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Town hold league leaders

North Notts 0 Coalville Town 0 

Bodykraft East Midlands Premier Division

Coalville became the first side this season to prevent league leaders North Notts from scoring a goal in a game.

County Drains-sponsored Town put in a gritty display to pick up a deserved point in freezing conditions in Mansfield. The first half was a tight affair, with Coalville's Ryan Mason and Adam Barnett up front getting little change out of the North Notts defence.

At the other end, Liam McArthur and James Woodard were working well together as a new look central defensive pairing, with Rich Wright and Mick Clarke providing good support on the right and left of defence.

Coalville keeper Paul Marston was forced to make one save early on, but apart from that the Town goal was barely threatened in the first half as most of the play was in the middle of the park. Coalville managed to create a half chance, with Mason seeing his shot go wide, while Mark Newman saw another effort blocked by a last ditch tackle.

The two sides went in level at the break, and the second half saw North Notts come on stronger. But not before Coalville had had their best chance of the game. Chris Vernon, who was returning following injury, picked the ball up on the left flank and crossed to the near post where Andy Newman deflected the ball towards goal - but saw his effort rise above the crossbar and out of play.

This seemed to stir the home side, and they began to pile forward. McArthur and Woodard made countless fine tackles to keep North Notts at bay, and Phil Sign, Brian Robinson, Sam Crowie and the Newman brothers were both working incredibly hard in midfield.

With 20 minutes left, the umpires asked both teams if they wanted to continue as the pitch, by now, was becoming quite hard and slippy in places. Town, naturally, wanted to continue. North Notts soon forced a good reflex save out of Marston, and the Town keeper then had to be at his very best to keep a drag flick at a penalty corner out of the goal, parrying the forceful effort over the crossbar.

As time ran out, Coalville had picked up a valuable point that they wouldn't have expected to have got. Town go into 2008 with their first clean sheet of 2007!