Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

REDDITCH UNITED 0 - 0 DROYLSDEN

Nationwide North, Saturday 31st March 2007

Report by Gary Owen

The Bloods drew a blank at relegation haunted Redditch in front of the highest crowd the Valley Stadium has seen this season, and were unlucky not to take all three points.

Fortunately, both Kettering and Harrogate both also recorded scoreless draws.

This was only the Bloods' second 0-0 draw this season, but it was also only the second time this term that they have managed to keep a clean sheet on the road.

With a swirling wind and a rock hard pitch, this was always going to be somewhat of a battle, and that it proved with the ball spending much time in the air.

Redditch have been on a fine run of six games unbeaten going into this fixture, and so all things considered perhaps this was a valubale point gained rather than two lost. It also means that the race for the Nationwide North title remains wide open.

Redditch full-back Ben Petty had the first chance of the game, but he shot well over.

Joe Fowler then went close on two ocassions, in the first of which he was expertly tackled as he was about to pull the trigger following an uncleared free kick.

The most crucial point of the game came on 19 minutes, though, when Terry Fearns was clean through - the ball sat up nicely for him, and as he was about to volley towards Richards Anstiss, had his heels, perhaps unintentionally, clipped from behind. The referee and his assistant were both well placed but were having none of it.

Moments later Fearns was denied by the same assistant when he raised his flag for offside, even though the Droylsden striker had come from behind Exodus Geoghagon.

Another great chance fell to the Bloods on 23 minutes. Jamie Tandy won a thumping header in the box to find Steve Daly, but his header back accross goal flew agonisingly wide of the far upright with Anstiss beaten.

Moments after the re-start, Fearns and Daly combined well for the latter to go through on goal, but, aided by a nasty bobble from the pitch, he showed too much of the ball, allowing Anstiss to smother.

It was mostly one-way traffic, but Redditch looked capable on the counter-attack, and Scott Rickards shot straight at Paul Phillips, before Richard Bell scuffed his shot from Carl Heggs' low cross.

With ten minutes remaining, Robert Taylor found Bell with a raking cross-field pass, but the Redditch forward's volley dipped over the bar.

Heggs again found Bell, but he mis-timed his header, before Droylsden threw everything at Reddicth in a desperate attempt to snatch the points. Corner after corner were forced, and Daniel Warner's piledriver had Anstiss taking no chances and tipping over, but it was not to be, and the final whistle was met with resounding cheers from the home fans, seeming as though they had just won the FA Cup!

With Kettering in midweek action at home to Farsley, Droylsden may find themselves in second place for the first time in 4 months as they take to the field against Barrow on Saturday.

REDDITCH UTD: Anstiss, Petty, Whitcombe, Rea, Geoghaghon, Murphy, Hollis, Downes, Rickards, Heggs, Palmer.

SUBS: Ball (for Rickards, 64), Walker A. (not used), Walker R. (for not used), Taylor (for Whitcombe, 57), Softley (for Hollis, 86).

DROYLSDEN: Phillips 7, Willaims 5, Warner 6, Ruffer 8, Robinson 6, Lynch 7, Fowler 7, KELLY 8, Fearns 6, Daly 7, Tandy 7.

SUBS: Morris 6 (for Lynch, 82), Jagielka 6 (for Fowler, 68), Burke (not used), Norton 7 (for Tandy, 74), Kerim (not used).

REFEREE: Mr. R. Merchant (Stone, Staffordshire)

ATTENDANCE: 635