Stone satisfied but also frustrated as Doughboys leave it very late to draw with Sphinx
Boss Jake Stone felt a draw was a fair result from Wellingborough Town's home date with Coventry Sphinx on Saturday - although admitted to being a little frustrated at his team's failure to take all three points.
Things have been going brilliantly for the Doughboys on their return to Step 4 and the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division, and they went into the Sphinx clash off the back of a superb 3-2 win at high-flying Worcester City last midweek.
That was a seventh win in 10 for Stone's side, a run that has seen them climb to seventh in the table and to within just two points of the promotion play-off places.
A win over 15th-placed Sphinx would have taken them level on points with fifth-placed Long Eaton United but they had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw - with the in-form Will Jones scoring a stoppage time penalty to level the scores after Sphinx had take the lead just minutes earlier.
In a crazy finish to the game, the Doughboys were then awarded a second penalty by referee Harry Price, but after the man in the middle consulted with his assistant, he changed his mind to deny Stone's men the chance to claim a dramatic victory.
Jones, who now has 12 goals to his name this season, had earlier fired Borough ahead on 64 minutes, only for Sphinx to hit back and take the lead, and in the end Stone was satisfied to take away a point.
"A lot of effort went into Tuesday at Worcester, it was a long way to travel and obviously we went there and won," Stone told @BBCSportNhants.
"I wanted us to follow it up really and make it worthwhile getting a win like that, but I felt from the start on Saturday we were a bit flat and looked leggy.
"I tried to make a couple of changes to try and make sure that didn't happen, but it didn't really work.
"If we had won the game I think it would have been a little unfair on Sphinx, but I don't think we should lose either, so it is one of those games where a draw is probably fair.
"I don't want to be too negative, because the boys put so much effort in on Tuesday, and they put a lot of effort in on Saturday as well.
"The positive I will take from it is that in both games there were late goals scored, and that shows character and heart, and they are things I absolutely want in my team.
"I would have just wanted a bit more quality in the first half."
And on those late penalty awards, there was an honest assessment from the Doughboys boss.
"The first one is 100 per cent a penalty, definitely," said Stone. "The last one I think I would be lying if I said I think it was a penalty, I don't think it was and the lad got the ball.
"But very rarely at this level does a referee go and speak to their lino, so I though 'he has given it, that's it'.
"So he spent an age thinking about it, then spoke to the lino who gave the decision in the end, but I suppose if it's he right decision then it's the right thing to do.
"If we had won it with that penalty then it would have been unfair on Sphinx."
The Doughboys now have a free midweek before they travel to Racing Club Warwick on Saturday (ko 3pm).