For two teams that have been neck and neck all season long challenging for promotion, this was probably not what most would have expected in terms of quality. United did however come away from Cherrywood Road with a point from a goalless draw that saw both goalkeepers pretty much redundant on a bumpy pitch where United’s ground game struggled to function for the majority of the game and the hosts seemed intent on trying to find the clouds with a succession of long punts forwards to an isolated former United striker Elliott Buchanan with United’s defence dealing with most attacks reasonably comfortably. Early play saw both sides getting used to each other with the referee intent on stopping play for the least little challenge, it is a contact sport after all. A half chance for the hosts on eight minutes saw the ball chipped up to Sam Deering on the edge of the United box but he shot wide without troubling the returning Ravan Constable in the United goal. Just beyond the quarter hour mark Francis Amartey received the ball wide on the left and raced full throttle past defender John Oyenuga but sadly his low driven ball across the six yard box failed to find an oncoming United boot and the danger went away. United were to go on to create the only real moment of quality in the first half on 37 minutes, Cole Brown moved inside from the right and fed the ball to an advancing Jordan Norville-Williams, he in turn found Amartey in the area and with his back to go he swivelled past his marker and fired in a shot that Jack Turner in the hosts goal pushed wide. A minute from the break, with the United goal barely being pressed, a long ball forwards to Moses Emmanuel saw the United striker and Turner reach the ball and run into each other just outside the box with referee Bartlett deciding a foul had somehow been committed by the United man when in all honesty both parties went for the same ball and collided. The break came soon after with both teams going in for half-time drinks level at 0-0. Ten minutes into the second half, United carelessly conceded possession 30 yards out and when the ball was fed to Reggie Young on the edge of the box the danger didn’t materialise as his shot was closer to the corner flag than the goal thankfully for United’s defence. Just after the hour United lost Ben Frempah to injury with Jack Connors coming on as a replacement which meant a reshape at the back with Josh Payne dropping into defence from midfield. The final half hour of normal time was really a non-event for both sides with the hosts still failing to get a shot on target from the very few they were allowed and United fared no better with the closest effort coming from a Jordan Ngalo shot from the edge of the box that went just the wrong side of the upright. Four minutes into stoppage time though United almost saw their endeavors wiped out when yet another bobble, as Constable was about to clear, saw his attempt roll to ‘Boro substitute David Pratt who was to have his effort blocked by the United stopper at close quarters and the game closed out as United’s first goalless draw of the season and we go again Tuesday at the SKYex. Report by Kevin Watts.