Retford United 0 – 0 Newark Town — Town's ten men drop points in Retford
A combination of a difficult pitch and a strong wind made playing conditions tricky and both Retford United and Newark Town needed time to adjust, writes Richard Lane.
Town made just one change in the 0-0 draw as Tyler Martin dropped out for Steve Carty.
The first major incident saw Nathan Burrows come to Town’s rescue on 22 minutes as Igor Mlynarski saw his effort blocked by the keeper, before Luke Boddy cleared.
Town wasted a golden opportunity to go ahead on 32 minutes as GeorgeAsplin was upended in the area, but Lewis Chambers’ attempt from the penalty spot failed to beat Tom Crosby in the Retford goal.
Playing with the wind more in their favour in the second half, Town looked more of a threat.
Tom Moore made a storming run down the middle before laying the ball off to Carty, whose shot was deflected behind for a corner.
Town’s best spell going forward came in the later stages after Boddy saw red.
Asplin had his goal-bound effort tipped over and, in the last minute, the Blues came within inches of taking the points when, first, Jonathan Wiles saw his 25 yard drive rebound from the bar, then seconds later in a goalmouth scramble, sub Danny Boulton scuffed the ball wide from close range.
Town’s next game sees them at home to local rivals Collingham on Saturday, with their replayed Notts FA Senior Cup tie with Kimberley Miners Welfare scheduled for Wednesday, February 12.
Town: Burrows, Munton, Moore, Boddy, Parsons, Lewis, Asplin, Wiles, Chambers, Price (Boulton), Carty (Bridge)
Attendance: 231
