Quorn’s play off bid is dented by defeat
QUORN 1 SPALDING UNITED 2 Northern Premier League Midland Division
SPALDING United left it late to take all three points in a thrilling climax at Farley Way.
Paddy Webb had opened the scoring for Quorn in the 47th minute, before Tyler Winters levelled the scores with ten to play and Glenn Walker scrambled in the winner in the 89th minute.
The match got off to a slow start as both sides failed to work any chances in the opening ten minutes. In a contest littered with niggly fouls, Jamie Hood and Riley O’Sullivan were both cautioned early, for a tussle that spilled off the pitch.
Nathan Stainfield was lucky to stay out of Referee Daniel Smith’s notebook for persistent fouls on Courey Grantham, who was proving a real handful for the Spalding skipper.
Sam Warburton had the first opportunity of the match, but the Spalding left back fired into the side netting when he pounced on a loose ball following a Charlie Woods save. Cain Noble should have opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Tyree Wilson’s cross was deflected to him a couple of yards out, but the free-scoring midfielder put his header over the bar.
Tony Breeden made his first saves of the match when he denied Noble at the near post, and then collected Webb’s effort off the rebound. Tom Hilton was next to go close, his rasping drive in first half stoppage time took a deflection that edged it just wide of the post.
Within two minutes of the restart Quorn were ahead, a defensive calamity handed
Webb the opportunity to score his 25th goal of the season, and the striker obliged, to the delight of the home fans. Grantham had a chance to double the lead on the hour mark when Pat Zito played in Wilson on the right, where the speedy winger picked out the forward in the middle, but his effort was narrowly over.
Warburton had another chance with 25 minutes to play, but fired over the bar when he was clean-through on goal. Quorn had looked comfortable with the lead, but the pressure began to mount as Spalding pushed for the equaliser. Warburton got in behind again and picked out Winters in the middle. The Quorn bench were incandescent as they felt that the full-back was yards offside in the build-up.
Worse was to come for the Reds as James Clifton was adjudged to have been fouled by Reece Fyfe in what looked a 50/50 collision, but the Spalding man made a meal of it to win the free kick.
Yet more cries from the Quorn supporters were heard when the resulting free kick appeared to go behind off a Spalding head, only to see a corner awarded. To add insult to injury, Quorn felt that keeper Woods was fouled in the melee that saw Walker bundle the winner home.
United comfortably saw out the final six minutes of the match to maintain their slender lead at the top of the table. Quorn remain in sixth place, but with Hinckley LR winning away to Coleshill, they now sit two points off the playoffs, but with a game in hand.