After going behind to an early goal Frickley were unable to hit back in a largely uninspiring game. Yet more changes were made to the side as Dean Jones returned on a month's loan from Ilkeston Town along with David Poppleton and Michael Welch and Craig Goodyear arrived from Barnsley, also on loan. Tuesday night's newcomers were nowhere to be seen but Brendan West was fit enough for a place on the bench.

The Blues came close to taking the lead in the second minute when, following a corner from the left, Jones saw his eight yard shot go inches wide of the post but a minute later Marine took the lead with their first attack. Out of nowhere Gary Randles hit a 25 yard shot which looped over Wilkinson into the top corner. This early blow seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Blues as they struggled to get a grip of the game and chances at either end were at a premium until the last fifteen minutes of the half when the Blues finally began to exert some pressure. On 36 minutes Chris Hurst saw his low 20 yard shot deflected just wide of the post with the keeper wrong-footed and a minute later the Marine keeper, Chris Clarke, did well to collect the ball off Hurst's head from Mark Lafferty's ball in and Hurst was again unlucky when Jones played a brilliant long pass into the path of Tommy Brooks on the right and his cross was met by Hurst but his header wnet just over the bar. Then in injury time Rob Hanby found himself in space on the right of the area with the keeper well off his line but he wasted the chance, firing well over.

The second half again saw the Blues struggle to take control until the last fifteen minutes of the half. On 56 minutes a mistake by Lafferty left Gerrard Courtney one on one with Wilkinson but his lob went wide of the last hand upright. Then on 67 minutes substitute Peter Owen was forced to head off the line following a Marine corner which almost curled inside the far post. Twice in a short space of time the officials failed to penalise Marine for deliberate back passes to the goalkeeper as the Blues' frustrations increased. The 73 rd minute saw David Gambles fire over the bar for the visitors on the break and he repeated the feat nine minutes later when Chris Hilton presented him with a clear run at goal with a terrible attempted pass across the area. Owen ought to have equalised on 83 minutes when some good play between Hurst and Poppleton lead to Owen having a angled shot from 15 yards which beat Clarke but rebounded off the woodwork. A minute later a quick free-kick saw Poppleton beat a defender and play the ball out wide to Goodyear whose low, driven cross was met by Owen just a couple of yards out but somehow it was kept out. A goalmouth scramble followed with both Jones and Poppleton having efforts blocked before Poppleton fired over the bar.

All in all the result and the performance was more disappointing than Tuesday night's defeat to Worksop as Marine were a team that we could and should have beaten but on the day quite a few of the players didn't perform to the required standard. The performance was probably not helped by yet more changes to the team and hopefully Stewart Barrowclough will now be able to start and select a settled side.

Frickley Athletic : Mark Wilkinson, Hilton, Fox (Owen 65), Jones, Welch (West 21), Lafferty, Goodyear, Hurst, Duffty, Hanby (Poppleton 65), Brooks

Marine : Carke, Baines, Formby, Bainbridge, Schofield, Gautrey, Courtney, Gamble, Black (Douglas 73), Thompson, Randles. Subs Nulty, Robinson

Attendance :