Crusaders held by Stratford

A bitterly cold wind made it unpleasant for spectators and difficult for the players as the teams fought out a goalless draw, a fair result as the two teams cancelled each other out and there were few chances in a close game at Bulpit Lane . We therefore remained in 6th. place, level on points with Redditch who have two games in hand.
A long cross from Gary Horgan was cleared and when James Clark was fouled, Matt Day’s free-kick was easily saved. Defences were generally on top as the wind made ball control difficult , but Paul Strudley had to be quick off his line to cut out a through ball and Clark was unlucky with a long shot which glanced off the top of the bar just before the interval, the nearest either side came to scoring throughout the game
We faced the strong wind in the second half and the visitors were easily able to hoist the ball the length of the pitch as the wind seemed to increase in strength, but defences were generally on top and neither side looked like breaking the deadlock. We had a spell of attacking midway through the half and gained two corners in quick succession, before Mike Jones eventually shot wide as a draw looked more and more likely.
We brought on all three subs in an attempt to force a win, but the defenders had the edge and the game ended goalless despite plenty of effort from both sides.
Team;Strudley, Horgan(O’Brien),John, Boardman, Day,Rusby, Tyler, Jones(Draycott),Jarvis, Brown , Clark(Goodger) Subs;Herring, Rees.