By Match report: Clee Town play out draw with North Shields
Cleethorpes Town were held to a draw at home to North Shields in the league on Saturday afternoon.
An early goal from on-loan Grimsby Town forward Edwin Essel wasn’t enough for the Owls, as the visitors grabbed a late equaliser to ensure it ended 1-1 at the Myenergi Stadium.
The hosts will have been disappointed to not have claimed all three points, having dominated the ball and created the better chances.
The quick turnaround following Thursday night’s draw at local rivals Grimsby Borough led to Clee making five changes, with Sam Topliss, Leon Dawson, Ben Richards, Will Annan and Harvey Tomlinson all coming into the starting lineup.
After a wet week in North East Lincolnshire, the pitch had been dried out by the delightful April sunshine come kick-off.
The Owls were handed a huge boost early on, as Essel fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net after being put through on goal.
Clee continued to dominate proceedings and would have been disappointed not to have doubled the advantage to make it an uphill battle for the visitors.
Tomlinson and Curtis Bateson were combining well, but some resolute defending by the Robins kept the dangerous pair at bay.
Bateson nearly grabbed a superb second for his side in the 34th minute. After bringing a lofted ball down, the forward cut inside and agonisingly poked his effort inches over the bar.
In Shields’ most promising bit of play in the first half, captain Paul Walker made a vital intervention to ensure his team headed into the break with the lead still intact.
Dan Gallimore, who has impressed during his loan spell from Scunthorpe United, hit the crossbar for the hosts in the 49th minute with a ferocious drive.
Following that lucky break, Shields battled hard and started to grow into the game, with James McKeown doing expertly to deny Cameron Cunningham from levelling things up.
Tomlinson and Alex Flett both went close to making the points safe for the Owls before the Tynesiders grabbed a late equaliser. Rio Joisce skillfully found Cunningham and he slotted the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box to ensure the points were shared.
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