Points are shared at Hind Heath Road as Sandbach are held to a 1-1 draw against Alsager Town.
Reece Davies’ late equaliser dramatically ruled out Ben Greenops’ early strike in the 7th minute.
Following the 5-1 loss to Abbey Hulton, ninth placed Sandbach United were hoping to gain three points against local rivals, Alsager Town.
Top scorers Ben Greenop and Joseph Bevan started up front for the hosts, with a centre half pairing of James Askey and captain Jordan Stafford.
Sandbach started the game well, with multiple early chances and dominant possession, In the 7th minute, Greenop took the lead for the Ramblers. Ben Greenop and Lewis Carr played an intelligent one-two to get in behind the defence, before Greenop hit it home to put Bach in front.
High intensity play during the first half brought more chances on goal for Sandbach, including a Niall Cope free kick which was saved by Arran Lyons.
Towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, the visitors began to get into the closely contested game with good possession, however they could not seem to break Sandbach down.
In the 58th minute, Bach were denied a 2-0 lead as James Askeys header was dismissed by Lyons, who pulled off an excellent save to reject another Sandbach goal.
Throughout the second half, Alsager continued to push for an equalising goal, with several opportunities to score. In the 76th minute, Junior Brown’s forceful low driven strike dragged wide.
However, only six minutes later, Alsager Town equalised. Spinelli won back possession well before releasing the ball to Davies. Reece Davies did not fail to hit the target from close range, to make the scoreline 1-1.
Moments later, Alsager received a red card as Phillips stopped a Sandbach United counterattack.
Down to ten men, the bullets almost conceded in the 88th minute after a Lyons save fell to the feet of Sandbach. The rebounded shot hit the post and went out of play.
In the final stages of the game, both sides were pushing for a winning goal, including an on-target 90+2nd minute header from Bevan, which was blocked by the Alsager keeper.
The Ramblers were unlucky to not score at the end of the game and worked effectively to control the match during the first half. Alsager Town did well to get back into the game and score a late equaliser to snatch a point away from home.
Sandbach United are up against 10th placed Market Drayton Town next Saturday. Bach will be eager to get back to winning ways and pick up three points at Hind Heath Road.
Match Sponsor: Winding River Distillery
Attendance: 261