SOUTHPORT 1 HINCKLEY UNITED 1

Attendance:

By ANDY GIBBS at HAIG AVENUE

FOR THE fourth time this season, United’s inability to hold onto a lead cost them two points as the home side grabbed an equaliser with just a couple of minutes remaining.

Adam Webster put The Knitters in front midway throughout the second half and it looked as though Dean Thomas’ men had done enough to come away with victory, but some poor marking afforded Ciaran Kilheeney the opportunity to level it late on.

A point at Southport, always amongst the title contenders, is always regarded as a good one, but United will have been kicking themselves all the way down the M6 that this should have been all three against an out of sorts home side.

It was a scrappy game during which neither side looked comfortable. After a decent start which saw a couple of half chances fall to Matt West before Bradley Barnes’ pass at the other end almost got Kilheeney through, the game deteriorated rapidly. Both sides conceded possession with alarming regularity which meant good moves were rare – goalscoring opportunities rare still until the last minute of the half when Kilheeney’s pass opened up the visiting defence for Zac Aley who drew Chris MacKenzie but stabbed the ball agonisingly wide of the far post.

The second half had to improve and it did. United forced a flurry of corners straight after the break which came to nothing before Kilheeney missed a couple of excellent chances – shooting wide from the edge of the box before a quick counter attack saw the striker bearing down on goal in the area but under pressure from Lee Collins, he shot weakly at MacKenzie.

Hinckley went ahead on 67 minutes, from another corner, Andy Hall’s flag kick from the right was headed down by Collins and WEBSTER ghosted in to stab the ball home from six yards.  The Knitters had chances to seal it, Richard Lavery’s effort was deflected over, Andy Gooding’s shot came back off a post before home keeper Tony McMillan grabbed a Gooding free kick at the second attempt.

Just as the home side seemed resigned to defeat, they salvaged a point.  Aley sent in the long throw from the left, it was flicked on by defender Earl Davis and KILHEENEY got the wrong side of the defence to score from inside the six yard box.

Undeterred, Hinckley still tried to restore their lead – they forced another couple of corners (making it nine in total during the second half) and one of them fell to Gooding 25 yards out who curled his shot inches wide with McMillan beaten.

HINCKLEY UNITED: MacKenzie, Mace, Giddings, Lavery, Collins, Franklin, Hall, Gooding, Webster (Eribenne, 90) West (Taylor, 83), Cartwright. Subs not used: Lister, Dillon, Hinds.