball up just outside the Basford penalty area and struck a firm low shot at goal that looked to be heading for the bottom corner of the net until the ball swerved millimetres wide of Preston's left-hand upright 

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Two minutes later, a fine cross from Roma on the right flank managed to find the head of Palmer, who rose above Yeomans and headed the ball just wide of Jackson's right-hand post

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A long punt forward from the away side on seventy-six minutes saw Jackson come out of his goal to deal with the bouncing ball, with the stopper heading the danger away under the challenge of Smith. The Basford striker ended up coming off worst in the aftermath and requiring treatment from the bench

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As the game entered its final ten minutes, the Pitmen came back strongly once more but lacked any real cutting edge in the final third to turn all of their good possession into one meaningful chance. Indeed, it was Basford who were handed a good chance from a free-kick once more on eighty-two minutes as Kaninda brought Smith down just outside the penalty area and was shown a yellow card for the challenge. Thornhill took the set piece once more but lifted his free-kick high over the crossbar from twenty yards out

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With time starting to run out, the Pitmen's limitations in the final third were shown up once more with two minutes left as Glover did well to get to the right-hand byeline and stand up a cross to the far post that drifted over the head of the incoming Asomugha and away from danger

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As the game entered three minutes of added time at the end of the second half, Yeomans made a late run into the Basford six-yard box to meet Morley's deep cross with his head but glanced his effort from a tight angle over the crossbar and rippled the top of the net

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All in all, it had been a spirited but limited display from the home side, who can be pleased with their second clean sheet in a row but had once again come up short with their lack of options up front against a Basford side that had offered a similarly scarce threat up front. Tuesday night sees Glover's men go again as they play host to Ilkeston Town, with Leroy Lita returning to the club for the first time since his January departure to Ilson

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Hednesford Town: Jackson, Yeomans, Morley ©, Agustien, Kaninda ▆, Patterson, Tilt (Asomugha 63 ▆), Parker, Glover, Brogan (Thorley 63), McQuilkin (Graham 68)     Sub Unused: Hartley, Williams

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Basford United: Preston, Roma, Tait, Thornhill ©, Beatson, Carr, Da Silva Bastos, Starkie, Smith, Clark (Palmer 68), Barnes      Subs Unused: Irvine, Peters, Bull, Musson

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