Blues hold favourites

Arlesey entertained one of the favourites for the BGB Southern League Midlands Division title on Tuesday evening and fought out a goalless draw.

The visitors looked a class apart on occasion but their woeful finishing cost them any chance of maximum points.

The Blues had several key players absent. Craig Reynolds and Tawid Junjea were injured while Matt Clark was not available.

The home side were denied by a brilliant save from Price in the ninth minute when he flung himself to the foot of the post to deny Ryan Francis with a header from a Lee Allen corner. Chasetown were gradually winning the midfield battle and when they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box James Russell was forced into action in pushing the ball over the bar.

In the space of three minutes at the end of the first half the Chasetown striker, Gary Birch, was guilty of two glaring misses.

First he hammered wide from five yards and then in the next attack clever play by Perrow saw his lob hit the top of the bar when it was easier to score. Both sides slogged it out in midfield at the start of the second half until the 64th minute when substitute Sterne drove the ball against the post following a flowing attack down the right. Then Harriss found space to shoot only for Russell to push his effort away for a corner.

The best home effort came from James Dillnut from a Francis knock down but his effort went straight into the midriff of Price.

The play got fractious with a series of petty fouls with the visitors showing their frustration that was almost relieved in the 90th minute when a shot by Smith appeared to be heading goalwards until somehow Matt Waldron got back to turn the ball away for a corner.

Blues: Russell, Case, Waldron, Dillnut, Moran, Brown, Allen, Kimani, Facey, Francis, Osborne, Clark.. Subs: Beaumont, Hernandes, Pringle, Junjea.

Attendance: 69