Stafford Rangers 0
Spalding United 0
Pat Rayment saluted a job well done as Spalding United picked up a potentially priceless point at Evo-Stik League First Division South play-off rivals Stafford on Saturday.
The draw leaves both sides just outside of the play-off places, but the sixth-placed Tulips do have at least one game in hand on every side above them, barring title hopefuls Leek Town.
Keeper Michael Duggan was Spalding’s star turn at Marston Road, pulling off a number of top stops to ensure the spoils were shared.
Although Rayment is a little worried that his side have failed to score in each of their last two outings, he praised their performance.
“It’s a very good point for the team,” said the Spalding supremo. “Stafford are a very strong side, we had to dig in.
“It’s a slight concern to me that we’re not in any kind of goal-scoring form at the moment. But I did have only two of six strikers available – and Stafford are on a run of three 0-0 draws in a row.
“The title is probably gone now, but this result does our play-off hopes no harm at all.
“If we could have won here it would have kept the pressure on Mickleover and Leek, but you have to feel that the title will now go to one of those two.
“Our aim remains to finish as high as we possibly can.”
Both teams were committed to attack on a blustery afternoon – and despite the lack of goals, there was plenty of action at either end of the pitch.
In the opening minute Nathan Adams tested home keeper Adam Whithouse with a beautifully weighted shot into the wind, which was plucked from just under the cross bar.
But it was the home team who had slightly the better of the opening period. On 11 minutes Duggan dived to collect a low drive by Sam Smith at the foot of a post – and shortly afterwards did well to parry a Dan Cope free kick which Mitch Griffiths cleared.
Midway through the half a Jamie Thurlbourne corner picked out Adams at the far post – and his firm header flashed inches over the bar.
Ten minutes later Adams again went near to breaking the deadlock, again with a well-directed header following some excellent approach play down the left side.
New signing Avelino Vieira – snapped up from Peterborough Northern Star on Thursday – featured well, but was replaced for the second half by leading scorer Tom Waumsley.
Chris Hall, again prominent in the Tulips’ midfield, forced keeper Whitehouse to save his lobbed shot from 30 yards at the second attempt as play continued to switch from end to end.
The Tulips suffered a blow on 70 minutes, though, when centre half Nathan Stainfield – a rock in the heart of defence – was forced out of the game with a badly cut eyebrow in an accidental clash of heads with Christian Dacres and the game opened up for the home team as a result.
But Duggan continued his heroics, winning his personal battle with the dangerous Stan Mugisha to keep his goal intact.
The Tulips, however, were by no means overshadowed and had their moments inside enemy territory.
Adams and Waumsley combined well throughout – and as the game entered added time Waumsley’s deft lob from a tight angle drifted just wide of the far post with keeper Whitehouse grasping thin air.
Tulips: Duggan, Griffiths, Jackson, Stevens, Stainfield (Leary 70), Webb, Hall, McGovern, Vieira (Waumsley 45), Adams, Thurlbourne. Not used: Pycock.
MOTM: Duggan.
Attendance: 508.
