Following a run of 4 straight victories before the second lockdown, Main fell to a resounding defeat at the hands of a well drilled Swallownest side on a playing surface which resembled a battlefield more than it did a football field.

The hosts started fast and struck the bar inside the first 10 minutes as they began to build pressure. 5 minutes later they took the lead when a runner from deep flicked the ball over Fielding in the Main goal, before walking the ball into an unguarded net.

Rossington really struggled to impose themselves on the game and tried to play their passing game but the conditions simply didn’t allow it. Swallownest quickly made it 2-0 and then 3-0 with an arrow into the corner from the D, and a cross come shot which sailed into the far corner. A Jordan Buckham free kick with the last kick of the half reduced the deficit to 2 and meant that Rossington were still very much in the game.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first and any hopes of a Rossington comeback were killed just before the hour mark, as Lill who fired past fielding as the host’s direct approach continued to pay off.
A pair of missed penalties for the home side came either side of the 5th goal which was bundled home from a corner; they also hit the frame twice more during this period.

To finish off the second half in the same manner as the first, Bell got his goal after a rebound fell kindly to him. It came as little consolation for Main who were second best all over the pitch.

Next up for Main is the “Donny derby” on Boxing Day which comes as a perfect opportunity to put this disappointing result behind them and into the distant memory.

Report by Luke Ellison