PORTHLEVEN kept their unbeaten run intact with a hard-fought goalless draw at Wadebridge Town on Saturday.
The Fishermen, who ended the game with ten men after Dan Richardson picked up a second yellow card late on, came closest to breaking the deadlock at Bodieve Park through Kyle Fraser, who struck the post.
The visitors had goalkeeper Martyn Webster to thank for several important stops, including two big diving saves to deny in-form striker Kyle Flew in the second half.
The draw means Port’s winning run ends at three games, but Graham Blake’s side have now taken an impressive ten points from their last four outings.
The two sides were both up against a 12th man in Storm Alex, whose strong wind made life difficult for both teams throughout.
The teams traded tame strikes early on as the forwards got to grips with the conditions, with Dan Quirke and Charlie young testing Rob Rosevear before Jacob Smale arrowed a shot towards Martyn Webster.
Controversy came in the 14th minute when Ben Williams rose to meet Sam Wickins’ corner delivery at the back post, with the home side protesting that the ball had crossed the line before it had been hoofed clear, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.
Wester then saved from Williams before Jack MacKenzie headed wide as the home side began to take charge, before Port responded late in the half through Ross Duncan, who had one shot saved by Rosevear before sending another inches wide from the edge of the box.
The game was paused for a few minutes late in the half when Port defender Matt Laithwaite suffered a nasty injury to his shoulder, with the left back being replaced by player-head coach Jame Thomson.
The Bridgers immediately set about taking back control of the game early in the second half with Thomson’s vital intervention taking Kyle Flew’s cross away from the lurking Matt Lloyd before Webster did brilliantly to tip Flew’s close-range header away.
But the Fishermen eventually worked their way back into the game with Duncan beating the defender for pace and arrowing a shot inches wide of the far corner from the right of the box.
The visitors’ best chance came in the 76th minute when Fraser’s corner delivery failed to clear the first man, but quickly regained possession on the corner of the box and curled the ball against the outside of the far post with Rosevear well beaten.
Both sides sniffed a winner as the game entered the final ten minutes. Flew turned Lloyd’s cross agonisingly wide at one end before Fraser spurned a golden chance at the other, taking Young’s low cross past Rosevear but opted to pass than shoot from a tight angle and saw Wadebridge scramble the ball away.
Port had to play the final two minutes plus injury time with ten men after Richardson earned his second yellow card for a late challenge in the middle of the park.
The Bridgers looked to have won it in the fourth minute of injury time when a long throw was flicked on to Flew at the back post, who saw his header from two yards out somehow tipped away by Webster.
Porthleven: M Webster, M Roberts, M Laithwaite (J Thomson 43), I Dryburgh, H Howlett, J Harrison, R Duncan (S Leslie 71), D Richardson, D Quirke (G Molcher 71), C Young, K Fraser.
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