Boston Town 2-2 Coleshill Town
There was a real sense of frustration and pride in equal measure as Coleshill Town returned from Lincolnshire with a hard-earned point after an entertaining 2-2 draw against Boston Town.
The Colemen never really got going during a below-par first half and found themselves second best for long spells. But whatever was said in the dressing room at the break had the desired effect, as Harry Harris' side emerged with renewed purpose and looked a completely different team after the restart.
"The first half wasn't our best performance, but we came out in the second half and had a right good go," reflected Harris after the final whistle.
The turnaround was sparked by Charlie Manners, who once again proved his importance to the side. Just before the hour mark, the forward gave Coleshill the lead with an excellent finish from a cleverly-worked free kick. It looked straight off the training ground, but Harris revealed it was more about quick thinking and awareness than meticulous planning.
Unfortunately, The Colemen barely had time to celebrate. Moments later Boston were awarded a penalty and took advantage from the spot to level matters.
Manners then responded in the best possible fashion.
Picking the ball up deep inside his own half, he drove forward some 40 yards before producing a composed finish to restore Coleshill's lead and send the travelling supporters into raptures. It was a goal that deserved to be the winner and capped a tremendous individual display.
Sadly, football can be cruel.
A break in play disrupted Coleshill's momentum and, from the restart, Boston caught The Colemen cold. The throw-in exposed the visitors and the hosts capitalised to make it 2-2.
Despite surrendering the lead for a second time, there was plenty to admire about the character shown by a squad currently stretched by injuries and still integrating a number of new arrivals."We'll take the point," said Harris. "Considering the state of our injuries and the new players we've brought in not knowing how we play, they may not have performed well today, but their attitude and desire was top draw."
The manager remains convinced that Coleshill's fortunes will improve once he is finally able to call upon a settled side.
"I believe I've got one of the best squads in the league, but with the injuries we've just not been able to get our best eleven out consistently. Once we can, we'll get a few results together and our league position will change."
The attention now turns quickly to Monday's home game against Belper, another stern test for The Colemen.
"Belper will be another tough test. They haven't played today, so they're going to be more rested than us."
On a day when Coleshill could easily have left with all three points, there was still plenty of encouragement to take home. With key players sidelined and new faces finding their feet, the resilience shown in the second half and Charlie Manners' match-winning quality offered further proof that there is plenty more to come from this Colemen side. 🔵⚪