Toolstation NCEL Division One
Knaresborough Town 1-1 Selby Town
Selby Town midfielder Jason Crisp
Jason Crisp secured a fortunate and controversial draw for Selby Town with the late equaliser, 30 seconds after Knaresborough goalkeeper Jack Rushworth was sent off.
The game swivelled on its frantic closing stage that saw Rushworth red carded for retaliation and Selby equalise from the resulting set piece.
Centre-half Sam Cook had given the hosts the lead from a corner in the 39th minute, an advantage they deserved despite starting the game sluggishly.
Paul Stansfield’s side could have climbed into the top six with Hallam’s reverse at Rossington Main, but the linesman failed to spot Selby goalkeeper Pete Lawrie carry the ball over the line late on.
The Robins begun in the ascendancy in front of a healthy derby day crowd of 132, including a substantial visiting contingent.
Ash Lattimore’s left-wing raids carried threat and he nearly stole in at the back post, before setting up Callum Ward for a chip that Rushworth peddled back to comfortably save.
Town’s improvement, as the first half progressed, centred on their ability to get Brad Walker into the game. He saw a testing low cross hacked away from danger by Leon Cusworth and then had a handball shout against Dane Mortimer turned down.
The first half meandered along and an opening goal didn’t look like it would come, but it arrived in the 39th minute.
Walker’s corners had threatened throughout and he found Cook at the near post with his delivery, the defender losing his man and adjusting well in the air to head home.
Selby Town goalkeeper Pete Lawrie had a cheeky grin on his face after nearly conceding in the last minute
The excellent Crisp then swerved a free-kick on target that forced Rushworth to shift his weight late and fly to his right-hand side to save.
After the interval, Knaresborough came out with bristling purpose as Walker fired wide when Mortimer’s clearance was blocked and Jonty Maullin made a late break into the box that was foiled.
Selby played their part in the game convincingly, though, and had a good spell midway through the second half.
Brook came out of a scramble with the ball and planted a shot on target, before Crisp’s effort on the follow-up trickled past the far past off the boot of Will Lenehan.
This was a rare moment of uncertainty for the outstanding Lenehan. The number of headers he wins and clearances he fully connects with, not to say the style in which he does so, is comparable with any defender competing several levels higher.
What happened in the 80th minute was well out of the Knaresborough skipper’s control.
After a firm challenge on the far byline, Rushworth leant in towards Brook and pushed him over; with his head, it later emerged. A red card was rightly produced.
Substitute keeper Dan Dekanski was immediately tasked with defending an in-swinging corner and he was a rabbit caught in the headlights.
Crisp’s wicked delivery swung in over heads and bodies and settled into the far corner, most likely taking a deflection or two on its way through.
Despite the fact they were down to ten men, the home side should have gone 2-1 up with four minutes to play.
A right-wing cross bounced in front of Lawrie, who fielded it from a position that looked more than a yard behind his own line but the referee waved play on.
The keeper’s guilty look at the assistant referee, followed by a cheeky glance back to the travelling fans, told their own story.
Aside from this, Paul Atkinson had a chance to make amends in the 88th minute only to somehow contrive to turn Blaine Hobson’s cross over the bar from what was only three yards.
Knaresborough were left to reflect on their tendency to drop two points in close games; they have drawn nearly half of their league games this season.
This feisty tussle had just about everything you’d expect from a derby- except a winner.
The Team
Knaresborough Town: Rushworth; Parkes, Cook, Lenehan, Rodgers; Wilson, Bradley (Dekanski 80), Maullin, Atkinson, Lancaster (Hobson 75), Walker. Subs unused: Parkes, Hesketh, Donoghue.
Selby Town: Lawrie; Flanagan (C Tonkinson), Mortimer, Hainsworth, Lattimore; Braithwaite (J Emery), O’Neil, Cusworth; Crisp, C Ward, Brook. Subs unused: J Tonkinson, A Ward.
Man of the Match
Jason Crisp (Selby Town)