Spennymoor Town 1 Gainsborough Trinity 1.

Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley said that Moors’ 1-1 draw against Gainsborough on Saturday was a “nearly” game.

This was Moors’ third consecutive 1-1 draw, after previously drawing with Darlington and Salford City, and they’re still nicely in fifth place, but they could so easily have picked up all three points.

“It was a nearly game as far as we were concerned,” he said.

“We nearly got the three points with a chance in the last minute; we nearly had another penalty in the second half for handball; Glen Taylor nearly scored but his header hit the bar.

“I think those incidents summed the game up. We weren’t at our best, and it just goes to prove that if you’re not 100 per cent at your game, then you get found out.

“I thought we had some good chances in the game, but Gainsborough always looked a threat. They were a much better team than they were when I saw them at Darlington earlier in the season, and the game was too open for our liking. They had just come off a good win in midweek, and it showed in their play.”

Moors gave themselves some work to do when skipper Joe Tait put a backpass into his own goal early in the game, and Ainsley said; “We have conceded three goals in our last three matches that could have been avoided. Shane Henry headed into his own goal against Salford, Dan Lowson made a mistake that cost a goal against Darlington, and now Joe’s error – and that’s not like us.

“But you have to give Joe plenty of credit, for having the character to take a penalty and score the equaliser.

“The result shows how high the standard is in this league, that even though Gainsborough are near the bottom, any team is capable of beating another.”

Moors went behind after 10 minutes, when Tait stroked the ball back too forcefully towards keeper Dan Lowson, but he put too much pace on the ball, which perfectly evaded the frantic keeper and ended up in the back of the net.

Moors didn’t really get going until midway through the half when they created a couple of half chances, and they equalised on 36 minutes when the lively David Foley was brought down in the area and a confident Tait buried the penalty past the keeper.

Gainsborough however, nearly went straight back in front with a header by Ashley Worsfold, while Glen Taylor just failed to head in a cross from Kallum Griffiths.

Taylor went even closer three minutes into the second half with a header that was cleared off the line, and then he headed against the bar from a Rob Ramshaw cross.

Both sides had chances to win the game in the dying minutes. Gainsborough nearly pinched the points when Bradley Wells got behind the defence, but Lowson pulled off a good save, then Taylor headed over from a few yards out off a Kallum Griffiths cross.

Lowson, Griffiths, Tait, Curtis, Chantler, Dixon, Chandler, Ramshaw, Johnson (sub Orrell 70), Foley (sub Fewster 62), Taylor.

Subs not used: Porter, Henry, Mason.

Attendance 746