March Town match with Rothwell Corinthians abandoned following injury to Eoin McQuaid
March Town 1, Rothwell Corinthians 2 (match abandoned)
United Counties League Premier Division South
A mix of defensive lapses and missed chances saw March slip to the most unlikely of defeats on Saturday, before the game was abandoned with just minutes remaining.
The home side struggled to equalize when midfielder Eoin McQuaid fell to the ground, minutes after apparently recovering from being injured and challenging for a header.
However, it soon became clear that McQuaid was seriously injured, and while he was still on the field, referee Don Maclarty had no choice but to abandon the match.
Officials in March later confirmed that McQuaid had suffered two broken ribs but did not go to hospital.
There is nothing in the United Counties League rule book about how many minutes must be played for a result to stand, so it looks like this game will now be replayed.
Against a side second from bottom of the division, March were expected to get all three points and this looked likely in the opening stages when Jack Saunders twice and Craig Gillies were denied by big saves.
However, the visitors scored against the run of play after 25 minutes when a cross from the left found Dodzi Agbenu in space and he drilled home from 20 metres.
Back came March and Jack Friend saw an effort hacked off the line and another hit the foot of the post. But Rothwell caught the home side on the break again before half-time, and Agbenu should have had a second but side-footed over the bar from 15 meters out.
In the second half, March continued to attack, Friend saw another effort saved and Rob Conyard poked the rebound against a post. But the goal came and came on 55 minutes when a long Danny Emmington throw was headed by a defender into the path of Friend, who curled the ball into the top corner of the net.
It now looked like only one winner but Gillies was denied with a superb low save, saw a heading drive inches wide and watched as another chance was hacked off the line before he could put the finishing touches on it, Saunders drilling another effort agonizingly outside.
What no one saw coming was another Corinthians goal, but in the 75th minute the home defense went cold and Lamin Jammeh held his own to beat four defenders to the ball and coolly slot in.
Back came March and when McQuaid went down after colliding with a defender while going for a header, he appeared to make a quick recovery. But moments later, as March executed a tackle that resulted in Josh Burrows heading over the bar, the midfielder collapsed to the ground and the game was over.
March: Gill, Burrows, Brumby, Romanos, Emmington, Murphy, Saunders (Cavozzi), McQuaid, Conyard (Cowie), Gillies, Friend. Sub (not used): Edwards.
Participation: 191.
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