SPL Premier Central
Stratford Town 1 (Grocutt 59pen)
Ilkeston Town 1 (Thomas 45+4)
The Robins couldn’t build on an encouraging first-half display as we ultimately had to make do with a point in Warwickshire on Saturday.
Despite carving out the better opportunities throughout, including having two efforts cleared off the line, it took a penalty from Will Grocutt to earn a share of the spoils for the Bards.
Callum Ebanks put a good early opening wide for the home side, while Robins skipper Kieran Fenton headed wide via a deflection at the other end from Henri Wilder’s right wing corner.
Stratford saw Grocutt curl a free-kick wide, then Robins defender Joe Wilson slammed the ball against his own crossbar whilst stretching to clear a cross in what was a real let off for the visitors.
From that point on, we bossed the rest of the half, Lee Tomlin firing wide after making space in the penalty area and Leroy Lita also shooting past the post from the edge of the box.
Fenton came closest to the opener when his shot from a Wilson pull-back was cleared off the line as the ball looked like it would sneak in at the far post.
After Dempsey Arlott-John saw a long-range strike parried wide by keeper Liam O’Brien, we finally got the lead in first-half stoppage time when Jack Thomas (pictured) found space 25 yards out and his shot took a deflection and looped up over O’Brien and into the net.
We struggled to get a foothold in the second-half initially, Ebanks putting two reasonable chances wide of the target, before the equaliser then came on the hour mark when Jesse Akubuine was sent in on goal and keeper Rhys Davies clattered into him as he tried to intercept, a penalty given to the hosts and Grocutt stepping up to score.
Our best chance of a winner came on 76 minutes when a ball into the penalty area saw sub Silvio Bello get to the ball before O’Brien and knock it into the danger area where Thomas got a head on the ball but it was again cleared off the line as it looked to be heading in.
But other than an Arlott-John strike which went wide, neither side would seriously threaten again and the points were shared.
Stratford: O’Brien, White, Morrison, Hawker, McCone, Turner, Molyneux (Sambu 82), Akubuine, Ebanks (Taylor 90), Grocott, Wright
Not used: Beresford, Bunga, Wildbore
Ilkeston: Davies, Wilson, Wilder, Thomas (Hilton 90), Delap, Fenton, Dube (Bello 66), Bradley, Lita, Tomlin, Arlott-John
Not used: Woodward
Att: 443
Ref: David Nicholson