Defeat Again At Coronation Park

The Greens arrived back in Nottinghamshire hoping to take heart from Wednesday evening's competitive 2-2 draw with Sherwood Colliery. Still, they failed to find the standard to stop an Eastwood side now on a run of five straight victories. The hosts had the pick of the first-half chances, notably when first Oliver Robinson headed inches wide of the post from a Ryan Tait delivery before Kyle Tomlin was mightily unlucky to sweep his effort beyond Liam Flitton's right-hand post. The hosts were to find reward for their dominance early in the second half, though, finding the lead after fine build-up play from Kyle Tomlin allowed Marcus Marshall to tap home the opener from close range. That lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Max Ward inadvertently diverted Tyler Blake's cross into his own net before the Greens produced a fine response when Marcus Pancho set up Ryan Rushen to find the far corner to bring the Greens back into the contest. But despite half an hour to play, the Greens couldn't find a leveller and were destined to leave Coronation Park empty-handed again.

Player/Manager Tom Ward was forced into one change from the side that drew 2-2 with Sherwood Colliery on Wednesday evening, with the injured Joe Braithwaite dropping to the bench and being replaced by Ryan Flitton – his replacement on Wednesday evening too. The only change throughout the squad saw Marcus Pancho return to replace Loughborough Dynamo loanee Reece Giles among the substitutes. Hosts Eastwood meanwhile made just one change from the side that won the bank holiday Monday derby encounter with Kimberley Miners Welfare 1-0 as Marcus Marshall came in to replace Terry Atem, who dropped to the Eastwood bench.

In baking heat at Coronation Park, the contest got off to a relatively slow start. The hosts fired a warning shot just six minutes in when a fine Aaron O'Connor run and cross was inches from being turned home by Kyle Tomlin in the six-yard area. The Greens responded at the other end, though after a period of relative quiet – bar Eastwood Manager Daryll Thomas' sending off for chatting once too many times to the referee – and produced their best chance of the contest so far when a lovely threaded ball forward from Lewis Daff set Ryan Rushen free who could only sweep his effort just over the crossbar for the angle.

Despite Finlay Armond seeing his effort well collected by Sam Wilson in the Eastwood goal just four minutes later, the hosts began to take a stranglehold of the contest. First, a lovely corner from Ryan Tait was headed straight into the grateful hands of Liam Flitton by Romaine Graham before Tait repeated the trick – this time with a delicious freekick – for Oliver Robinson to head inches wide from a favourable angle. Backs were firmly against the wall for the Greens in the lead-up to the break. The hosts generated another fine chance on 35 minutes when a Lewis Daff slip on the edge of the box opened up the angle for Kyle Tomlin to swing an effort just beyond the post.

The Greens nearly produced the dream start to the second half when Tom Siddons knocked down for Ryan Rushen to crash the crossbar with a sweeping effort just 20 seconds into the second half. The Greens were left to rue that miss as the hosts soon hit the front. It was a fine driving run from Kyle Tomlin that worked space for him to cross for Marcus Marshall to tap home the opener at close range, and that goal gave the hosts some real impetus going forward. Fine play between Tyler Blake and Aaron O'Connor saw the former lash an effort across Liam Flitton that he did well to push aside. O'Connor was involved again a few moments later when he produced an excellent overhead kick that trickled just wide of Flitton's far post – it was to be only three minutes, though, before the Greens were two behind when Tyler Blake's cross was touched into the net by a Greens body to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb.

They gave that mountain a fair crack and were swiftly back in the contest four minutes later when Marcus Pancho set up Ryan Rushen to sweep home a lovely effort into the far corner to bring the visitors back into the match. Ryan Lennon probably had the Greens' best effort for a leveller fifteen minutes later when he got a couple of bites at the cherry and eventually stabbed agonisingly wide of the far post. As the game wore on, it should have been the hosts who put the result beyond doubt when Tyler Blake somehow stabbed Kyle Tomlin's cross wide of the post from close range before Ben Henderson saw his effort saved by Liam Flitton in the Greens goal. Despite Tom Ward going close with a late header – the Greens were forced to swallow defeat for a second time in three games.

Player/Manager Tom Ward was noticeably frustrated once again at the full-time whistle, but was proud once again of how his side performed;

"I'm proud of the lads again. I think over the last two games, we've been absolutely superb and probably deserved four points, and we've come away with one. It's disappointing but the right signs are there, and those small margins are making all the difference. We aren't a million miles away but we can alter a few things, get some faces back through the door and hopefully we can be a threat."

Ward went into today's contest struggling with injury himself, while Charlie Ward and Jacob Fenton's absence was only compounded when Joe Braithwaite failed a late fitness test at Coronation Park;

"They'll make a big difference to us. Let's not beat around the bush, they are big players for us, but for me it's not about the players we were missing today; it's about the lads we had on the pitch, and I thought they were superb and well worth at least a point today. We're hurting a little bit at the moment – you can see how they celebrated that win; they know it is an important win, not many teams beat us."

Like Wednesday night's draw with Sherwood Colliery, the Greens can take plenty of heart into Tuesday evening's contest at Wisbech Town;

"I think the group we've got in here are really honest lads and maybe sometimes we'll fall short with a little bit of quality but they'll never fall short of effort. We always give 110% and that's the kind of player I want to play with and that is why we enjoy what we do. We've had good results traditionally against Wisbech of late so hopefully we can maintain that but they've had a good summer. It'll be an interesting test for us and we'll see how much they've improved and how we'll respond to dropping points that we shouldn't have dropped. It's a good opportunity for us."

The Greens swiftly return to action to complete a trio of successive away fixtures when they visit the southernmost outpost of Premier Division North – Wisbech Town. Kick-off at Fenland Park on Tuesday evening is at 7.45PM.

Words: Oliver Atkin
Image: Steve W Davies Photography