Halliday header leaves Dursley without a win (From Gazette Series)

Halliday header leaves Dursley without a win

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two Charfield 1 Dursley Town 1

JAMIE HALLIDAY'S 73rd minute equaliser allowed Charfield to claim a point from an all-action match.

The game was frantic and lacking in finesse but both teams made it an exciting spectacle and a draw was probably a fair result.

Dursley almost took a second minute lead when a long left-wing throw was flicked right across the face of goal.

Four minutes later the home side spurned a great chance to go ahead when John Lang flicked on a long ball for Alex May but the forward drove his shot wide of Town debutant Gavin Dean's right-hand post.

May then sliced a volley wide from a corner and, after spinning superbly on the edge of the box from an incisive Tyson Murray pass, again drove wide of the post.

Thereafter Dursley enjoyed the better of the game as Rich Gillingham tested Craig Luker from 30 yards, while Luker also had to tip over a looping header from Anthony Woodward.

Their pressure eventually told in the second minute of added on time when Charfield left-back Terry Cooper allowed Anthony Nash to dispossess him as he tried to let the ball run out and Nash centred to give Anthony Woodward the easiest of finishes.

Town player-manager Martin Booth went close with two 20-yard shots early in the second half before Luker turned an Ian Beevor header over the bar.

From the corner the visitors wasted one of the best chances of the match as Luker could only palm the ball to Beevor who headed back across goal for Wayne Hill to head over from no more than two yards. Dursley then survived a scare on the hour when Gillingham somehow cleared a header from a corner over his own bar.

However, there was no let off for the visitors 17 minutes from time.

Murray found Kris Lee on the left and his through ball allowed Lang to beat the onrushing Dean to the ball and cross for Halliday to head home despite an attempt by Gillingham to handle the ball.

The last ten minutes were all Charfield's. Sam Deacon turned a Lee cross against the post but was offside, May crossed poorly when well placed and then blasted a Halliday corner over the bar from the edge of the box.

Lee then released Halliday on the right edge of the penalty area but the referee blew for full-time before they could threaten the goal again.

Charfield: C Luker, P Ashpole, T Cooper, J Williams, S Spill, J Halliday, S Deacon (J Rigg 85), T Murray, K Lee, J Lang, A May. Unused subs: T Brockwell, S Willey. Goal: Halliday (73).

Dursley: G Dean, T Woodward, R Gillingham, S Phillips, R Crowcombe, M Booth, L Thomas, W Hill, A Nash (N Hart 79), I Beevor, A Woodward (B Nicholl 72). Unused sub: C Wilkins. Goal: A Woodward (45).