Puritans display their mettle to earn another point

The Puritans returned from lowly Lowestoft Town with another point from Saturday's stalemate.

They are the only club in Premier Central that have conceded less than a goal per game, and what is particularly impressive about this performance is that they had to play with only ten men for an hour after Gedeon Okito was sent off. That was in addition to being without top defenders Charlie Hawtin and Jack Westbrook.

The first chance of the game came when Okito released John Mills, who beat two defenders as he cut in from the right and beat keeper Luis Tibbles only to see his effort come back off the post before being cleared. In the 33rd minute Okito was sent off after an off-the-ball incident on the halfway line.

In the second-half, United showed their mettle and were obviously forced back on defence for long periods. But their concentration never wavered and. together with some poor finishing by the home side, always looked comfortable. Most of the second half play was in and around the halfway line as Lowestoft found it difficult to penetrate the Puritans’ defence.

United almost broke the deadlock when Jaanai Gordon, with three defenders in close attention, still managed to get a shot away, just inside the penalty area, and Tibbles palmed the ball to safety. In the last five minutes Giorgio Rasulo hit the bar from a free-kick but United had to settle for a good point in difficult circumstances.