4th place finish after this goal-less stalemate

There were many twists and turns in the closing weeks of the league programme and there were still many permutations possible as the final day of the season arrived. A win at Leamington would have assured us of a home game in the play-offs, indeed as it turned out, would have put us in second place. Meanwhile, Leamington needed a point to avoid being overtaken by Kettering or Weymouth and thus missing a play-off place.
As it turned out, our 6th. successive clean sheet earned us 4th. place and a visit to Hitchin on Wednesday, while the goalless draw saved Leamington and earned them a trip to Redditch in the play-offs. It was not enough for a coveted home draw for us but was a fair result on a day when there were few chances as the teams cancelled each other out in a battle of attrition and a crowd of over 700 had good value for money, the home supporters rightly revelling in hard-earned point. The New Windmill Stadium is an impressive facility, although it is out in the country some 4 miles from the town itself, but this did not deter a good crowd on the day who appeared to enjoy the entertainment provided.
Goalkeeper and captain Tony Breeden was first in action, cutting out Mark Draycott’s cross ,but when Stefan Brown broke away, his cross was behind the attacking players and easily cleared. The Brakes did have plenty of the play but Paul Strudley was never tested during the first half. After the interval Sam Austin’s free kick was cleared and he then shot well over the bar with another attempt. We made a triple substitution with half an hour to go and came nearest to scoring when Breeden made a great save from Matt Day’s header, but the resulting corner was cleared, Meanwhile an overhead kick from Danny Dudidat was well off target, but a goal seldom looked likely from either side. However , a draw was good enough for the home side and not a disaster for us as both sides await the play-offs not without hope.
Team; Strudley, Horgan, Tyler, Jones, Day,Rees, Clark, Herring( Rusby),Brown(Goodger),Draycott(Jarvis),Preen. Subs John, Boardman.;