FIRST POINT ON THE BOARD

Needham Market's home league campaign began with a rather frustrating goalless draw, but with plenty of positives to take. 

Tom Rothery made 2 changes from Saturday's defeat, Myles Cowling and Ryan Miles dropping to the bench as Kyle Hammond returned from suspension and Jamie McGrath starting.

Needham started brightly, as Luke Ingram won a dangerous free-kick from 35-yards out inside 5 minutes, Reggie Lambe took it - curling it over the wall expertly but dipped just wide of the bottom near, left-hand, corner.

Dan Morphew then met Kyle Hammond's right wing 9th minute corner but his low volley was well blocked.

Joe Neal was threaded through into the box but was adjudged to have been in an offside position as his shot across goal was beaten away, with the referee pulling play back for a 35-yard Needham free-kick which Hammond wrapped over.

Ollie Saunders, making his home debut, slipped Luke Ingram through - onside - down the right wing on 11 minutes but his low cross was turned behind for a corner. 

McGregor then claimed a dangerous Tommy Smith left wing cross on his line, while Ingram was just offside after Hammond retained possession well, McGrath chested it on, but hal volleyed wide on 16 minutes. 

Hammond then fired over a minute later, before Reggie Lambe latched onto a great long ball down the left wing - keeping the ball superbly before picking out Luke Ingram with a brilliant low cross but the latter fired his first time shot, from just outside the box, just wide of the bottom far corner. 

Joe Neal however saw shot from inside the box blocked on 21 minutes, before Keiran Morphew headed home a 29th minute Hammond right wing corner after a hand from the keeper but was ruled out for a foul.

The captain saw his far post header from a right wing 30th minute tipped over, Needham continued to dominate - Neal's dangerous header across goal flashed wide with no red shirts around to capitalise while Hammond's shot was deflected narrowly over moments later.

Joe Neal saw a 36th minute shot after Ingram's left wing cross, who had beat his man brilliantly, blocked, as Dan Morphew met Kyle Hammond's clever right wing free-kick at the far post but his header was held. 

Number 11 volleyed comfortably over on 39 minutes, while Hammond's free-kick, from the left-hand edge of the box, two minutes later was hit straight at the keeper. 

Ollie Saunders raced onto the left wing byline smartly on 43 minutes but Ingram leaping at the far post couldn't connect to his cross at point blank range. 

While Needham started the second half brightly, Real Bedford saw a 51st minute shot from the left-hand edge of the box well held by Bradbrook, another home debut, at his near post at head height. 

Hammond then smashed a brilliant 35-yard strike just wide of the near left-hand corner on 55 minutes, who then curled a 35-yard free-kick narrowly wide of the top right-hand corner two minutes later.

Bradbrook then made a crucial 62nd minute double save, after a quick counter from a corner, the Needham stopper narrowed down the angle well to launch across and beat away and effort across goal before superbly flying across to beat the rebound effort over. 

Hammond, Keiran Morphew and McGrath were replaced by home debutants Ryan Miles, Matty Tricker and Myles Cowling while the away side fired wide on 82 minutes.

Ollie Saunders saw a through-ball on 84 minutes run just through to the goalkeeper, with Myles Cowling lurking. 

Bradbrook then gathered a low shot from close range two minutes later, as Lambe saw an 88th minute shot deflected over as two strong penalty appeals were waved away. 

After Eddie Barker was introduced in place of Reggie Lambe, Bradbrook held onto a 93rd minute free header from a free-kick swung to the back post. 

Myles Cowling saw a 94th minute shot blocked, as both sides took a point. 

The Marketmen host Worcester on Saturday (3pm).

Manager Tom Rothery reflects on last night's draw. 

DK: First point on the board, but it's slightly anti-climatic. 

TR: From the point of view, we deserve more, definitely, but I thought performance-wise we were excellent. I felt we deserved to win the game, even though they fully played their part in the game. I thought they were excellent, moved the ball really well, but I thought we threatened them throughout. They did carry a threat on the break, definitely. Showed some really nice phases of play, but I thought we were really good tonight and deserved to win, and on another night, probably do win, but we didn't. It's a point on the board. 

DK: The frustrating part, like you said, was chances, especially first half. We didn't put them away.

TR: Yeah, obviously you want to take your chances and you want to score them, but at the same time, you want to be creating chances. I'd be more worried if we weren't creating chances. So I thought we created chances. I don't think there was anything ridiculously clear-cut where we were missing sitters. I think the keepers made a couple of good saves. We flashed a couple, but I just think overall it was a good performance. Simple as that. 

DK: Second half, late on, we had a large penalty appeal, shall we call it. What was your views on that? 

TR: It's a stonewall penalty. It's as simple as that. The lineo's turned around to us and said it's a penalty but I can't give it. So I don't understand the logic in that because surely the purpose of the linesman, assistant referee, is to support the referee. The referee might be blocked. The referee clearly couldn't have seen it because if he did, he would have given it. He might have been blocked, I don't know. I thought he had a really good game aside from that, but the assistant referee has told us that it's a definite penalty but he can't give it. I don't understand that at all. So yeah, that's hugely frustrating because it was an absolute stonewall penalty.

DK: Is the most pleasing part that we've started our home campaign unbeaten? 

TR: I think there's plenty of positives. The positives are the way we played. I thought it was a very good performance. I thought we moved the ball really well. We worked very hard against a really good footballing side. So we had to work hard. Decisions around when we press, when we don't press. I thought we managed that and did that really well. Clean sheet against the side that clearly has threats, and in my opinion, deserved to win the game. So there's plenty of positives, but there is frustration within that as well because I do think we should have won the game, but we didn't. So we move on. 

DK: It's a lot more of a positive reflection, compared to Saturday.

TR: Yeah, I don't think I was that positive after Saturday, but yeah, I was positive from the point of view of I didn't think it was a 4-0. It was a defeat clearly, but I thought the two goals at the end put a gloss on it. Tonight, we've shown a lot more. Obviously, defensively, we looked solid. Obviously, you can see there's still a couple of players that are still trying to get their full fitness in, which obviously then causes you some issues when you're changing players that perhaps you don't want to change.

I thought Hammo was really good, but then you can see him fatigue and so you have to bring him off. Jamie McGrath was the same, Keiran the same. Do you know what I mean? So that's not ideal, but that's where we're at at the stage of the season. So we have to manage that and be sensible around their loads. So we'll look at that and obviously manage their loads on Thursday with regards to training and make sure that we're ready for Saturday, another tough game at home.

DK: Yeah, it's another new team on Saturday in Worcester. What are you expecting? 

TR: I haven't watched them yet. I don't focus on the team until we play them. So I haven't actually physically watched them, but I think they lost their first game 1-0, didn't they? And I think they've drawn tonight with Banbury. So I don't know. Look, they got promoted last year from... I'm not sure what league, were they in the same league as Real Bedford? But they got promoted anyway through the playoff. So they'll have momentum off the back of that. I know they've made a lot of changes.I know some of the players that have signed, people like Dan Sweeney, Niall Flint. So they've got good players. So like I said on Saturday, there are no easy games at this level.

So we'll have to make sure, like we were today, that we're ready for a tough battle. And we're prepared to give everything like we have tonight