SWINDON Supermarine shared the spoils with fellow strugglers Bedford Town in an uninspiring encounter at Hunts Copse at the weekend.

Mark Collier’s side were made to settle for a point that provided them with a small boost in their bid to move away from the lower reaches of the Southern League Premier Division.

Bedford started the brighter and it was not until the 19th minute that Marine had their first real effort on goal.

Marine skipper Matt Robinson ghosted past Graham Clark on the left flank and centred, only for Sam Morris to shoot wide when in space.

Minutes after the interval Ian Draycott combined with Ivan Rodriguez Nunez and brought a good save from home stopper Matt Bulman.

Joe Harris was a constant menace down the left flank, linking up well with Nick Stanley and Ady WIlliams, and it was the midfielder that created the best chance of the game on 56 minutes.

Robinson playing the ball to Harris and his searching cross found the unmarked Ady Williams, who headed just over with the goal gaping.

Mark Barnes saw his shot roll wide of Mike Armitt’s goal before the Eagles had a strong penalty claim turned down late on, when Robert Hobbs appeared to handle inside the box.

“It was what I call an ugly 0-0,” said Supermarine chief Mark Collier. “I think it was a fair result.”

“We kept a clean sheet which is pleasing and maybe it’s a small step in the right direction.

“We’ve had some bad results and this was a better result. It keeps the points ticking over and the spirits up.”

Collier added that the performance was also an improvement on the display that saw his side defeated 3-1 at Hemel Hempstead Town nine days ago.

“The main thing was we got a response from last week and the players were fully committed,” he said.

“The players were disappointed we had only drawn the game but that shows good character.

“We showed lots of resolve and looked tight and organised at the back, it’s just about finding that key to unlocking defences at the other end.”

Elsewhere in the division, Chippenham Town were denied a win over league leaders Farnborough after taking a first-half lead.

Luke Gullick put the Bluebirds 1-0 up after 26 minutes but Gary Holloway equalised with a scorching long range effort not long after the interval.

On 64 minutes Qezie Ibe beat Snoddy to make it 2-1 and the same man wrapped it up late on as his slid under the Chippenham stopper.

In the Southern League Division One South and West, Cirencester Town slipped to fourth after losing 2-1 to AFC Totton in spite of a late effort by Ryan Parker.

WOOTTON Bassett Town moved to fourth in the Hellenic League Division One after surviving a late onslaught by 10-man Easington Sports.

Bassett emerged 3-2 winners over their fellow high flyers following a dramatic sequence of events at Rylands Way.

A firm Liam Edmondson header put Bassett in front on six minutes and a sublime curling finish from Terry Adams made it 2-0 mid-way through the first period.

But Steve Howkins guided home a free header at the far post to reduce the advantage to 2-1, and the same man directed Dan Reeves’ cross into the net seven minutes after the break.

The turning point came just before the hour when the visitors were reduced to 10 men, as goalkeeper Kurt Fox was adjudged to have felled Alex Green in the box and was dismissed.

Green despatched the spot kick and it looked as if the game was over. But gutsy Easington kept going and wave after wave of attacks saw Bassett’s backs against the wall, although they ultimately held out.

“They were probably the better team for the last 25 minutes,” admitted Bassett chief Dave Turner.

“Sometimes a sending of galvanises you as a team, especially if you think it is an injustice.

“But defending is as much a part of the game as scoring goals and we did that.”

Elsewhere in the division, Purton, fresh from signing Lee Bowen from Cricklade Town and Steven Keir from Swindon Supermarine, were 4-2 winners at home to Winterbourne United.

The result sees Chris Pethick’s men keep the pressure on first-placed Slimbridge at the business end of the table.

Cricklade Town were defeated 3-2 at North Leigh Reserves while Cirencester United notched up a rare win at Launton Sports, winning 3-1 against the bottom side.

Meanwhile, in the Hellenic League Premier Division, goals from Matty Bennett and Tony Joyce were sufficient to give Highworth Town a 2-0 victory at Marlow.

Chris Oke netted as Malmesbury Vics emerged 1-0 winners at Old Woodstock Town, while Fairford drew 1-1 at home to Hook Norton. Shrivenham played out a goal-less stalemate against visiting Ascot United.

Meanwhile, the draws for two Hellenic cup competitions have been made, with all ties to be played on November 28.

In the Bluefin Insurance Brokers Challenge Cup second round, Fairford visit Ardley United and Shrivenham travel to Shortwood United.

In the Soccer Kits Plus Supplementary Cup preliminary round, Cirencester United host Bicester Town and Malmesbury Vics journey to Prestwood.