TADCASTER Albion registered their second win in three games in a stop-start home encounter against Rossington Main, grinding out the victory over 10 minutes of second-half injury time.

Early substitute James Knowles’ tap in was the difference in a tight contest mired with stoppages, in what was an appropriate response to last week’s result away to Pickering Town.

The game started rather poorly as neither side managed to register a shot on target until around the 20 minute mark.

Fatlum Ibrahimi, restored to the side following suspension, picked up a clearance in the middle and sprayed the ball wide to Junayd Cassius-Gill, who rolled the ball into Haydn Habetz – splitting the back line in two.

The striker managed to get around and poke the ball past the goalkeeper but Mitch Langton was on hand to prevent the ball from rolling over the line.

The struggle for an end product persisted as Habetz was on the receiving end of another pass over the top, nudging the ball through to Cassius-Gill cutting in from the left wing but the last defender nipped in with a challenge at the vital moment to prevent a dangerous shot on goal from 10 yards out.

Rossington’s lively number 10 Ashley Worsfold cleverly flicked a throw-in onto winger Dillon Mantle, who couldn’t quite control the ball, which was nodded away as far as Sam Limber only for the midfielder’s dipping shot towards the centre of goal to be caught not as easily as Sam Green would’ve liked.

The away side came close to an opener not long after with Oliver Nowac managing to latch onto Brandon Murillo’s direct pass from the back, an approach Rosso persevered with most of the game.

Cutting inside from the right, Mason Wilson did well to marshal him before he struck a great effort not far over the top.

As the first-half was drawing to a close, the Brewers thought they had taken the lead.

Dan Thirkell searched for Cassius-Gill in space on the left with a free-kick. Getting past Paul Sherburn, his recovery and challenge resulted in a corner. Kieran Greenway managed to find Thirkell, who started the prior move, with the delivery and his diving header was superbly blocked on the line.

Tadcaster got their noses in front three minutes later.

Rossington refused several chances to clear the ball from a free-kick as a second shot following the first being blocked from the edge of the penalty area was pushed out by Shay Buxton to the feet of an unmarked Knowles, substituted for an injured Charles Owen, who slammed it home for his second league goal of the season.

A less eventful second-half suited Mick O’Connell’s men, defending a very important lead in light of the league table, as Rossington seemed to gain some needed sharpness going forward with top scorers Kiana and Hannah were absent from the matchday squad.

James Knowles fires home the only goal of Tadcaster Albion's 1-0 win over Rossington Main. (Image: Keith Handley) Tadcaster had Shay Buxton worried between the sticks once more from a set piece, Ibrahimi delivering a promising ball right under the cross bar from the right, level with the 6-yard box. Buxton did just about enough to steer the ball clear of goal.

Following a turnover on 67 minutes, Sam Kitchen dropped the shoulder in a neat turn away from Cody Prior in the midfield and clipped a pass over the defence for Habetz to run onto once more. Rossington seemed to stop expecting the offside flag, which did not come. After winning a corner on the left, Nathan Heaton went close to powering home a header for the home side’s second of the afternoon.

Two lengthy stoppages due to injury meant the game was far from over beyond normal time.

Rossington dialled up the pressure with a free-kick headed across the Tadcaster penalty area and the incoming shot was well blocked by substitute Andrew Shepherd. Still in possession, Bradley Grayson bent a cross into the box and Green flew across his goal brilliantly to keep out Langton’s header.

Minutes later the Brewers keeper was called upon yet again as another free-kick threatened the penalty area. Debutant Jamie Tomlinson’s attempt at a headed clearance went the wrong way, prompting a real scramble metres from goal that ended in Sherburn’s shot on goal forcing another superb Green save.

Oli Norman had the first of two chances to kill the game deep into the 10 additional minutes played. A poor pass out from the back and the winger was racing away after Heaton played him through on the right, but the shot once he reached the penalty area was wild and sailed over.

Another counter saw Tomlinson running at Murillo, desperately trying to cover the ground, in what quickly turned into a 4v2 for Tadcaster.

Delaying the pass fractionally too long, Cassius-Gill eventually found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper who made a good save only for the offside flag to raise.

It was not to be for Rossington as the final whistle sounded soon after.

Tadcaster are next in action in the NCEL Premier Division on Friday when they return to West Riding County Cup semi-finalists Campion seeking redemption following defeat in January (7.45pm).

Tadcaster Albion: Green, Owen (Knowles, 11), Wilson, Thirkell, Heaton, Ibrahimi (Shepherd, 72), Bolino (Norman, 55), Kitchen, Habetz (Tomlinson, 72), Greenway, Cassius-Gill

Attendance: 165