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POINTS SHARED AT HOME

The points were shared at the Ecologic Stadium Bloomfields although the home side arguably deserved all three, as relegation battles Needham Market and Radcliffe met for the second time.


Kevin Horlock's side were without Jake Watkiss, Josh Tomlinson, Kyle Hammond and Marcus Garnham, with debutant Josh Blunkell, Adam Mills, Reggie Lambe and Liam Cross starting.


Adam Mills saw an early free-kick dip into Mat Hewelt's chest after 4 minutes.


Sargent then however dragged a shot wide before Adam Mills' cross shot cannoned back into play off the post and was hacked clear on 42 minutes.


Mills meanwhile saw a thunderous shot beaten behind by Hewelt, before Dan Morphew saw a towering header held by the keeper on the stroke of half-time.


Needham then deservedly broke the deadlock on 49 minutes, Luke Ingram latched onto the ball inside the box before smartly finding the bottom far corner.


Eight minutes later though the visitors equalised after a shot was held by flying debutant Josh Blunkell before inadvertently spilling the ball out for Tom Walker to tap home.


Needham continued to have the better chances as Luke Ingram saw a ferocious half volleyed shot blocked, while Adam Mills' header at close range was held by Hewelt.


Needham then saw a shot denied by both keeper and post on 88 minutes as both sides had to settle for a draw.


Manager Kevin Horlock reflects on yesterday's draw.


DK: Good point, but it could have been three.


KH: It should have been. Yeah, I think it should have. I think anyone who's watched the game, but it's always a tight encounter in this division. Radcliffe, like ourselves, have come up into it, finding their feet. I just think we had to do it. We had chances. Milzy's hit the post first half where, on another day, someone follows that up. We've had a couple of headers, Dan late on, anywhere other than where it went would have gone in. So, yeah, and when you go a goal up, you kick yourself when you don't get three-points. So, as much as it's disappointing that we're not three, like I said to the lads, I think it was a good performance.

Again, on obviously a difficult pitch to play football on, I thought the lads give everything, and it's a point clawed back. To add to the total, we need three. There's no getting away from that, and I'm not papering over the cracks.

We need three points and wins, but it's difficult not to be too disappointed because it is a point, and we've not lost. So, we go on to the next one.


DK: The added challenge was the fact that we've got Hamo, Tomlinson, Watkiss, and obviously now Marco out.


KH: Yeah, it's not ideal. Obviously, Marco pulled up in the warm-up, but obviously Josh is here to be part of it and play games. He's good enough to start in his own right. So, obviously, he got a start. The goal, he'd probably be a little bit disappointed with, but it was a difficult height, and he's got hold of it, and just on impact on the floor, I think just come away from him, and they were there on hand to put it in, which it's disappointing the cross shouldn't come in that easy. You can question quite a lot of things in football, but I thought after that, we showed quite good resilience. We pushed forward. We created chances from set pieces. Like I said, Dan had a header that, on another day, that goes in, and we're sitting there with three, but it just wasn't to be, and that seems to be where we're at at the minute. Mistakes get punished with goals, and we seem a little bit unlucky at the other end. So, hopefully, if we keep working hard and keep believing in it, that will change, and hopefully, we'll start seeing three points instead of points.


DK: A well-taken goal though to give us the lead.


KH: Yeah, it was a good delivery into a good area, and Ingers' got contact on it, and it's gone in. Well, at that point, you think, come on, then, here we go. This is obviously a massive game today. It wasn't a must-win, but it would have benefited us, but in the same breath, it would benefit them. So, it was a game that neither of us wanted to lose, I suppose. So, maybe look at it, and everyone takes a point and it goes on to next week. They'll be the happier as a result.

Yeah, of course. They've travelled down, like I said, on a really heavy pitch. They've dug in. They've got a goal down. They've had us not take opportunities that, on another day, we should have. So, they've hung in the game and ended up getting a result, getting a point and taking it back with them. So, yeah, they'll be a lot more happy than us, but it's something for us to build on, and we've just got to be more consistent now.


DK: And next up, away at Alfreton, mid-table side, very physical. Is that what you're expecting?


KH: Yes, 100%. Obviously, we went there in the FA Trophy, and yeah, they're direct. We're going to have to be ready for a battle because they play long balls, throw-ins into the box from anywhere in our half. So, it's not going to be one of those games where it's free-flowing football, I doubt. We've got to go there ready to battle, and I think the lads have shown today they're prepared to do that. And when the chances come our way, can we take them?


Goalscorer Luke Ingram reflects on the draw at home to Radcliffe.


DK: Not the result we deserved or wanted, but a point nonetheless?


LI: Yeah, I think we could argue we deserved all three points, but unfortunately if you don't take your chances and you're always liable to come away with a draw or a loss, so this is what it is.


DK: A great finish from you to put us in the lead though?


LI: Yeah, sort of good crossing, saw it coming all the way and just sort of tried to pass it in the corner. I got rid of my old boots because they were like the most unlucky boots I've ever worn, so one game, one goal in the new ones.

Nothing to do with my performance, just the boots, mate. Yeah, but happy to get a goal, mate. I think it might even be my first one from open play, so very happy. I haven't contributed enough really. Like many others in the team, they probably could do with contributing more goals, so we're halfway through the season. We're in the second half of the season now, so hopefully that's a sign of what's to come in the second half of the season because we've got to start picking up wins if we want to stay in this league. I mean, confidence isn't rock bottom considering we're bottom of the league, but we've just got to kick on. We draw a lot of games, so you can tell how tight it is and how much we're in games, but I'd rather we'd won two and then lost one, so we've got to start picking up wins otherwise we're going to leave ourselves a lot to do. It's a much better league, much better quality, and the margins are just fine. The fine, fine margins, whereas last season we were keeping it tight, nil-nil, and we were nicking goals and they were going in off our arse, going in off our face. This year, we're hitting the post that's coming out, keepers saving it on the line. We're not getting the rub of the green, but at the end of the day, if you don't make your own luck, you can't look at anyone else.


DK: It must be very unfortunate though with how their goal ended up and most goals we've conceded this year.


LI: Yeah, it's hard because when we scored, I felt like we were going to win the game, but unfortunately, there's going to be mistakes, there's going to be ups and downs, that's just part of football. So, we've got to stick together and we've got to start scoring more and we've got to start trying to keep as many clean sheets as we can, that's all we can do. If we start scoring some more goals, more wins will come, more points.


DK: Next up, we go back to Alfreton again. You scored there last time, do you fancy another?

LI: Yeah, I think I fancy another one, but it's going to be a tough game, heavy pitch again, long trip, they're a very long ball side that make you defend balls in the box. So, we're going to have to stand up to that and then we've got to show a bit of quality to nick some goals because if we go there and we score one or don't score at all, we're not coming back with any points, you can guarantee that. So, looking forward to it, weeks training, get that done and then it's going forward.


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