Clipstone 2-2 Tadcaster Albion

Manager Billy Miller made just the one change to Tuesday nights victory over Bridlington Town with George Conway dropping to the substitutes bench to be replaced by Nick Black.

It was Taddy who had the first strike at goal after just four minutes as Adam Baker cut inside from the right and tried his luck but his effort sailed over.

However just two minutes later, Clipstone took the lead. The Cobras who have impressed in this early stage of the season accumulating 10 points in 5 games before today which is superb for a newly promoted side. The goal came from the right hand side as full-back Brad Jones floated a cross into the box which crept over Andy Milne's head and Henry Sibenge was quickest to react as he directed goal wards and ended up squeezing it past Gary Stevens in the Albion goal.

Credit has to go to the home side who played some terrific stuff in the first half causing Taddy problems and this was clearer as they doubled their lead in the 22nd minute giving the Brewers something to really think about. A free-kick from the left-hand side was originally cleared however it was then headed back over the Taddy defence where three black and white shirts were stood to tap home which Adam Somes did in the end scramble it home. The goal was a hugely controversial one as every Tad player appealed and presumed that the players were clearly offside, even the Clipstone players all looked around but the linesman did not give anything and the goal was given in bizarre circumstances.

Taddy were having to dig incredibly deep to get a foothold in the game however The Cobras were not relenting and came close ten minutes later as James Ashmore struck a bullet from 30 yards which Stevens impressively managed to palm away.

The Brewers were struggling to create any sort of chances as the home side were organised and composed at the back but Taddy did finally put a neat move together in the 36th minute as Josh Greening spreaded the play to Paddy Miller who curled one down the corridor which was nervously sliced up and over the crossbar by a Cobra defender.

Approaching half-time with the hosts two goals to the good up there was to be one big chance for both sides before the break. Firstly for Taddy as a Jordan Armstrong cross was headed only as far as Adam Baker who volleyed wildly over from close range. Three minutes later and the home side had a golden chance to put daylight between the two teams as a diagonal ball from Jones agonizingly floated over Armstrong's head and James Ashmore just had Stevens to beat from close range but a brilliant save by the Tad goalkeeper kept the Brewers in it.

[b]Half-Time: Clipstone 2-0 Tadcaster Albion[/b]

Tadcaster had to improve by a couple of gears if they were going to get anything from the match and from the start of the second half it was evident that this was going to happen.

Taddy came close to pulling one back just seven minutes into the half as a slip at left full-back by Jordan Hodder allowed Jordan Armstrong to nip in and exploit the gap left behind. The 21 year old then looked up and rolled a ball towards the six-yard box where Jimmy Beadle arrived and powerfully side-footed towards the target which squirmed under goalkeeper Steve Hernandez and out for a corner.

It was completely one-way traffic in the second half as The Brewers put in wave after wave of attacks and just three minutes later Tom Claisse came close as he saw a cross cleared out to him on the edge of the area but his impressive volley was well caught by Hernandez.

Some bad news interrupted The Brewers' increasing pressure however as midfield maestro Liam Ormsby pulled up with a torn hamstring and immediately signalled to the bench.

Tadcaster may have been dominating the match but with twenty minutes to go it was still 2-0 to The Cobras as Matt Heath glanced a header just wide from Greening's cross.

It was not to be 2-0 for much longer though as George Conway, who came on for the injured Liam Ormsby did it again didn't he. Paddy Miller's cross to the back post was brilliantly met by George Conway who caught it sweet as a nut as it smashed into the back of the net to give The Brewers hope.

Clipstone were dropping deeper and deeper inviting more and more pressure onto themselves and just moments later it really should have been a level game as Adam Baker's corner was met by a superb spin and free run by Beadle who stretched and poked just over the crossbar.

Jimmy Beadle was having a terrific game in midfield, I say midfield, he was everywhere to be honest with you, driving his side along, getting the fans going, the lot and he made another lung bursting run into the box in the 77th minute as Miller's cross found Beadle who glanced narrowly wide.

The Cobras were not interested in attacking in the second half, they were purely defending their lead and rightly so but Taddy had a huge penalty appeal waved away with time running out. Tom Claisse, who also had an impressive game in midfield, drifted a free-kick onto the penalty spot to which goalkeeper Hernandez came a long way off his line, missed the ball and clattered Beadle but nothing was awarded other than a goal kick.

The Brewers were getting incredibly closer by the minute and with two minutes left of normal time the taddy faithful did in fact think it was 2-2. Adam Baker lofted the ball high towards the back post towards Matt Heath who guided it into the mixer which then dropped to Tom Claisse who placed his shot just the wrong side of the post.

With a matter of seconds left until the full-time whistle a moment of magic saw Tadcaster Albion snatch a point. Josh Greening slowed everything down, brought the ball down with his chest 15 yards into the Clipstone half, advanced forward and took it past one black and white shirt, did a lovely step-over to fool and beat another black and white shirt to then smash an absolute rocket of a shot with his weaker right-foot into the back of the net, unstoppable.

Full-Time: Clipstone 2-2 Tadcaster Albion

Team: Stevens, Armstrong, Miller, Milne, Heath, Claisse, Baker, Ormsby (Conway 57), Black (Clayton 67), Beadle, Greening
Unused Subs: Wrigglesworth, Beestin & Woodhead