AFC Rushden & Diamonds fought out a goalless draw with Romulus at the Dog & Duck on Tuesday evening.
With six players missing due to injury the Diamonds had to make a number of changes to the line-up, but were still able to dominate the game for a long period at the start of the second-half, with a combination of good defending and poor finishing denying the side only their second home win of the league season. At the other end Matt Finlay once again produced several saves to ensure the visitors did not take advantage of the chances they created.
With Sam Brown, Jack Ashton, Nic Evangelinos and Jon Stevenson added to the list of unavailable players, it was an unfamiliar Diamonds line-up that took to the field. Kyal McNulty moved across to left back, with Aidan Bradshaw recalled to right-back. Rory Winters replaced Jack Ashton at centre-back, and the reshuffle up-front saw Robbie Parsons switched to the left and Taylor Orosz on the right.
On a mild autumn evening the game started very slowly, and there was little to remember from the first 20 minutes, other than a chance that Tom Lorraine created for Taylor Orosz. Orosz chose to shoot rather than lay the ball to his left where Robbie Parsons had lost his marker, but the shot was mishit. Robbie Parsons was causing the visitors defence problems at times, and after 25 minutes he found Nabil Shariff who was able to find space in the area for a shot that was blocked, with the rebound falling to Orosz ten yards out, but a fine challenge prevented further danger.
The visitors always looked dangerous in the first period, and they forced a number of corners along with opportunities from the long throw of Jake Donnelly. Other Diamonds chances fell to Taylor Orosz whose effort was well saved by keeper Bills, Tom Lorraine whose backflick almost looped in off a defender and Nabil Shariff who had a great chance to head home a Richard Bunting cross, but could not find the necessary power or placement. The lively Orosz also saw a shot shave the crossbar, before an unfortunate slip marred an otherwise solid performance by Aidan Bradshaw, but Matt Finlay capped another busy first half performance with a fine save to keep the scores level at the break – a fair reflection of the first half.
Half Time: AFC Rushden & Diamonds 0 Romulus FC 0
The second period saw the Diamonds dominate for a long period at the start of the half. Whereas in the two recent games they had been forced into their shell by their opponents in the second period, they were able to keep up the pressure with the visitors having to commit a number of fouls to stop breaks from Parsons, Orosz or Lorraine, but again they were unable to convert their pressure into goals. A number of good chances were squandered, and chances to deliver dangerous balls into the box from corners and free-kicks were rather wasted. Keeper Bills saved well from Tom Lorraine and a three-on-three break saw a rather hesitant front-line allow covering defenders time to snuff out the opportunity.
The Diamonds dominance during the third quarter meant that Andy Peaks made changes up front in the last quarter, but neither Newman or Wreh were able to offer an additional threat up front, and Wreh was guilty of losing possession towards the centre circle allowing Romulus a chance to rebuild their attacking momentum.
Rory Winters was having a fine game for his full league debut, but he appeared to tire in the final quarter which meant he made a couple of mistakes that were well covered by his fellow defenders, especially the ever impressive Liam Dolman and the hard-working Kyal McNulty who adjusted well to his new role. Once again Matt Finlay was able to produce important saves when it mattered and he certainly deserved to keep a clean sheet.
The game ended after a surprisingly long period of added time with the visitors clearly happy with their point.
Full Time: AFC Rushden & Diamonds 0 Romulus FC 0
Attendance: 305
AFC Rushden & Diamonds | Romulus FC |
17. Matt Finlay 2. Aidan Bradshaw 2. Kyal McNulty 4. Rory Winters 5. Liam Dolman 6. Brad Harris 7. Taylor Orosz 8. Robbie Parsons 9. Tom Lorraine 10. Nabil Shariff 11. Richard Bunting (Capt) Subs 12. Jordan Holmes 13. Joe Haynes 14. Jake Newman (for Shariff 73) 15. Lewis Jackson 16. Chris Wreh (for Parsons 79) | 1. Rhys Bills 2. Ricardo Dudley 3. Mark Branch (Capt) 4. Cameron Lee 5. Ricky Hill 6. Hedilberto Vilela-Santos 7. Chad Degville-Cross 8. Andrew Westwood 9. Nathaniel Waite 10. Yohan Rutty-Smith 11. Jake Donnelly Subs 12. Ben Walsh 13. Dexter Walters 14. Mark Danks 15. Jourdain Masidi 16. Liam Hailey (for Vilela-Santos 78) |
Goals: None | Goals: None |
Yellow Card: McNulty | Yellow Cards: Lee, Dudley |
Red Cards: | Red Cards: |
Referee: Paul Buck Assistant Referees: Mark Thomas, Michael McGill |
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