In what was an underwhelming performance from the hosts Manager Lee Ashforth declared a ‘a draw was probably a fair result, but a point does neither side any favours’ in terms of league position and both sides’ aspirations for the rest of the season. “We needed a win tonight with wins for teams ‘in an around the Playoffs last night’", Ashforth added.

Myron Gibbon for the visitors had the first meaningful chance in the ninth minute when put in via a curved through ball, appeals for offside from the Campion back line fell on deaf ears, and the tricky front man poked wide of Luke Wilson’s left post.

The hosts did grab the lead a moment later with a curled in left footed ball from the right from Gregson being met centrally in the box with glanced back header from Brooksbank nestling in the back of Rossington Goalkeeper Tom Wallace’s net. What could have acted as a platform to build and dominate the match from 6th placed Campion was not last long, however.

Eight minutes later good work down the left-hand side from Main’s Oliver Novak saw him progress to the edge of the box unleashing the first equaliser of the evening. On that first opening quarter of match Ashforth said,
“I felt that first fifteen/twenty minutes we looked a side lacking a bit of confidence. The last few results may have played on the players’ minds, and we’re playing next to the bottom of the league… look there’s never an easy game at this level. I said this at the beginning of the game; we looked a bit nervous. You get the first goal and then you think we’ll settle down."

Moments later another whipped in curling cross, this time from the left was headed well over centrally by Gregson. Whilst it seemed he was unmarked in the box he did not have a lot of time to set and position said header.

One of the most telling shouts at that time from a player came via the Campion Midfield on the half hour mark – “Come on boys! We need to sharpen up!”. The game from both sides from there duly did. Rossington continued to employ the ball over the top or curled round from the flanks for Gibbons (Which kept Luke Wilson on his toes, a task he stuck to well all game), with Campion trying to work both wings and get the ball into the box as often as possible. Gregson cut inside from out on the right beating two Defenders before shooting left footed with the power and accuracy of the shot one Tom Wallace was comfortable ushering wide of Rossington’s right post.

“We get the second goal and then you think, ‘right we’ll settle down again now, but we never really got a good strong grip on the game.”

Five minutes from the break Campion re-took the lead through Shay Muirhead. A cross from the left headed was in by Muirhead just wide of centre of the eighteen-yard box.

Main still have chances twice through Gibbons once more prior to half-time. Again for the visitors and Gibbons they worked their way down the left-hand side with a hard, low shot saved at his near post by Wilson, before the save of the match from the rebound – a strike through the legs stopped instinctively with the feet taking the sting completely out of the shot and allowing him to quash the danger.

Gibbons soon after did beat Wilson from a ball over the top, but the host defence did enough to shepherd the Attacker and ball wide of the far post.

HALF-TIME: CAMPION 2-1 ROSSINGTON MAIN

Rossington made the much better start from kick-off with Campion in truth until late on second best all over the park. “Rossington were always going to get an equaliser” was the view of Ashforth and it was less than five minutes into said half when the visitors were awarded a penalty for a foul on Dylan Mantle; a contentious decision he thought,
“I felt it was a soft penalty, but you go down in the box, and it gives the referee a decision to make.”
Cody Prior dispatching the spot-kick hard to Wilson’s right with ‘Keeper going left. That man Myron Gibbons cut inside two players and forced a right-hand save out of Wilson too moments after.
Rossington continued to press for a winner and had a low shot saved at Wilson’s right post after a glanced header out wide gave the man time and space to shoot. Campion tried a looped shot just after, but it never troubled Wallace.
After a foul on Main Substitute George Noble on seventy-five, Defender Matty Nebard was shown a second yellow and his marching orders for a second game running (Nebard now misses Penistone, Liversedge, and Parkgate). On the dismissal Ashforth said,
“It was a bit daft from him, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s picked up a few bookings, but he’s been brilliant for us this year.”
The resulting Rossington free-kick central from just outside the ‘D’ of the eighteen-yard box struck well over the bar.
Five minutes for the end Main turned a Defender inside then outside in the box but stabbed wide of the near right post and then followed that with a hard shot straight at Wilson’s midriff. The hosts also introduced Non-League veteran and former Bradford City Striker Ross Hannah for the final two minutes, but to no avail. The hosts had a few half chances in pursuit of a winner, but the game ended all square.
Campion remain 6th two points outside the Playoff positions and Rossington stay second bottom three points behind Albion Sports. The South Yorkshiremen do however have a game-in-hand on our same city neighbours.
Post-match Ashforth was quick to remind supporters that,
“We’ve been on an incredible run 17-18 games with only one loss, unfortunately these last three games its ‘caught up on us a bit’, consecutive 3-1 losses, then tonight
Full respect to Rossington they could have nicked it at the end, certainly when we’d gone down to ten men, they were a massive threat and we struggled to get to grips with them, but we’ve had a couple of half chances which is what you’d expect when we’re ‘up there’”
Attention now turns to the away trip to 12th place Penistone Church at the weekend and another game Ashforth expects to be a tough test,
“It’s never an easy place to go on top of the hill, we’ve had some battles when them over the years, and up to this season, they have always been ‘in and around’ the playoffs so it’ll be a hard game again Saturday. We’re down to the bare bones and clutching at straws a bit now. We need to win our last three and even then, that might not be enough, so we’ll just have to do what we’ve got to do. They’ll certainly not be throwing the towel in they’ll want to stop us getting into the Playoffs and we expect that.”