Saints bounce back to pick up a point at City

Both sides made changes due to injury as Sam Smith was replaced by James Akintunde for Saints and City boss Carl Heeley made late loan signings, bringing in West Bromwich Albion central defenders Shaun Donnellan and George Cleet who both started.

Steve Diggin went close with an early glancing header before testing Nathan Vaughan when put through by Glenn Walker on the half hour mark. At the other end Daniel Nti’s deflected shot brought an early save from Sam Hornby before Diggin spurned the best chance of the first half, heading wide from Akintunde’s fine cross when the Saints top scorer was odds-on to give his side a deserved lead.

After the break it was the visitors who dictated the game and posed the goal threat, Walker’s effort was well saved after Joe Clarke’s neat cross. A lovely passage of play and surging run by Walker created further danger and Stephan Morley’s long range shot whistled just inches wide.

With 15 minutes to go Saints almost made the breakthrough as fine work on the left by Tom Winters brought a shot by substitute David Moyo that Vaughan miraculously pawed onto the woodwork. At the other end, City’s Tristian Dunkley raced the length of the field to bring a saving clearance by Pablo Mills in City’s best chance.

Try as they might neither side could conjure a goal and so shared the points in City’s first draw since September.