Toolstation NCEL Division One
Rossington Main 0-1 Hall Road Rangers
Josh Batty congratulates Chris Spinks after he scored the winning penalty for Hall Road. Picture: Lee Myers
A gritty display saw Hall Road Rangers record a narrow victory at Rossington Main to go within one win of clinching the title.
The first game of the third day of the 2017 NCEL Easter GroundHop had very few clear cut chances, but a Chris Spinks penalty eleven minutes before the interval was all that separated the two teams as Rangers moved a step closer to promotion.
The visitors had the best chance of the opening quarter as James Piercy met Spinks corner however his header was hacked off the line at the far post
Rangers keeper Phil Dobson was first called into action on 33 minutes, when he superbly denied Lee Holmes with the Rossington striker bearing down on goal.
The crucial moment came almost instantly. Josh Batty flicked the ball inside and was clumsily hauled down in the area, and after consultation with his assistant referee, Pete Henger awarded a penalty.
Spinks expertly despatched the penalty to help settle any nerves sending the keeper the wrong way.
Rossington shaded the second half but were wasteful with their two opportunities, Jason Stokes and Niall Simpson both missing the target when through on goal.
Hall Road were stubborn though and gave very little away, Connor Harman in particular gave protection to the back four who were led by the incompareable Ash Dexter again.
The result means that should Hall Road win their final game at Campion next week, they will not only gain promotion to the NCEL Premier Division, but will do so as champions.
What They Said
“It wasn’t a classic by any stretch and if I’d paid today I’d probably ask for my money back.
“We will have to play better to win at Campion next week, but it’s difficult to hammer the players as the importance of the result is huge and they have dug in today to keep us in the hunt.”