Skegness boss Rawlinson hails draw after early sending off

Chris Rawlinson was happy with a point at Hucknall.

Chris Rawlinson was left satisfied with the point gained at Hucknall Town on Saturday after Skegness Town played the vast majority of the game with ten men.

The Lilywhites had Charlie Ward sent off just eight minutes in, with Rawlinson himself also red carded after a frustrating start to the game which had seen the visitors denied what looked like two certain penalties.

With all that in mind, the 0-0 draw achieved left Rawlinson pleased given the circumstances.

He said: “I was really happy to get the point. In the form table, we’re top eight and they’re around top four so to go there in front of a very partizan home crowd, which it always has been and makes a good atmosphere, and to lose a man after eight minutes for an off-the-ball incident, made it very tough with 80 or so minutes left.

"But the lads were absolutely magnificent from start to finish. We had more shots then them and more chances – they had more possession which is to be expected, but I thought we were always the bigger threat.

"I’m not saying we should have won it but every one of our players worked their socks off.”

Four days earlier, Skegness had won 3-0 at Harrowby United, and after this week’s Standard had gone to press they were due to host play-off chasing Newark Town on Wednesday night.

Attention will then turn to the challenge of hosting league leaders Eastwood CFC on Saturday, who are four points clear going into the game.

Rawlinson said: “Our away form has been excellent but it’s been completely different at home.

"We’ve got two home games in a week against a side trying to get in the play-offs and a side going for the title, so they’ll be the favourites given our home form but that sometimes helps us and we know we’ll have to work massively hard, but we tend to be much better as a team when we do that.

"That’s due to the intensity in our play, then we’ve got that extra bit of quality with our wingers and attacking players that can come through.

"So we’re really looking forward to it and hopefully can get plenty of people down to watch as we try to finish as high as we can which, if we can make that in the top half, will be an achievement given the start we had.”