Needham Market extend their unbeaten run to six games with a goalless draw at home to second placed Coalville Town.
Christian Frimpong and Callum Page came into the starting eleven from Saturday's draw with Nuneaton Borough, a result that moves Needham up a place to fourteenth in the Southern League Central Premier Division table, taking Needham six points clear of the relegation zone with six games remaining.
Needham started brightly and had a great chance in the second minute. Kyle Hammond received the ball back from a quick right wing throw-in before sliding the ball through to Luke Brown in space down the near side of the box, the striker then smashed a great ball low across the box, finding Dylan Williams arriving onto the penalty spot, though the midfielder sidefooted his first time shot just over the crossbar.
In an even game, which saw chances at both ends, a draw reflected the game more accurately, while Marcus Garnham was on hand to deny Coalville in the twenty-first minute. The goalkeeper reacted well to dive across to his right-hand side at his near post, to smother McGlinchey's strike behind for a corner, before George Wilson found space to shoot on the right-hand side of the box two minutes later, only to blaze his shot over the crossbar.
With the action very much end to end, another great save from Marcus Garnham thwarted Coalville again on 32 minutes, Doyle-Charles found space on the right-hand edge of the box to shoot low across goal, albeit Garnham was again equal to it, diving down to his right-hand side to tip it behind for a corner.
At the other end two minutes later, Luke Brown held up possession well before laying the ball off to Jake Dye on the left-hand edge of the box whose shot curled wide of the top right-hand corner.
Garnham again thwarted the away side with a terrific save on 42 minutes, Berridge was threaded through down the left-hand side of the box to get a shot off at goal, but for Garnham to dive down well to his left hand side and shovel the shot away.
Kyle Hammond meanwhile broke through well down the centre, through the heart of the Coalville defence, only to smash his shot narrowly over from 30-yards out after 44 minutes.
A minute later, the Marketmen went agonisingly close with their best chance of the half, brilliant football from the Reds saw Callum Page - who was making his first start for the Marketmen since returning for his third spell at the club on-loan from Ipswich - break into a great through ball before feeding Hammond. The full-back in turn teed up Brown whose clever dinked shot had White beaten but also just beat the left-hand post and Ross Crane sliding in at the far post. A minute later, Luke Brown then fired a shot narrowly wide of the bottom left-hand, near, corner, shortly before the referee drew the first forty-five minutes to a close.
Just 34 seconds were on the clock though as the Marketmen went close to breaking the deadlock, Crane capitalised on a mistake in the Coalville penalty area to latch onto possession down the right-hand side before squaring the ball across on a plate towards Luke Brown in the centre, only for a crucial interception from a defender to put the ball out for a corner.
The striker though was denied by good goalkeeping from Coalville 'keeper White in the 50th minute, Brown latched onto a great defence splitting pass to break through one on one with the goalkeeper on the edge of the box, although his shot was well smothered by the onrushing goalkeeper, who narrowed down the angle well.
A quick break from Needham three minutes later saw Crane drive away in possession before threading Brown through down the left-hand side, where the ball found its way to Page, who was denied a shot by a tackle by a defender, as the ball fell to Taylor Clark on the edge of the box whose low driven shot was blocked. Brown meanwhile saw a shot blocked seconds later, before Coalville saw a low ball driven across the face of goal, from the right wing, turned away by Marcus Garnham on 62 minutes.
A minute later, the ball broke to Brown on the edge of the box whose shot on the turn was again well blocked by a defender. Seconds later, Dylan Williams then wrapped an audacious ball round the defence towards Page, who was racing through down the right-hand side, although the latter's flick touch, which beat the onrushing White, went wide of the right-hand post.
Great play again from the Marketmen saw Jake Dye thread Kyle Hammond through inside the box with a brilliant low defence splitting pass, onto the left-hand side, but the latter's shot was deflected behind well by a defender who recovered well on 69 minutes.
The resulting corner, a minute later, saw Keiran Morphew glance a near post header towards goal but agonisingly just over the crossbar.
Needham had the last chance of the night in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Garnham's long kick was flicked on towards the leaping Seth Chambers, who challenged goalkeeper White - who had came off his line - for the ball, but the goalkeeper just got there first to claim the ball well.
It's now six games unbeaten for Horlock's side, having taken 5 points off teams in the top five in the league table. The Marketmen travel to almost relegated Hednesford Town on Saturday (1st April, 3pm).
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