Margate 1 Nuneaton 1

A COMBINATION of the goalframe and visiting goalkeeper Mackenzie’s acrobatic heroics ensured that Nuneaton Borough returned to the West Midlands with a share of the Conference points from a 1-1 draw at Margate on Saturday.

The second half never quite lived up to the cut and thrust of the first 45 minutes but the 504 supporters who had managed to avoid the shopping expedition on the last Saturday before Christmas were treated to some fine festive football at the Crabble ground.

Had Chris Kinnear’s home side enjoyed better luck in the closing stages they would have run out easy winners. It was Nuneaton who scored first, somewhat against the early run of play.

Phil Collins and Greg Oates had both gone close when Terry McFlynn’s 10th-minute sliced midfield pass fell to Andy Ducros the diminutive on-loan signing from Kidderminster danced his way through the Margate midfield from the half way line to the edge of the area, side stepped Lee Shearer with ease and then unleashed an unstoppable shot that left Charlie Mitten grasping thin air. A cracker of a goal.

The lead lasted only eight minutes. Adrian Clarke’s corner was half cleared and he whipped the ball back in for Simon Beard to tuck away a near post header.

Now it was all Margate. Jay Saunders was denied by Mackenzie’s dive at his feet and Beard, again, with a 35 yard effort, grimaced at the sight of the visiting keeper’s outstretched hand deflecting his goal bound shot for a corner.

In the second half Kinnear introduced new signing Jean-Michel Sigere to the fray and he made an immediate impact with his almost undetectable change of pace.

No doubt, this will be a superb foil to Leon Braithwaite’s sheer pace when he returns. But it was to be the final four minutes of this game that decided its destiny.

Four minutes from time Collins headed against the bar and Sigere struck the rebound against the post from all of two yards. Just 60 seconds later Beard rifled a 25-yarder against the crossbar.

Another minute passed before Saunders had a header parried by Mackenzie who somehow managed to get to his feet quick enough to dive, and turn round the post, Clarke’s follow-up shot as he pounced on the loose ball.