RAINWORTH striker Malcolm Brown crowned a man of the match performance against his former club Glapwell with a goal either side of half time, to earn his side a deserved share of the spoils in an entertaining derby at UniBond League new boys Glapwell.
Les McJannet's side had looked a yard too sharp for the Wrens in the first 15 minutes, and it was no surprise when Dave Davies gave them a 13th minute lead.
But the goal served as just the spur that Rainworth needed, and they hit back through Brown's double to take the lead, only for Glapwell's veteran front man Neil Grayson to make it honours even and, overall, a fair result.
Although the UniBond hosts were on top early on, Brown could have given Welfare a 6 th minute lead. Craig Wilson's pinpoint crossfield pass found Danny Bainbridge on the left. He laid off to Brown, but the striker put a good chance way over.
Simon Wright went close for Glapwell four minutes later, and then there was a scare for Rainworth when Matt Draper miscued an attempted back pass, letting in Jonathan Pickess, but Lee Soar got in a crucial challenge to concede a corner.
Draper redeemed himself with a well timed tackle on Pickess as the much travelled Glapwell striker threatened again from Neil Grayson's through ball. But from the ensuing throw in Davies hammered Glapwell into the lead from close range.
Rainworth responded with Brendan Sweeney bringing a fine save out of Neil West following a neat interchange with Wilson, but at the other end Mark Hales did very well to save with his feet on the edge of his area in a one-on-one with Pickess.
Brown's work rate and running off the ball was becoming a feature of the match, and when Lee Wilkinson picked him out in the right of the area his driven cross just eluded the inrunning Robbie Clarke at the far post.
Five minutes later, on 27, Brown levelled the scores. An attractive, fluent build up of passes saw Sweeney make the final pass to the striker who swivelled on the 18-yard line and drove the ball into the bottom corner.
For Glapwell Michael Fox began to make more of an impact with his pace and skill down the right, and one such break brought a tremendous cross shot which Hales had to turn away at full stretch.
Then another useful cross from the winger was just too far ahead of Glapwell's Richard Smith.
But it was Brown who was closest to another goal before half time with another great shot on the turn from Danny Naylor's centre, West needing to be at his best to parry it around his post three minutes from the interval.
Within four minutes of the restart Brown went even closer. Clarke got up well to flick on a long free kick to his strike partner who was unlucky to see the ball come back off the bar.
But Brown got the second goal that he deserved in the 52 nd minute. Wilson lofted in a lobbed centre and Brown met it with a delightful looping header which dropped behind the stretching West and under the bar.
Glapwell were in no mood to trail to a side two divisions below them, and within a minute Wright was allowed an unchallenged run through the middle to thread the ball on to Neil Grayson, who was denied by the outstretched leg of Hales diverting the shot over the bar.
Grayson had better luck, though, in the 57 th minute. Hales did very well to parry a 25-yard drive from Davies, but the former Football League and Conference front man was on hand to head the rebound past the stranded keeper.
As both sides rang the changes, Alan Jeffries had a couple of good shots for Rainworth, Ashley Grayson missed two good chances for Glapwell, and Adam Lillie headed over the bar from a Wrens corner a minute from time.
GLAPWELL: West, Roebuck, S. Wright, Varley, Streather, Davies, Fox, Rimmington, N. Grayson, Pickess, Smith. Subs: A. Grayson, Ball, Charlesworth, Capuano.
RAINWORTH: Hales, Wilson, Bainbridge, Wilkinson, Soar, Draper, Sweeney, Naylor, Clarke, Brown, Jeffries. Subs: Murdock, Poxon, D. Wright, Lillie, Jones, Louden, Thorpe, Cooper.
Courtesy of Gordon Foster
