Knowle Held by Birstall But Remain At Summit

George Revell reports as the spoils are shared after a crazy second half…

Knowle picked up another valuable point in their quest for the league title as they drew 1-1 with play-off chasers Birstall United at the Draintech Community Stadium on Easter Saturday.

Hayden Purves’ second-half spot-kick was cancelled out by a superb free-kick from Birstall substitute Ryan Seal late on, but that wasn’t all the drama the game had to offer.

Referee Josh East eventually rescinded Sam Burton’s red card after a four-minute stoppage before Purves’ penalty in a crazy second half which included George Seeley donning Knowle’s pink goalkeeper shirt for over half-an-hour following an injury to starting shot-stopper Matt Horton.

Conditions meant it was never going to be an match for the football purists. Plenty of head tennis was played in an opening 15 minutes where Knowle matched Birstall’s direct approach in the blustery wind, but real chances were few and far between.

The game’s first shot on target was straight at Horton, but still a powerful effort that he had to make sure didn’t spill to the feet of any onrushing attackers.

Josh Crossley collected a bouncing ball 16 yards from goal before setting himself and unleashing a lethal strike, which Horton neatly guided out of harm’s way for Jack Duggan to hoof clear.

Toby Scott left visiting goalkeeper Charlie Doherty sprawling in the 26th minute, almost curling into the top-right corner with what would have been a peach of a goal after meeting Purves’ deep right-wing cross following a prolonged period of Knowle possession in the final third.

Birstall came almightily close themselves just 90 seconds later. Andres Articolo headed Billy Tebbatt’s deep corner back across the face of goal, before Owen Dewing crashed a header of his own into the angle of the right-hand post and crossbar.

Talib Copeland’s left-wing cut-back just evading Odane Barnes was the best moment of the closing stages of a first half that was largely dominated by the weather. Both sides battled away but went in goalless at half-time.

Copeland came within inches of opening the scoring immediately after the restart, beating Doherty with a cross-shot, but the ball whistled just past the right-hand post.

Seeley courageously volunteered himself to swap his red shirt for Horton’s pink one when the goalkeeper trudged off the pitch under the supervision of Club Physio Tom Hodson shortly after the hour. MD Shimul was summoned from the bench to replace Horton, taking Seeley’s place at the front of midfield.

Copeland came close once more with 21 minutes to play. The Robins’ top scorer headed Purves’ right-wing free-kick just wide from eight yards after Dom Watts had floored Connor Mort with a late lunge.

Then the chaos began. Burton was shown a red card and sent inside after tripping up Shimul in the box following Purves’ quick throw-in. However, after immersing himself in deep discussion with his far-side linesman regarding the laws of the game, referee East downgraded Burton’s punishment to a yellow card. Not something you see every day at this level.

No matter the number of Birstall players that would remain on the pitch, whether it be 10 or 11, Purves still had a penalty to take - and he emphatically fired home his 13th goal of the season to give Knowle the lead after four minutes of waiting.

Birstall were buoyed by their reprieve of Burton remaining on the pitch and looked more likely to score the next goal. Ordinarily, Burton almost drew them level in the 87th minute - but his header drifted just wide of the right-hand post.

And they found an equaliser in spectacular fashion with seconds of normal time to play. Seal, Birstall’s leading goal-scorer, whipped a wonderful free-kick into the top-left corner from 25 yards that not even Seeley’s gibbon-like arms could reach.

Birstall threw away a huge chance to win it in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Aidan Neal blazed over the bar following Karl Nkumba’s left-wing cut-back, and that was that - the spoils were shared.

Second-placed Gornal Athletic beat Nuneaton Griff 5-0 at the same time, but Knowle are still top on goal difference, have two games in hand and travel to Smethwick Rangers ahead of their crunch clash with the Peacocks at Garden Walk on Thursday night.