Dronfield Town lost out by the odd goal in five in a scrap of a contest on the road at Brigg Town. The North Derbyshire side took a 2-1 lead early in the second half through Max Rhodes and Kenan McKenzie-Grey but the hosts equalised on a contentious penalty and then claimed all three points three minutes from time with the Dronfield defence looking at the assistant referee for an offside decision that never came. A heavy pitch added to the combative nature of the game where Dronfield were not quite as effective as in recent weeks. They remain in eighth place in the Northern Counties East League Division One table however, looking to bounce back at home to eighteenth placed Athersley Rec at the HE Barnes Stadium next Saturday.
The game was a turgid affair from the off. Neither side fully got a grip of the encounter for the opening fifteen minutes but it was Dronfield who almost opened their account for the afternoon.
Brigg keeper Lewis Hill saved with legs from Dronfield’s Sam Bebbington and with the ball coming to Arran Bovill on the edge of the box, the midfielder’s vicious strike grazed the outside of the post and went out of play.
A Nick Benson cross on 20 minutes saw Town appealing for a hand ball but the referee adjudged that chest was involved and three minutes later, Dronfield suffered the hammer blow of influential playmaker Connor Chapell having to leave the field to be replaced by Cam Knight.
Brigg were lively on the break – Jack Boswell toe-poking wide from 12 yards on 25 minutes and two minutes after, they broke the deadlock.
Brad Ronis, who made several dangerous sorties forward, struck the crossbar and as the ball rebounded, Luke Mascall had the presence of mind to stoop and head Brigg into a 1-0 lead.
The pitch was not suited to passing football and the Dronfield equaliser demonstrated one route to success. A good ball forward by Knight saw Town top-scorer Max Rhodes out-pace the Brigg defence and produce a terrific finish to level matters up before half time.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first with neither side stamping their authority on proceedings. When they did it was an inspired substitution that gave Dronfield the lead.
Oli Parfitt replaced Nick Benson and had an immediate impact on the game. His delivery from the right saw Kenan McKenzie-Grey get in front of his man to finish from close range and make it 1-2.
The lead lasted just seven minutes as Brigg got on level terms in baffling fashion. Few in the stadium, let alone the players could comprehend the referee’s decision to award a spot kick, later confirmed post-game as being for a shirt-pull. Stephen McCarron stepped up and made it 2-2.
Both sides rolled the dice in terms of substitutions but without success until the latter stages. The 83rd minute saw Callum Mawbey’s ball forward stabbed goalwards by Parfitt, as Hill tipped out for a corner.
A minute later Mawbey, playing in a more advanced role, hit a firm 25 yard shot that Hill was forced to tip over the bar.
The hammer blow to Dronfield came three minutes from time. With the Town rearguard looking to the assistant referee for an offside flag, Brigg substitute Harry Griffin slipped the ball home from 12 yards to seal the points for the home team.
Not an afternoon that Dronfield will want to dwell on and their opportunity to make amends comes on Saturday when Barnsley-based Athersley Rec are the visitors to the HE Barnes Stadium for a 3pm kick off.
Brigg Town: Hill, Fisher, Spencer, Haywood, Norburn, McCarron, Ronis, Vasquez, Mascall, McCarthy, Boswell. Subs: Osborne, Griffin, Hutchinson, Burnett-Haynes, Usher.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Riley, Bebbington, Stewart, Hatton, Mawbey, Chapell, Bovill, Rhodes, Benson, McKenzie-Grey. Subs: Knight, Wright, Mike Fereday, Townsend, Parfitt.
Attendance: 248
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