Francis Vines side are still searching for their first league victory in the Nationwide Conference South, and had to settle for a point against a Cambridge City side who would be feeling more than a tad disappointed not to have left as victors for the second season in a row.
The Dragons made a promising start, and Andrew Ottleys 6th minute free kick was met by Joe Dolan, whose header looped inches over the bar. Cambridge still looked to hit Basingstoke on the break though, and Ben Bowditchs snapshot was narrowly off-target from the edge of the box on the quarter hour mark.
The home sides riposte was instant, James Taylor fed by David Ray turned his marker and let fly from 20 yards, forcing City goalkeeper Daniel Naisbitt into a flying save tipping the ball around the post. Basingstoke then went close again from the ensuing corner. Mark Peters, who was this week called up into the National Game XI for the game at Forest Green, flashed a near post header inches over.
City bounced back and had two good chances themselves. Former Barnet star Lee Roache demonstrated plenty of skill and was at the heart of the visitors best moments. The first came as he tricked his way past two defenders and clipped the ball to the far post, but too deep for strike partner Darren Lynch, who was unable to control his header when unmarked. Five minutes later, Bowditch floated a free kick into the area, and Roaches glancing header drifted just wide of Stuart Searles right hand upright.
Andrew Ottley tried his luck from 30 yards trying to catch the keeper off his line, but his effort strayed wide of the target.
Cambridge who dominated the last twenty minutes of the first half did have the ball in the net when Greg Lincolns shot deflected into the feet of Roache at the far post, but although the visitors striker found the back of the net, a linesmans flag for offside ruled the effort out.
There was no respite for the home defence at the start of the second period, and Searle had to be in excellent form to keep the scores level in the opening moments after the interval. Lynchs knock-down found Roache, but the striker delayed too long allowing Danny Brown to get in a timely last-ditch challenge. The resulting corner caused mayhem in the home area, and both Roache and Stuart Sinclair were denied from point-blank range by a remarkable double-save from the Dragons keeper.
There was an even better opportunity for the unmarked Sinclair from Craig Radcliffes low centre, but the reflexes of Searle again denied him.
The remainder of the second half deteriorated in quality much as the first had done with the home midfield guilty of wasteful passing and a lack of coordination, but there was a glimmer of hope when Simion Howell helped the ball back into the area from a half-cleared corner, but this time it was Naisbitt who had to pull off an excellent reflex save to deny Taylors volley on the turn with five minutes remaining, but it was the visitors who could so easily have nicked the points in the last minute after getting in behind Dolan, and let fly from 20 yards, but his well-struck drive flew just wide of an upright |
