Albion blow three-goal lead

A Josh Greening double, either side of a Tom Corner strike put the Brewers in full control, but the hosts then hit back with four goals in just 27 minutes to snatch all three points in added time.

Tadcaster boss Billy Miller named an unchanged side from the team that exited the League Cup to the hands of Scarborough Athletic in the week.

On a clear day in Manchester, it was the home side that began the contest on top with Gregg Anderson having to brilliantly block Scott Metcalfe’s strike inside two minutes.

Metcalfe came close again 10 minutes later curling a free-kick narrowly wide and almost catching out Chandler Hallwood in the Taddy goal.

The Brewers were struggling to get a foothold on the match as Droylsden continued to press for the opening goal.

Skipper Domaine Rouse shifted onto his left foot before striking inches wide of Hallwood’s left-hand upright from the edge of the area.

Nevertheless, despite the Bloods’ early efforts, it was the Brewers who struck first in the 23rd minute.

Rob Youhill burst in-field and played a fine throug-hball to Corner who fired across goal for Josh Greening to tap in his 10th of the season.

Five minutes after Albion took the lead came one of the defining moments in the match as goalkeeper Hallwood took a nasty knock to the face andwas then replaced after almost 10 minutes of treatment.

With no substitute goalkeeper on the bench, striker Carl Stewart, who has played in goal before, opted to don the gloves.

When play did eventually get back underway, roles were reversed as Taddy were revitalised and Droylsden were second best.

Liam Shepherd went close twice in the space of a couple of minutes volleying narrowly off target after picking up the pieces from a corner.

Ten minutes were added onto the end of the first half following Hallwood’s nasty collision and half-way through the allotted time the visitors doubled their lead.

With Droylsden’s full-backs pushed high up-field and the two central defenders exposed, Dan Thirkell struck over the top of the back-line into an area for Corner to latch onto.

Goalkeeper James Coates started to race off his line for the ball but then decided to retreat and the Albion frontman drove into the penalty area, cut inside Clayton McDonald with ease and then coolly stroked beyond the home stopper.

And the half-time lead could have been even healthier as nine minutes into stoppage time Corner’s intended cross almost caught Coates out and crept in at the near post but the goalkeeper did just enough to push onto the upright.

Six minutes into the second period, Taddy did increase their lead and move three goals to the good.

Another ball over the top of the defence from Thirkell was picked up by Josh Greening who did the rest all on his own.

He chopped inside Rouse before surging into the penalty area, breezing beyond Dylan Smith and cleverly flicking past Coates with his weaker right-foot to put Miller’s men in complete control.

Despite the Brewers having an outfield player betweent he sticks, it took the Bloods until the 63rd minute to have a shot at goal, and incidentally it resulted in the home side enjoying their first success of the day.

Luke Daly’s clipped free-kick was headed across goal and forced beyond stand-in stopper Stewart by Scott Metcalfe.

One goal back is a consolation, two goals back and it’s game on, and this was the case at Butchers Arms as the pendulum swung back in the favour of the hosts as they began to gain momentum.

Substitute Dominic Smith saw his blast across goal somehow squeeze into the near post following a deflection off Josh Grant.

Droylsden’s tails were well and truly up at this point as Tad continued to invite pressure onto themselves by dropping deeper and deeper.

The Bloods continued to pile the pressure on the Brewers and with 14 minutes remaining the hosts made it three apiece.

Liam Caddick couldn’t believe his luck when he turned past Stewart from close range after Josh Barrett kneed the ball into the face of Grant before it fell kindly for the midfielder.

With five minutes remaining, Stewart made a good save with his left-foot to deny Metcalfe, who was a threat all afternoon.

Droylsden were not to be denied however and continued to push bodies forward, despite Taddy looking dangerous on the counter-attack through the likes of Greening, Youhill and Sellars.

But in injury time the unthinkable happened with substitute Jamie Frost’s header somehow trickling into the bottom corner.

There was one last opportunity for Albion to salvage something at the death as defender Barrett was thrown up front, but after the ball rolled kindly for him, he dragged his shot wide of the mark and the chance was gone.