Town held by Dunstable in drab draw

STRATFORD Town are now without a home league win in seven games following Saturday's low-key 0-0 draw with Dunstable Town at the DCS Stadium, writes Bryan Hale.

Carl Adams rang the changes after the defeat at Cambridge on Wednesday with only Andy Kemp, Kieren Westwood, Jack Roberts, Jamie Sheldon and Mark Magee retaining their placers in the starting line-up.

Among those coming in was ex-youth teamer Luke Fox for his Southern League debut.

On a sunny afternoon, the game took some time to spring to life with neither goal seriously threatened until the 17th minute when Dunstable’s Steve Wales volleyed inches past the post.

Shortly after Town created their best chance so far when Tyrone Fagan crossed from the right only for Mark Magee to direct a free header narrowly wide from virtually on the penalty spot.

When play switched to the other end Andy Kemp did well to keep out a close-range effort from Jonathan Edwards at the foot of his right hand post, and it was Edwards who came closest to breaking the deadlock three minutes before the interval with a fiercely-struck right-footer with man-of-the-match Kemp again denying him as he pushed it behind at full stretch to his left.

Both sides went close early in the second half, with Magee having a first time attempt held by Dunstable keeper Bartosz Pedrycz taking off to his left followed by Kemp finger tipping a curling David Keenlyside free-kick round the post.

The busy Edwards was not far away with a well-struck shot on the turn before Kemp again kept Town in the game with a close-range save from Chris Vardy with 20 minutes to go,

Into the closing ten minutes and a long clearance by Fox sent substitute Dior Angus clear down the left but his cross went beyond Jamie Sheldon at the far post.

As the game went into added time, Angus almost won it for Town when he broke away down the inside right channel only to shot too close to the advancing Pedrycz, who was able to beat it away and make sure that the points were shared.

TOWN: Andy Kemp, Gary Moran (c), Aaron Stringfellow, Kieren Westwood, Marcel Simpson, Liam Francis, Luke Fox, Simeon Tulloch, Jack Roberts, Tyrone Fagan (Dior Angus 74), Mark Magee (Richard Gregory 69), Jamie Sheldon. Subs not used: Aaron Moses-Garvey, Aaron Stringfellow, Anthony Charles

Full report in next week's Herald