This was a game of two halves as Slade Green dominated the first, but Lordswood dominated the second and were two minutes away from a first away victory this season.

The Slade Green players had something to prove as their manager left midweek and they wanted to show the new man in control what they could do. In the 15th minute Sam May passed to Lee Barnett whose shot from inside the area was saved by Rowan Arnott in the Lordswood goal. In the 22nd minute Juan Ramirez slipped the ball through to Sam May who crossed for Barnett, whose shot went just past the post. Another chance came in the 26th minute when Lee Woodyard, on the back post, saw his stabbed shot saved by Arnott. Arnott came to the rescue again in the 28th minute with a superb save from Ramirez. Five minutes later and again Arnott was called into action, as Barnett in the area saw his weak shot saved. In the 39th minute Lordswood had their first chance when Dan Jeffries and Joel Melville both making their debut combined together and Melville saw his shot saved by Simpson. Two minutes later Melville was put through and he went round the keeper. Unfortunately he was forced wide, and from the by-line his pass inside for another player was cleared.

The second half saw Lordswood come out with purpose and in the 50th minute Melville in the area turned and saw his shot pushed over the bar by the keeper. Melville was now getting to be a pain for Green as in the 60th minute his shot from 15 yards was pushed around the post for a corner by the keeper. Two minutes later Mark Rothery received the ball 20 yards out and his curling shot was pushed onto the post by the keeper. Lordswood finally got the goal their dominance deserved in the 69th minute. Melville latched onto a through ball through the middle and slotted the ball past the keeper. In the 73rd minute a Kevin Skinner cross from the left sailed to the back post, only for Melville’s shot to be cleared off the line by Spingett. In the 80th minute it should have been game over as a ball into the area saw Dan Jeffries attack it with the keeper. The ball came out to Melville who had time to pick his spot from 12 yards, but his shot straight down the middle allowed the defender to clear off the line. With time ticking away Lordswood were getting closer to that first away win, but in the 88th minute a long hopeful ball forward saw it headed on into the area and Luke May beat Arnott to it and slotted in from an acute angle. In the very last minute Melville nearly got the winner when he cut in from the right and saw his shot parried away by the keeper. The final whistle went and the Lordswood players came off a little bit disappointed, but the positive slant is a point gained.