Chasetown FC’s final league game before their FA Trophy “big one” saw them secure a 2-2 draw at Hucknall Town.
The Scholars came from behind to neutralise Tris Whitman’s early strike including a first goal for the club for loanee Steve Abbott, but Yellows substitute Danwell Francis rescued a point with nine minutes to go.
In muddy conditions the home side began brightly and took the lead after just seven minutes. A cross from the left evaded the returning Chris Peel and Whitman drew stand-in captain Ryan Price out of his area to send a neat shot past the keeper’s outstretched hand and just inside the post.
After Dean Perrow’s first attack of the evening saw his shot fly over the bar, the equaliser came on 18 minutes when a Peel free kick bounced around in the area and Abbott was on hand to force it over the line for his maiden Scholars goal.
The side displayed some fine positive play with Perrow again going close after a one-two with Richard Davies while Peel was also in determined form, another free kick shaving the top of Ross Whalin’s crossbar.
Hucknall could barely create chances following the equaliser although substitute Josh Burge – introduced on the half hour in place of the injured Dean Gent – forced Price into an acrobatic save on the stroke of half time.
Perrow’s great form continued in the second half but he seemed fated not to score, hitting the side netting on 50 minutes before fluffing a shot following a fine cross from Gary Hay just after Abbott had again gone close.
The former Wrexham man was in fine form and Whalin parried away another hammer shot on the hour mark, and a Scholars free kick was then cleared off the line by Joe Pheasant. The Yellows were again struggling to find a breakthrough, Whitman’s cross in the 70th minute cleared by Chris Slater.
The Scholars had threatened to score throughout the half and finally did from the penalty spot on 74 minutes. Peel was tripped in the area by Whitman and Perrow stepped up to smash home his second spot-kick in three matches and put the visitors ahead.
Welcome Chasetown returnee Lee Parsons nearly added a third minutes later but Whalin was equal to his shot with a good dive and Hucknall were able to scramble the ball clear.
The Yellows fought hard after the Scholars took the lead and on 81 minutes a through ball from Burge found Francis who beat the offside trap to slide the ball past Price and draw his side level.
The hosts could have snatched a winner in stoppage time but Price got down low to save an Anthony Griffiths shot, and the Scholars were left to look back on a lively performance where they had enjoyed the upper hand for the majority of the 90 minutes.
Hucknall Town: Whalin, F Smith, Jepson, Pheasant, Ball (c), Gent, Lloyd, Chambers, Graham, Whitman, Griffiths Jnr. Subs: Gill, Brindley (Ball 46), Burge (Gent 31), Francis (Lloyd 69).
Chasetown: Price (c), Turner, Peel, Slater, Davies, Cohen, Abbott, Parsons, Hay, Perrow, Jevons. Subs: Bridgewater, D Smith (Hay 65), M Branch (Peel 87), Ryan, Hulin.