Ten-man Bolsover hold on to draw in derby duel with Ollerton

Honours were even and the points were shared when close rivals Ollerton Town and ten-man FC Bolsover continued their pleasing starts to the new season in a Toolstation Northern Counties East League, First Division derby.
Ollerton Towns Sean Dickinson on the ball during the 1-1 draw with local-derby rivals, FC Bolsover. (PHOTO BY: DC Photography, Retford)Ollerton Towns Sean Dickinson on the ball during the 1-1 draw with local-derby rivals, FC Bolsover. (PHOTO BY: DC Photography, Retford)
Ollerton Towns Sean Dickinson on the ball during the 1-1 draw with local-derby rivals, FC Bolsover. (PHOTO BY: DC Photography, Retford)

In front of a crowd of 118, the sides drew 1-1 to leave Ollerton as high as fifth in the table, in stark contrast to last term when they were rock-bottom at this stage, and Bolsover just two points behind them in eighth.

The visitors were happy to pick up their first away point of the campaign, but while Ollerton were content to bounce back from two successive defeats, they saw the outcome as a big chance they let slip because Bolsover had to play most of the last third of the game with only ten players when Bradley Jones was sent off for two bookable offences, just after they had drawn level.

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Jones protested for several minutes but failed to change the referee’s mind, leaving his side with a mountainous task to survive the rest of the game.

To their credit, they managed it, but Ollerton had two or three good chances to snatch the win. Danny Wiltshire, playing his first game after a prolonged stretch on the sidelines, was just wide after Lewis Bingham had fired in a cross from the right. And then in the dying moments, two openings fell to Brandon Shaw, who saw a shot tipped round a post by Bolsover goalkeeper Simon Dye and then headed just wide from the resulting corner.

It wsas an entertaining encounter and after both sides had gone close early on, Ollerton took the lead in the 25th minute. Goalkeeper Scott Gretton’s big nkick upfield was flicked on by Gavin King and as the ball dropped for Bingham on the edge of the area, he had the nous to expertly lift it over Dye.

As Bolsover hit back, the dangerous Callam Lytham saw two efforts well saved by Gretton before the equaliser arrived eight minutes into the second period. Ollerton failed to deal with Dye’s goalkick and the ball found its way to prolific marksman Josh Parfitt, who fired across goal and into the bottom corner.