Lancaster City 1 Stafford Rangers 1 - Report
Stafford Rangers extended their unbeaten run to six games as a 90th-minute penalty earned them a draw at Lancaster City.
Craig Carney opened the scoring in the 52nd minute after a dire opening 45, and Boro struggled to find a response until substitute Osebi Abadaki was brought down and Robert Thompson-Brown scored from the spot.
Manager Neil Kitching said: “I’m pleased we got a point and I think we deserved it.
“It wasn’t a great spectacle, we weren’t brilliant, but five or six weeks ago we would have lost that.”
A forgettable first half produced few chances, and Rangers had the majority of them in a flurry just before the break. First Levi Reid's tame shot was blocked, before Massiah McDonald hit the post and Kieren Westwood fired the rebound wide.
But the Blues started the second half much, much better, fashioning three chances in as many minutes. Carney tested Adam Whitehouse with a powerful drive, and Ricky Mercer was also kept out by the Boro stopper.
And the hosts broke the deadlock when Sam Bailey fed Carney, and he fired into the far corner.
Josh Gregory and Charlie Bailey both hit efforts wide while Izak Reid volleyed a Tyrell Waite cross over, and Josh Craddock reached Jack Sherratt’s free-kick but headed off the underside of the bar.
But in the final minute, Abadaki fell under a challenge from Simon Wills, and Thompson-Brown made no mistake.
Teams
Lancaster: Wynne, Hudson, Dugdale, Wills, Steel, Mercer, S Bailey, Gregory (Akrigg 69), Simpson (Tam 90+1), Carney, C Bailey (Winder 77). Subs not used: Anson, Williams
Rangers: Whitehouse; Griffiths, Morris, Brown, K Westwood; Craddock, L Reid (Sherratt 69), Thompson-Brown; I Reid, McDonald (Abadaki 58), Perry (Waite 58). Subs not used: Vann, Chilcott
