AFC Telford 1 Droylsden 1 - match report

Andy Sinton will be in danger of sounding like a stuck record if his side continues to put in performances like this.

Countless times he has faced the media after matches and be-moaned a lack of a killer instinct in his promotion-chasing line-up.

Sometimes AFC Telford United have still had enough about them to pick up all three points, even when they have been guilty of wastefulness.

Last night though, they were made to pay for an avalanche of misses as Droylsden pulled off a late smash-and-grab to rescue a draw.

Striker Andy Brown was the chief culprit, spurning a hat-trick's worth of clear opportunities to put the game out of reach of the visitors.

That he did not deliver - and he was far from the only one - was doubly frustrating on a night when league leaders Nuneaton and play-off chasers Guiseley both lost at home.

Instead, it was Alfreton who capitalised with a 4-0 demolition of Gloucester to climb above the Bucks.

All the talk before the game was of the officials, with Sian Massey - who made national headlines for reasons completely out of her control - taking charge of the game.

Massey has maintained a quiet dignity ever since the furore sparked by the distinctly out-dated sexist views of erstwhile Sky duo Richard Keys and Andy Gray.

And she let her competence do the talking for her again in Shropshire last night, in a night of few on-field flashpoints.

Massey's first big contribution was to signal for a goal after just nine minutes when Phil Trainer was allowed the freedom of the Droylsden box to head in off a Greg Mills corner.

With the Bucks picking up where they had left off against Alfreton a week earlier, it seemed the floodgates might have been opened.

But Mills was guilty of going for glory too many times when a simple pass would have presented a better chance.

Gift-wrapped

Jon Adams also forced the Bloods' keeper Paul Phillips into a smart save as the visitors somehow stayed in touch at the break.

Brown's torment started just short of the hour as he lashed over from close range after good work on the left from Mills.

He then headed wide off another Mills cross moments later with the goal apparently at his mercy and, almost instantly, intercepted a poor backpass, only to find Phillips blocking his path.

The former Nuneaton man was not finished, forcing another terrific save out of Philips after Will Salmon had seen an effort blocked.

Phillips was certainly earning his money and denied Sean Newton moments later before blocking Brown's follow-up.

Brown must already have wondered how he was not on the scoresheet but saved the 'best' for last as he somehow contrived to turn Adam Proudlock's gift-wrapped square ball over the bar from point blank range on 79 minutes.

Having survived such an onslaught, there was a terrible inevitability about Droylsden's equaliser.

It came eight minutes from time as Lewis Killeen was given space to run across the box and pick out sub David McNiven, whose crisp first time shot beat loan keeper Aaron McCarey at his near post.

Telford must have felt they had robbed but they only had themselves to blame.

By CHRIS HUDSON