Hardman strike earns Selston a hard-fought point at Sleaford

Following last weekend's disappointing FA Vase defeat to Heanor, Selston joint-boss Lee Stevenson made several changes to his starting XI.

Tom Cox returned in goal in place of the unavailable Branon Meehan, while Ty Short, Nick Hines and Mason England came into the side.

New signing Jordan Black was named among the substitutes.

The opening 20 minutes were tense and closely fought, with neither side prepared to give the other any real advantage.

Sleaford eventually broke the deadlock on 21 minutes when a throw-in found Lewis Smith inside the area.

The striker held off Josh Smith before turning and finishing low into the bottom corner.

Selston responded almost immediately as just two minutes later, good work down the right created an opening for captain Jack Cockram, whose dangerous cross was only partially dealt with by the Sleaford goalkeeper and Hardman was quickest to react to fire home.

The remainder of the first half became increasingly scrappy, with both teams cancelling each other out and clear-cut opportunities at a premium.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Selston producing a battling display against a physical Sleaford side.

Short was booked on 61 minutes for a strong challenge as the contest continued to ebb and flow.

Stevenson turned to his bench on 71 minutes, introducing new signing Black and Colt Reynolds.

He later sent on George Layton as Selston looked for a late winner, and it was Layton who almost provided it as his dipping 20-yard effort narrowly missed the target.

Sleaford also pushed for victory and came agonisingly close when a late strike looked destined for the corner, only for Cox to produce a superb diving save to his left and turning it around the post.

Joint-manager Ben Moore said: “It was a proper battle and I think a draw was probably a fair result.

"We knew Sleaford would make it difficult for us, particularly with the familiarity of playing at their ground, and there wasn't much between the sides.

“I'm really pleased with the reaction from the lads after last weekend’s defeat which was disappointing despite how we played.

"We continue to show a lot of fight and togetherness, and we defended well when we needed to, which is pleasing to see.

“Tom made a couple of really important saves and Alex reacted brilliantly for our goal.

"We had opportunities to win it late on, but so did they, so we'll take the point.

“We're still building and integrating new players into the squad, but the character within the group is very good.

"We keep working and looking forward.”

Selston are back in league action this Saturday with a trip to Cotgrave (kick-off 3pm).