Injury time penalty save rescues point for Gainsborough Trinity

Avenue had already levelled through Liam Dickinson in injury time, thirty seconds before Ben McKenna was pulled down in the box.

Trinity had previously taken the lead with a penalty of their own, with Gavin Rothery scoring on his debut following a trip on Jacob Hazel.

The Blues started the new season by naming seven debutants in the starting lineup.

Sheffield United loanee Jake Eastwood was the headline, starting in place of Jonathan Hedge in net and what a debut he had.

Club captain Nathan Jarman started on the bench for the visit of Avenue with Matt Wilson named as skipper in his place.

Gainsborough started very brightly without Jarman with the new signings appearing to have gelled very quickly through the summer.

Jacob Hazel found himself shooting narrowly wide within the first minutes.

Hazel then turned provider soon after, chasing a long ball, hitting a first time cross to James Reid in the box who crashed a volley against the bar.

It all looked to be going swimmingly at this point until Avenue settled into the game and restricted Trinity to shots from range for the remainder of the half.

The same was the case for the visitors but they should have been ahead in the 35th minute.

Jake Picton nodded a long ball back to Eastwood in goal, who somehow let it through his grasp, and Jack Ryan ambled onto the error. He was so leisurely, Wilson was able to atone for error, executing a sublime tackle to keep the scores goalless.

On half time, a long ball from Wilson was chased by Jacob Hazel behind the defence. It looked for the world that the Bradford keeper would get there, but the sheer pace of the former Chesterfield man enabled him to poke the ball around Ryan Jones and draw the foul.

The spot kick was dispatched superbly by Rothery into the top left hand corner of the net.

Avenue could have levelled shortly after the break when Eastwood was forced into a double save.

Nicky Boshell was left unmarked at a cross and fired straight at the on loan Blade, before reacting quickly to save from Ryan.

The game really petered out after this, with Trinity sitting deeper in the second half with centre halves Wilson and Adam Quinn matching everything Bradford had.

Former Blue, Tom Davie came closest before the late drama when he turned the ball wide from a cross.

With a minute left the Avenue fans thought they had equalised when Dickinson rippled the net with a far post header, fortunately it was the side netting.

This galvanised the visitors and after Nicky Wroe stung the palms of Eastwood from range, Dickinson met the corner with a firm header which hit the underside of the crossbar and squeezed over the line.

It was a bitter blow for the Blues but they ended up being glad they got the point.

Thirty seconds after the goal, the marauding Ben McKenna got the wrong side of Josh Lacey and they tangled in the box.

Eastwood produced a marvellous low save to deny Dickinson a second and rescue a point for the Blues.

Gainsborough Trinity: Eastwood, Picton, Lacey, Thornhill, Quinn, Wilson, (c), Wiles, Reid (Scott 66), Hazel (Jarman 66), Worsfold (Thewlis 74), Rothery. Subs (not used): Evans, Hedge.

Braford PA: Jones, Toulson (c), McWilliams, Dean, Coates, Hill, McKenna, Wroe, Sharp (Dickinson 45), Ryan (Osbourne 59), Boshell (Davie 69). Subs (not used): Killock, Payne.

Gainsborough Goalscorers: Rothery pen 45

Bradford PA Goalscorers: Dickinson 90

Bookings: Wiles; Osbourne, Hill.

Attendance: 583,

Referee: Mr W. Finnie. Assistants: Mr S. Dial, Mr. C Keightley.