TADCASTER Albion continued to deal with the ramifications of their previous red card frenzy against Campion with a 1-1 draw at Handsworth.
With three key players red carded at Campion, Mick O’Connell made several changes to the team with Jamie Tomlinson, Lewis Shillito and Dan Davy making their first appearances from the start.
Tadcaster opened positively with Tomlinson denied by both goalkeeper Dylan Parkin and the offside flag on two minutes.
Hayden Habetz was a whisker away from a poor back pass before seeing his effort from the box safely taken by Parkin.
In Handsworth’s first attack, Mitch Dunne charged in from the left but Sam Green was ready for the shot, whilst on six minutes Shillito put Habetz through in the box but Henry Carne was there first.
The Brewers took the lead on ten minutes; another back pass was cleared by Parkin but straight into the path, on a charge, to Habetz who blocked the clearance and watched the ball fly in off the far post. A real opportunist’s strike to make it 1-0.
Olly Norman found Steve Smith in space but the volley cleared the bar, whilst on 16 minutes the visitors were lucky not to have surrendered their lead as a curling corner sailed over the defence but was cleared off the line by Shillito.
Norman created havoc as he beat three defenders on a charge down the left flank but Shillito could not properly connect.
Play was held up at the midway stage of the half when Davy and a home defender both went down after a clash and although the Taddy man looked dazed, it was in fact, an ankle injury which ended his day, Sam Kitchen taking over.
Handsworth equalised soon after the restart of play when an Ambers attack resulted in a cross to the far post, where the unmarked Alfie Dodsworth was waiting to hammer the ball home beyond the stranded Green.
With ten minutes to go before the break, Kitchen had a chance with a low free kick following a trip on Shillito just outside the box, but it was straight to Parkin.
Sam Green starred for Tadcaster Albion whilst in goal against Handsworth. (Image: John Clothier) Handsworth were quickest out of the box as play resumed for the second-half, Dunne, cutting through the Albion defence but thankfully dragging his shot wide.
On 52 minutes Dunne put a powerful pass across the Tad six-yard line to striker Scott Ruthven, who had lost his defender but had slightly over run his approach, having to lean back to head the ball home and clearing the cross bar for his trouble – a let off for Tadcaster!
Green continued to dominate the goalmouth and produced an immaculate save on 73 minutes to tip a goal bound swerving effort from substitute Sam Fewkes onto the bar.
As the game entered its final phase the home side had several chances to steal the game: Fernando Tavares was so close for the hosts on 82 minutes, whilst they had another chance in the penultimate minute of normal time, but Alex Charlesworth threw himself at the ball to save the day. Substitute Jesse Omoregbee had a free header on but it hit the crossbar.
Olly Norman could have settled matters in added time but was fractionally wide whist Green was nothing less than superb as he parried a shot from the left before diving to clutch the subsequent shot.
Tadcaster are next in action on Tuesday when travelling away to Albion Sport (7.45 pm).
TADCASTER ALBION: Green, Smith, Charlesworth, Wilson, Knowles (Greenway), Ibrahimi, Norman, Davy (Kitchen), Shillito (Fraser Middleton-Tozer), Habetz (Cassius-Gill), Tomlinson (Owen)
