James Dwyer’s first goal for the club rescued a point for the Ro, after they had fallen behind against a Hednesford side who belied their lowly position in the league with a resolute performance.
Manager Alex Frost made three changes from the 1-0 defeat at Bootle on Tuesday. Louis Potts came straight into the side after his return to the club earlier in the week, with both Jamie Rother and Bebeto Gomes starting in midfield.
After Potts had narrowly failed to break the deadlock early on with a looping header, both sides struggled to create clear cut goalscoring opportunities, with much of the play condensed into the middle third of the pitch.
Just before the interval, Hednesford striker Demetri Brown was shown a second yellow card to hand the home side a numerical advantage. However, although they dominated the second half in terms of possession, it was the visitors who went in front when substitute Joseph Thompson intercepted a stray pass and rounded Shenton before sliding the ball into the unguarded net.
The hosts were soon back on level terms, when a lovely piece of skill from Dwyer out on the right was followed by an emphatic finish at the near post, with visiting keeper Ryan Brown expecting a cross. The onslaught resumed, but after Brown had denied Kane Wallwork and Ben Wharton in quick succession, he fumbled a Matty Crothers cross from the right in injury time.
The referee decided that Wharton’s challenge for the loose ball warranted a straight red card to even things up, and blew the final whistle moments later to end what was ultimately a disappointing afternoon for the Ro.
