AFC Alsager 2-2 Leek Town
AFC Alsager faced Leek Town Reserves at Alsager Sports Hub, with the Swans fourth in the league before the match, after beating Rocester 2-1 last Saturday.
They had more possession than the visitors in the first half, but failed to make the most of it, while Leek played a high press, looking to limit the time the Swans players had on the ball.
AFC Alsager came close when left winger, Charlie Padania, hit the post with a curled shot on goal, but generally, the Swans struggled to threaten the opposition and create clear-cut chances. One of their biggest problems was repeatedly being flagged offside, causing attacks to break down.
It was Leek who opened the scoring, when the ball was played through to their striker, who tucked it away to give his side the lead.
Half time: AFC Alsager 0-1 Leek Town
The second half saw the Swans more dominant than they were in the first, as they spent much of the last 45 minutes attacking.
Jordan Rigby had a big chance when he dribbled past his opponents and got into a shooting position, with the goalkeeper leaving his goal exposed, but the shot was cleared off the line by a defender to keep Leek ahead.
AFC Alsager had a lot of set pieces in the second half, but they struggled to be effective. They did have a big chance, when a shot was pushed onto the post by the goalkeeper, but the score remained 1-0.
And moments later, Leek Town scored against the run of play to double their lead.
But the Swans responded, when Rigby scored a brilliant goal, curling the ball into the top left corner of the net, giving the goalkeeper no chance of making a save.
AFC Alsager kept gaining momentum and equalised, with a goal stuck into the bottom left corner, by Dan Ward.
Leek had a rare counter attack from a Swans corner which almost saw them snatch the winning goal. A drilled ball was sent inside to Leek’s number 14, but his shot was saved by AFC Alsager’s goalkeeper.
The Swans kept pushing for the winner, but had to settle for a point.
Full time: AFC Alsager 2-2 Leek Town
Today’s result saw AFC Alsager rise to third in the league on 20 points, after playing eight matches. They have three games in hand on league leaders Brereton Social, who are on 23 points. The Swans are at home again next week, as they take on 13th place Lichfield City.
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