Retford opened the game with a couple of attacks involving Matt Parkin but these were well-defended before Declan Bacon, recently transferred to the club from Brigg, seized the ball after Steve McCarron slipped at the edge of the penalty area but drove it into the side netting of Lewis Hill’s goal.
When Brigg responded, Jack Boswell’s strike was deflected over the home team’s crossbar and another shot from Dean McCarthy was headed clear. Brigg began to win more possession of the ball and a free kick played into the goal area was headed over the bar.
After half an hour of play a long throw into the Brigg penalty area was headed on for Krystal Jarosi to strike a shot across the face of Hill’s goal.
In the last ten minutes of the half, Brigg continued to dominate the play and were unlucky when a strike by Luke Mascall struck the crossbar before bouncing clear.
As the half time whistle approached, Brigg moved the ball about well and had it in the back of the Retford net when McCarthy ran clear of the home defenders before finishing off the move. The goal was disallowed after the referee and his assistant consulted and ruled that he was offside in the initial build-up and affected the play so the two teams remained level at the break
The second half began with the only goal of the game scored in the forty-ninth minute. It came from a right wing attack when the ball was crossed into the penalty area and held up by the swirling wind before Jack Johnson delivered a looping shot which unfortunately finished up in the top far corner of Brigg’s net.
Retford were encouraged by their success and pushed forward more using the long dangerous throw-ins into the goal area. A Matt Parkin strike was comfortably saved but Krystal Jarosi went closer to adding to the scoreline with another effort going over the bar.
Hill saved well from Ainsley Finney after the home team striker won the ball at the edge of the area.
Brigg used their substitutes for the final quarter of the game but were unable to create any clear chances with play remaining fairly even up until the end.
The defeat meant the end of a prosperous eleven-game unbeaten run with three league games remaining in the season.
