Shrewsbury came to Newton with a full squad on an unseasonably cold and wet Sunday morning. They'd been unlucky to lose the match earlier in the season, hitting the woodwork four times, but they were fortunate to leave with a point after absorbing pressure for most of yesterday's game.
The conditions were difficult: the ground was completely waterlogged, the ball skidded unpredictably, and players on both sides had difficulty keeping their footing. In the opening fifteen minutes Shrewsbury barely managed to get the ball out of their own half. Both Karsten and Bardot had glimpses of goal from narrow angles early on, but the Shrewsbury 'keeper had their shots well covered. Steve Shea had our first real chance when he was played through on the left, but a defender managed to make a last-gasp challenge to block his shot.
After the early pressure, Shrewsbury had a brief spell of dominance mid-way through. We were pushing back when out of the blue they scored a goal. An attacking midfielder collected the ball ten yards inside our half, ran forward unchallenged and hit a good shot from 30 yards that cleared Mike O and dropped just below the crossbar.
In the second half we started turning the screws and had Shrewsbury pinned back for long periods. Many of our attacks broke down with a poor final pass but we did make some good chances. Andy had a good dipping shot from long range that almost went through the 'keeper's legs (the ultimate nutmeg), but he stopped it by sitting on the ball. Karsten collected the ball on the edge of the area after a defensive error, turned and hit a decent shot towards the far top corner, but too close to the 'keeper, who was able to parry away. Peter seemed to have injured himself stretching to win the ball in midfield, but he was up and managed to hit a crashing volley low (yes, low) but wide of the left post.
Our best chances came from set-pieces: Andy hit a perfect free-kick from the right that Karsten met cleanly eight yards out, but the header hit the base of the post with the 'keeper well beaten. With the minutes ticking away Andy took a corner from the left and Bardot finally levelled the scores with a well-directed header into the top of the goal.
Minutes after the equaliser Shrewsbury had their only real chance of the half. Our defence had played an almost flawless game until then, but there was real danger when Shrewsbury broke down the right after a rare defensive error. Mike O handled the situation perfectly, though, cutting down the angle and diving to his left to blocked the shot for a corner.
Another frustrating game, then, but much more enjoyable than the stop-go match against Weston a week earlier. With Hudson beating Shake-Shake, it's a two-horse race for promotion to Division 1.
Squad: Mike O, Kirk, Mike A, Tim R, John, Kelvin, Pap, Steve S, Andy, Joe, Tom, Peter, Ivan, Steve G, Tim T, Karsten, Christer, Bardot, Samuel
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