Eastwood Community 1-2 Blidworth Welfare

Eastwood new boy Jerome O'Conner put the home side ahead in a slow burner that only really woke up in the last twenty or so minutes.

Both teams were having their fair share of chances and it didn't take long before Lee Easom found a way to bring the scores level.

The win was there for the taking in an exciting final fifteen with end to end football, it took until the very last minute for the visitors to hit the back of the net a second time and snatch the three points.

Home fans were delighted to hear that local figure Gary Breach was in the starting eleven after a long period out and couldn't wait to see how he'd get on, adding to the buzz around the stadium before the game.

That buzz soon became a stale drone, with the game taking a while to warm up. Jake Danby had the first chance from a well struck free-kick that the Blidworth keeper parried wide.

Blidworth had their first opportunity when a speculative effort from far out was collected by Andy Fretwell.

There was little action in either team's penalty area, until some neat build up play saw Blidworth appealing for a penalty. The referee was unmoved and Blidworth failed to make a following chance on goal count.

It was going to take something spectacular to separate the teams and that was exactly what David Worger was thinking when he tried a bicycle kick, what he wasn't thinking however, is that it would fly over the crossbar.

Eastwood had the best chance of the game when Matt Clowes played through Jerome O'Conner and gave him an opportunity to net on his debut, but the keeper saw out the danger.

A draw was perhaps a fair reflection on the game at half time and there was very little between the two teams.

Blidworth grew into the game in the beginning third of the second half with a wasted one on one opportunity and a shot that was sliced wide soon after.

Again the game turned rather stale for the following ten minutes, until a quick break turned it on it's head. Eastwood were able to utilise the pace of O'Conner and he coolly rounded the keeper to put Wood a goal up. The striker has been in white hot form at his previous club and will hope to continue it at Coronation Park.

It took the visitors just four minutes to reply, Lee Easom chipped a delightful lob into the back of the net to put things all square.

With the scoring being opened for both teams, they went all out for the win in an exciting final twenty minutes. Possession was very end to end but neither team could find that bit of quality to match their tidy passing.

With 95 minutes on the clock, Blidworth struck a dagger into Eastwood fan's hearts, or more precisely, a header.

Brett Watson rose high in the area and nodded a powerful header home.

Wood frantically launched a final attack but time wouldn't allow for another chance and the referee blew his whistle.

In a game that could have gone either way, Blidworth consigned Eastwood to their second straight defeat.