A score-draw between the UCL's top two teams will be music to the ears of third-placed Daventry Town after the points were shared at Outgang Road on Saturday.
Long Buckby manager Glenn Botterill was no doubt happier with the point than his Deeping Rangers counterpart as the Bucks’ were without five first team regulars.
“A draw was a fair result and I’m chuffed to bits,” said Botterill “as Paul Rice wa
s missing through suspension whilst Green, Gilsenan, Kelly and Smeathers were all injured.
“We have a big squad but going into the game only 11 of them were fit to play. If we’d lost this one Deeping would have opened up an eight-point gap at the top.”
The first-half at Market Deeping went goal-less although Russell Dunkley hit the bar for the Bucks’ on the half hour before making amends soon after the interval.
The much-travelled striker rose high to head home a Darren Harmon free-kick in the 53rd minute but Deeping salvaged a point with an equaliser 12 minutes later.
Ryan Semple who scored five times on his recent Deeping debut, produced a great strike to score with a shot which deflected off Mark Hewitt and into the visitors’ net.
The Bucks had chances to clinch all three points after that as Ben Foster went close to scoring while Dunkley hit the crossbar for a second time.
Botterill though was happy to take a point before the Bucks face another of the UCL title contenders, Holbeach United, at Station Road this coming Saturday.
Last weekend’s Premier Division matches at Bourne and St Ives also ended in score-draws but Rothwell Corinthians broke their duck in the top flight with a 2-0 home win over Blackstones.
In Division One, Bugbrooke did well to take a point from Eynesbury Rovers while leaders Peterborough NS won 3-1 at Sileby Rangers.
Buckingham kept the flag flying in the FA Vase with a 2-0 defeat of Malmesbury.
The full article contains 343 words and appears in Daventry Express newspaper.
