Leek forced to dig deep to net point against Pitmen as they take another step to title glory
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LEEK Town were held to a 1-1 draw on their trip to struggling Hednesford in the Northern Premier League West Division.
Hednesford belied their position and upped their game with the visit of the league leaders to deserve their point with a hard-working defensive performance.
The Blues can have no complaints with the result as, despite their efforts, they struggled with the very windy conditions and did not do enough to win the game.
The draw stretched their unbeaten run to 21 games and moved them a point closer to the league title they will hope to wrap up over the Easter weekend with games against Stalybridge Celtic and Newcastle Town.
Kicking against the strong blustery wind in the first half Leek made a decent start and as early as the second minute from a ball that held up in the conditions Aaron Opoku, making a rare start up front, managed to reach it before the onrushing Ryan Brown and lift it over the Hednesford keeper.
However, a covering defender was able to win the foot race to the loose ball before the striker and clear the danger.
It was both a surprise and a setback for the visitors when the Pitmen took the lead in the 10th minute from what would prove to be their only shot on target in the game.
Full-back Blain Rowe brought the ball forward on the Hednesford right and an exchange of passes with Lewis Farmer allowed him to break into the area and fire a low shot under Dino Visser at the near post that the Leek keeper will have been disappointed not to have kept out.
Leek tried to hit back, but were still trying to come to terms with the conditions.
Louis Keenan’s free-kick delivery from just outside the left of the area caught the wind and went over everyone for a goal-kick, while from the other side Liam Buckley’s cross was held up in the wind resulting in an easy catch for Brown.
Opoku was having a real physical battle with the two Hednesford centre-halves and burst through their challenges on 19 minutes, but the referee’s whistle had gone and the striker was booked for an apparent deliberate handball that had occurred in the tussle.
The striker’s misfortune continued on 25 minutes as he failed to capitalise on a great chance.
Keenan played a ball up to Tom Carr who, under pressure, was able to control and play the ball into Opoku who had found space just inside the area but he produced a complete air shot to miss it completely and allow Hednesford to temporary clear their lines.
The ball was returned into the box and Brown dropped it under the aerial challenge of Carr but the Leek striker was unable to take advantage and the Pitmen were able to clear once more.
The game remained ‘bitty’ with only sporadic bursts of action with and a number of injuries breaking up the play, one of which saw goal scorer Paine depart, after he had come off worse when challenging Opoku.
Leek continued trying to press but were not moving the ball quickly enough to break the lines and the Pitmen’s Tom Thorley and new signing, Adriano Moke, were proving to be an effective barrier sitting in front of the Hednesford back line and always in the right place to pick up the stray pass or loose ball.
The Blues were also beginning to become a little frustrated by the refereeing of the game.
Hednesford’s Sam Griffiths did well to challenge and poke the ball out for a corner after Carr had burst into the area but, to everyone’s amazement, a goal-kick was given.
Then both Opoku and Carr were bundled over by challenges in quick succession that went unpunished resulting in Olly Harrison being booked for dissent as he questioned the decisions, and the centre-half’s name would be followed by that of his manager in the second half as the frustrations eventually extended to the sideline.
As a first half of little goal mouth action drew to a close Leek came the closest they had come to the equaliser.
Rob Stevenson, playing in a milestone 300th game for the club, had been kept relatively quiet by the Pitmen defence but won a corner that he played quickly with a short pass to Keenan.
His cross was not dealt with by Hednesford, who had no time to get