JADE Ferron’s late equaliser secured a point for Redditch United away at Hednesford Town as the Reds twice came from behind to take a share of the spoils.
The home side were first pegged back by Dan Sweeney’s second-half penalty before Ferron snatched a point for the Reds on 83 minutes after Reds keeper Kieran Boucher had saved a penalty minutes earlier.
Redditch trailed in both halves through goals from Andre Brown and Todd Parker but showed resilience to claim a point against their promotion-chasing opponents.
The result means Redditch are now 11th in the Southern League Premier Central table having taken 13 points from their 12 matches.
Reds manager Matt Clarke was left frustrated after his side missed a host of chances which would have secured their first league win in over a month.
Clarke said: “It was frustrating – I would have taken a point before the game – we’ve got to work harder and the penny has to drop.
“The bottom line is, if you don’t stop crosses coming into the box you’ll get punished, it’s the difference between getting a point or getting all three.
“All in all, a point away from home at Hednesford is a good point.”
After a slow start to preceedings, the game burst into life when Luke Cox failed to trouble the Hednesford goal with his header – a miss which would prove costly.
The hosts countered quickly and took the lead on 27 minutes when Brown finished at the near post from Shaquille Master’s whipped cross from the left.
However, the Reds responded well to going behind and should have levelled when Tiago Nassuncolo and Sweeney played a one-two before the latter chipped the ball wide of the post when one-on-one with Hednesford keeper Jonathan Brown.
Redditch had another opportunity to equalise when Tiago beat his man before his low ball into the box deflected off Callum Mendez-Jones and forced Brown into a fine reaction save.
The Reds picked up where they left off in the second-half and found a much-deserved leveller on 50 minutes when Sweeney coolly converted from the penalty spot after Tiago was brought down in the box.
The chances continued to fall the visitors way when Curtis Hutson’s free-kick towards the back post was headed back across goal by Asa Charlton only for Cox to fire over.
Redditch were made to pay for those missed chances when Hednesford retook the lead on 69 minutes after the Reds failed to clear lines which allowed Parker to drive the ball home into the left corner from 20-yards out.
The Pitmen were then awarded a penalty in the 75th minute after Luke Rowe was deemed to have committed a foul in the box.
However, Reds goalkeeper Boucher made a superb save diving to his left to deny Andre Landell from the spot and keep Redditch in the contest.
And that would prove to be the catalyst for their second equaliser when Rowe found Ferron in space who slotted between the legs of Brown with seven minutes left to play following a clinical counter attack.
Neither side could force a winner in the remaining minutes which extends the Reds winless run to six matches having drawn their last three league games.
Redditch are next in action against Nuneaton Borough on Saturday, October 23 with kick-off at 3pm at the Trico Stadium.
