Goals from Tawheed Ahmed and George Green couldn’t yield the desired result for Thackley, with the team being made to settle for a late 2-2 draw against Goole AFC at the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield.

There were welcome returns to the starting lineup for Brown and Mitchell after injury, but Parsons (unavailable) and Hudson (suspended) meant changes at the back with Gibbon and Morrisey taking the full back positions. George Green returned to the squad for the first time this season to take a spot on the bench.

The game started well for the Dennyboys, with Luke Rhodes and Antony Brown both coming close in the fourth and seventh minutes respectively, with the latter making it round Goole goalkeeper Thomas Crosby, only to have his cut back to Ahmed just cut out before the winger could arrive for a tap in at an empty net.

Ahmed’s first major contribution would come in the 18th minute when an effort from the winger forced an excellent save out of Crosby, whilst Finn Donovan would see a chipped effort immediately after go wide and out.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the visitors would take the lead in the 23rd minute when a fine lofted ball into the box was volleyed home by Kyle Austin, whose effort left Thackley goalkeeper Luke Wilson no chance as he watched it sail into the top left-hand corner.

However, the Dennyboys would equalise just a minute later when Donovan and Ahmed linked up for a move that saw the latter receive a squared ball across the box before he tucked it past Crosby and into the net with some power behind it in what was an ideal moment for the winger on his birthday.

Thackley would take greater control over the game from here and looked the more likely of the two teams to get the game’s next goal, but some good defending from the visitors would prevent another flurry of chances as the game approached half time, with a wide angled shot from Donovan that forced a good stop from Crosby in the 43rd minute being the last moment of note in the half.

The break would soon arrive with the game finely balanced between the two teams, though the Dennyboys were more than aware that however the second half turns out will have a big impact on the outcome of their season.

HALF-TIME: Thackley AFC 1 v 1 Goole AFC

The second half started in a similarly exciting manner to the first, with both sides immediately going for those big opportunities, a fact that almost paid off for Goole in the 51st minute after a good effort from Hayden Ward allowed for Wilson to make an excellent save to keep the game level.

It would be Wilson that would be the victim of the game’s next big moment however when after 62 minutes, the keeper beat Goole forward James Eyles in a race for the ball, but in the process, the goalkeeper handled the ball outside of the area, leading to the referee showing him a red card and giving the Dennyboys a sudden need for a makeshift goalkeeper, a task taken on by Matty Dempsey.

Following Wilson’s red card, Danny Forrest opted to make two substitutes for Thackley, with the returning Green being introduced alongside Slater Barnes in place of Brown and the goal scorer Ahmed.

Green would make an almost immediate impact upon his introduction, being involved in a number of chances and looking likely to get his name on the scoresheet.

This would come to pass in the 78th minute when after beating the offside trap, Green would get the better of his marker before scoring a left footed wondergoal into the bottom right-hand corner, leading to a memorable celebration from the scorer and scenes of joy all over the ground.

The Dennyboys then started their efforts to consolidate their advantage for the remainder of the game, with the ball being held in the corner for some moments whilst the team also produced some good defensive clearances.

This would all be in vain however when in the 89th minute, the ball would fall to Goole’s Shay Muirhead on the edge of the penalty area from a long throw, with the substitute wasting no time in volleying a powerful effort through a crowd of players and past Dempsey to save a point for the visitors at the end of an exciting game.

The referee’s whistle soon brought the game to an end after this goal, with the Dennyboys’ play-off hopes still alive but needing help from other teams, with the final game of the regular season against Barton Town next Saturday taking on even more meaning than it was expected to have.

FULL-TIME: Thackley AFC 2 v 2 Goole AFC

The result means that the play off fight will go to the final day, with plenty of permutations still possible. Albion Sports who are two points behind Thackley in 6th spot but with a game in hand, host Rossington Main for that game in hand on Monday 31 March at the Horsfall Community Stadium. The final day sees Beverley Town, who suffered a 4-0 reverse against Penistone Church and who are a point ahead of Thackley in 4th place travel to Tadcaster Albion, with Albion Sports away at Handsworth FC and the Dennyboys back at the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield against Barton Town.

It is sure to be an exciting final day and we hope you can join us to cheer on the lads for the final time in the regulation season, hoping for a day to remember.

Thackley AFC team: Wilson; Gibbon; Morrisey; Sugden (Tektas 90mins); Dempsey; Rhodes; Donovan; Mitchell; Brown (Green 68mins); Grech-Brooksbank© (Terrelonge-Jones 82mins); Ahmed (Barnes 67mins).
Unused Subs: Hamdosh.

Goole AFC team: Crosby; Austin; H.Ward; Henley; D.Ward; Durkin; Davies; Mollan; Simmonite; Eyles; McQuillin.
Subs: Coldwell; Hunt; Markwick; Muirhead.

Thackley AFC scorers: Ahmed (24mins); Green (78mins)

Handsworth FC scorers: Austin (23mins); Muirhead (89mins)

Man of the Match: Luke Rhodes

Attendance: 293