Retford United 2 Ossett Town 2

Unibond Premier Division

Sat 24th Oct

Honestly, I don't know what to write about this game. Retford United played some of their best football for a fair while, but yet again reluctant strikers and fortuatous defending served to keep the game within grasp of the visitors, before Ossett Town rode their luck into the sunset with a goal gift-wrapped by a series of inept defending. And the the end, it was only a suspect offside decision that left Retford grasping to a solitary point.


How Many Footballers Does It Take To Fix A Net?

At some point this season, someone is going to get a right spanking from Retford United, and for the first half, it could have been Ossett Town. That the sides went in level at one all was due only to a wonder strike by the visitors number 11, lobbing the home keeper from fully thirty yards. But it was their only shot in anger. Retford meanwhile utilised the ever-improving Cannon Park surface by playing more football on the floor than we have seen for some time. Quite why this was is unclear, as the only change was White coming in at left back for Thompson, and whilst this move made our attacking options more plentiful, it isn't one you would automatically associate with an increase in delicate football.  Still, despite the endeavour, the ball just would not drop comfortably. Godber, Harvey, Ellender, Bettney and Smith all had decent chances, but ultimately it took a freak goal from a right wing free kick, courtesy of Stuart Ludlam, to ensure that the half time team talk wasn't wholly negative.


This one? You want this one knee-capped?

Second half was more of the same, but as the game wore on, the backline looked increasingly shaky on the break. A look a the league tables shows that Retford have one of the best defensive records in the Unibond Premier Division, and that never ceases to amaze me. It's not that we're poor. far from it. But to be one of the best, with the performances I watch week after week? It beggars belief. Whatever, the stand out performance of the day came from recent acquisition Marquin Smith, and it was he who won the penalty early in the second half that should have allowed Retford to push on and ease to a comfortable victory.


Godber steps up to put Retford 2-1 up

But it didn't happen like that. Instead, Ossett became galvanized, and realising that we didn't fancy the last twenty minutes, came at us again and again. The aforementioned defense looked increasingly ill-at-ease as attack after attack came down the flanks. Although shots were at a premium, it was inevitable that something would happen at some point, and so it proved. A shot so inconsequential that I don't even recall where it came from was essential pushed into the goal by deputy keeper Chris Kingston, and that was that. Or so the history books will say. They won't show the last minute "goal" from the visitors that was disallowed for a highly suspect offside. Nor will they show the two gilt-edged chances Retford had to snatch the victory back. And to be fair, those books won't show the stone wall penalty that was turned down in the first half, or the innumerable chances that a fully-firing team would have put away.

No, all they will show is yet another draw, which leaves The Badgers sitting fourth, two points off the top. Which is nice.

.