Hednesford Town rue missed chances ahead of long trip for replay

The Pitmen will travel to Gateshead tomorrow evening for a fourth qualifying round replay after a 1-1 draw between the sides on Saturday.

Live on the BBC, and in front of 2,669 supporters at Keys Park, Hednesford’s Rob Stevenson cancelled out Tyrelle Newton’s opener for the Tynesiders as the Pitmen looked to progress into the first round of the cup for the first time in 11 years.

Pitmen boss King believed his side should have come away with victory after several missed chances throughout the 90, in particular during the first-half when Daniel Trickett-Smith squandered an open-goal opportunity.

Asked if his players will rue their chances, King said: “They will when they sit down and think about it. Trickett-Smith with the open goal, literally an open goal, there was nobody in it.

“With things like that, you’ve got to keep your composure in those moments. Take nothing away from our lads they gave it their everything, they all hit eight’s and nine’s out of ten.

“They tried even if they weren’t having a great game, they were trying. There will be a lot of tired legs.

“I think we would’ve got clapped off even if we lost the game because the fans knew we gave everything we had.

“I’m so glad that we scored, it was a great finish as well. But we’ve got to go again on Tuesday.”

The Hednesford boss said his team “should’ve won it”, but said he was “proud” of his team’s performance.

Members of Hednesford’s famous 1996/97 side that reached the fourth round of the competition, visiting Middlesbrough, were in attendance as fans reminisced and viewed memorabilia before the game, and quite likely dreamt of another successful FA Cup run.

Just last year, the Pitmen were rescued from extinction before relying on a reprieve to remain at step four non-league football this season. However, under new direction, it’s evident that the club has risen from their ruins. The Pitmen enjoyed several openings during a sumptuous first-half as Trickett-Smith posed a threat to Gateshead’s goal alongside later goal scorer Stevenson.

Joel Taylor also found himself free and in acres of space approaching half-time, but could not produce the goods in front of goal and Hednesford were grateful for their shot-stopper Jack Rose who denied Owen Oseni’s header at close-range.

The National League side - under interim manager Ben Clarke - showed quality through their sequences and began the second period strong, penning Hednesford into their own half.

Newton broke the deadlock in the 64th-minute, latching onto Oseni’s through pass and stabbing past Rose.

However, the visitors’ lead did not last long. Their inability to clear presented Simone Maye with a shooting opportunity, but his effort turned into a fine pass for Stevenson who was perfectly positioned to pick up the pieces and level the tie.

The home fans raised the noise, and the comeback was nearly complete as the Hednesford frontman’s deflected effort agonisingly struck the bar.

But, in the end, it was the closest either side came to claiming victory, and Hednesford will make the lengthy trip to Gateshead to do it all again.