Atherton Collieries' unbeaten away record against the teams at the top end of NPL West continued with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against high-flying Vauxhall Motors on Friday night.
It was a first Black and Whites visit to the vanEUPEN Arena since 2000.
And in truth, the scoreline fairly reflected a great defensive performance from both outfits, with Danny Lafferty, Calen Gallagher-Allison and Toby Oliver once again outlining their credentials for Colls, while former Stripe, Adam Rooney, likewise enjoyed a solid game for the Motormen.
Credit must also go to Vauxhall stopper Alex Swindell, who produced three top-drawer saves in the first half to keep the Collieries at bay, notably from an Aaron Dwyer free-kick, a powerful Ethan Kershaw blast and a low Kielen Adams effort.
The second half saw fewer attempts on goal for both sides, with the title-challenging hosts, formerly of the Conference North, cancelled out by Michael Clegg’s men, who are flying high in the form table as they looked to lay down a marker for next season.
The game did open up towards the end, with well-travelled veteran Kevin Ellison proving an unsurprising late threat from the Motors bench, but not one Gallagher-Allison could not handle.
The best chance of the game fell to Dwyer, after Gallagher-Allison dispossessed former Collsmon Josh Solomon-Davies to tee up the in-form goal-getter, but the striker’s powerful effort from 10 yards could only find the backside of a Motors defender.
Praise must go again to the lively Colls following who supported their heroes with impeccable enthusiasm all evening. The club really appreciates their continuing commitment.
The Collieries have the first of two remaining home matches this weekend, as Bootle travel to the Dreams2Reality Stadium on Saturday.
* The Black and Whites have this week also announced their decision to open the clubhouse throughout the week for all locals looking to enjoy an alcoholic, soft or hot beverage, from noon daily.
