Town travelled to Nuneaton focussed on exorcising the ghosts of the 0-6 humiliation in the reverse fixture back at the start of October and anyone in attendance would agree the performance at least went some way to doing so. Joe Morris suffered a flair up of the dislocated thumb injury during training on Thursday evening so u18's GK and 1st team no.2 Tom Horsley was drafted in looking to build on the impressive display from Tuesdays friendly with Seek Hunters. Chris Anderson and Henry Smith made their league debuts as two thirds of a back three alongside the ever improving Matt Dudley and Josh Wilson also made his league debut in the heart of the midfield. Directly from the kick off the hosts launched the ball forwards and some indecision from Tom Horsley resulted in a corner that was dealt with to settle things down a little. Horsley was alert and needed to be in the 10th minute racing to the edge of his box and smothering the ball bravely at the feet of an onrushing Griff attacker. The 35 minute mark saw Town with a good opportunity to break the deadlock with a free kick from circa 23 yards. Nathan Scott drove the ball low under the jumping wall but Joe Salisbury in the home goal was equal to it. The sides went in level at the break with Town having had the lions share of possession and attempts at goal. Five minutes after the restart and Kyle Wainwright was in the right place to pounce and give The Reds the advantage. A marauding run from Henry Smith saw him dribble from the edge of his own box evading several attempts to prevent his advance into the heart of the Nuneaton penalty area. His shot rebounded off the nearside post and in the resultant scramble Wainwright poked the ball home. The lead was to last just three minutes however and the leveller came in somewhat controversial circumstances. A lovely in-swinging corner was delivered deep past the back post, Ben Wood pressured but couldn’t prevent the header back across goal into the mixer. A Town defender was first to it but the clearance smashed into the arm of the Griff player who managed to stab the ball home as it dropped to the floor. The Town players simultaneously and immediately appealed to the referee and assistant remonstrating the ball had been handled. The referee felt the ball had hit the Griff players thigh however the assistant who saw it hit the arm felt it wasn’t handball as the ball had been kicked against him.
The game restarted and the ascendancy was now with the hosts who had a five - ten minute spell of attacking play. The Town back three remained resolute and in the most part compact, shielded by the phenomenally hard working Ben Wood in the defensive midfield role. The winner came in the 71st minute and there was nothing controversial about this one. Another corner from the same side, again delivered sublimely was met by the untracked run of Reece Williams who headed home powerfully. The last 20 minutes was testimony to both sides. To the fight and character of the lads in red who did everything to try and have something to show for a very decent showing, particularly in open play but also to the staunch defending and determination to hang on to what they had from the Griff perspective. The final period of the contest was rather stop start as the experienced Griff players and management saw the game out to narrowly take the points. A much closer encounter than the reverse fixture but Town know they need to start accruing points if they are to climb into the relative safety of mid table during this season of rebuilding.
