Our eight-game unbeaten run came to a disappointing end on Tuesday night as an extraordinary opening goal proved enough to give Parkgate all three points at the Rotherham Hospice Community Stadium.
The Badgers arrived in good form, while the hosts had endured a difficult start to the campaign and sat second from bottom. There were plenty of familiar faces on both sides. Former Badger Josh Nodder started for the Steelmen, while Retford’s squad included several former Parkgate players, including ex-captain Dom Hart, Conner Williamson and Joe Lumley.
United could hardly have made a worse start. With just nine seconds on the clock, a mistake at the back was punished by the hosts, who took an incredibly early 1-0 lead before the game had even had chance to settle. The Badgers needed a reaction and, in terms of possession, they got one. United began to dominate the ball, with Parkgate dropping deep and looking to frustrate their visitors.
However, the attacking fluidity that had been so impressive at the weekend was missing. Despite seeing plenty of the ball, clear-cut chances were difficult to come by, with the final pass or decision often letting the Badgers down.
Freddie Trueman provided one of the biggest threats during the opening 45 minutes, repeatedly beating his man down the right and causing problems for the Parkgate defence. One effort from the winger also flashed narrowly wide.
Lewis Chambers went close twice as the Badgers searched for a way back into the contest. On 35 minutes, he reacted to a Brandon Kane effort but saw his follow-up saved. Four minutes later, an excellent delivery from Alans Voskresenskis found Chambers, but his header went over.
It was proving to be a frustrating evening, with a number of challenges going unpunished before the referee eventually reached for his cards following a confrontation involving Williamson and Parkgate’s number 17.
The second half followed a similar pattern. We continued to push forward and search for an equaliser, but chances went begging and poor decision-making in the final third prevented the Badgers from making their possession count. Ryan Hindley rolled the dice from the bench as United looked for a way through, but nothing seemed to fall right.
Parkgate, meanwhile, deserve credit for the way they protected their advantage. The hosts worked tirelessly, putting bodies on the line and repeatedly clearing their lines as the Badgers continued to apply pressure. The equaliser never arrived. Incredibly, the goal scored just nine seconds into the contest proved to be the winner as Parkgate held on for a 1-0 victory and brought United’s eight-game unbeaten run to an end.
A frustrating night and one to forget for the Badgers, who will now look for an immediate response when Thackley visit Cannon Park on Saturday.
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