Ollerton Get First Draw Against FC Bolsover

After seven games last season, Ollerton Town were rock bottom of the Northern Counties East League Division One with no points. At the same milestone this time around, they find themselves in the top six with 13 points from 21 with the latest result being a 1-1 draw against promotion chasing FC Bolsover.
Ollerton came into the game on the back of two successive defeats so though they will be happy to have ended that run, they will be disappointed not have taken all three points as they had several good chances to win the game late on after Bolsover were reduced to ten men.
Both teams played their part in serving up an entertaining encounter. Gavin King and Josh Scully dragged efforts wide from range for Ollerton and Bolsover respectively before Scully saw a freekick blocked and Ollerton 'skipper Lewis Bingham fired a shot over the bar.
It was to be Bingham who opened the scoring on twenty five minutes. Scott Gretton's big kick upfield was brilliantly flicked on by King and as the ball dropped for Bingham on the edge of the area, he had the nous to expertly lift the ball over Simon Dye in the Bolsover goal to score his fourth of the season.
Callam Lytham was proving to be a big threat for Bolsover and he saw two efforts well saved by Gretton whilst at the other end, Bingham was agonisingly close to getting on the end of a defence splitting pass which would have put him clear on goal.
With Ollerton leading at half time, they would have been hoping to keep it tight early in the second half but unfortunately it wasn't to be as Bolsover equalised on fifty-three minutes. Ollerton failed to deal with Dye's goal kick and the ball ended up at the feet of prolific marksman Josh Parfitt, who fired across goal and into the bottom corner.
Both teams were finding it hard to break each other down but Bolsover were soon up in arms as they saw Bradley Jones dismissed for two bookable offences. Jones protested for several minutes but failed to change the referee's mind, leaving the away side with the task of facing the final stages of the game with ten men.
Ollerton now had the wind in their sails and they could, and probably should, have scored a goal or two to give them the win. Danny Wiltshire, playing his first game for The Town after a prolonged stretch on the sidelines was first to go close. Bingham fired a cross in from the right and Wiltshire did well to direct the ball goal bound but unfortunately it went just wide of the upright.
Ollerton's next chance fell to Sean Dickinson. He received the ball a few yards out but under pressure from the Bolsover defence, he failed to get a shot away or set up a team mate and the opposition smothered the chance.
With the majority of the 118 in attendance willing Ollerton on, they went close once again. Brandon Shaw attacked from full back and he played a one-two with Wiltshire before firing a low shot which Dye got down well to tip round the post. From the resulting corner, Shaw rose highest but his header went just wide of the upright.
In the end both teams had to settle for a point with Bolsover probably the happier of the two given Ollerton's late pressure. The result keeps up Ollerton's satisfactory start to the season which they will look to continue when East Yorkshire Carnegie make the long trip to The Lane on Wednesday night.