A DEPLETED North Leigh battled hard to secure a valuable point away to second-placed Evesham United in the Evo-Stik Southern League on Saturday.

The Division 1 South & West game finished 1-1 after the home side had cancelled out Lance Williams’s early goal for the Millers.

With several of the squad missing through sickness, injury, work commitments and suspension, North Leigh manager John Brough had a limited choice of starting line-up.

However, a real positive was the debut of new signing Will Wellon facing the club he had just left.

He performed heroics in central defence along with the whole team in withstanding a real battering from their opponents.

Millers keeper Manny Agboola had to be alert early on to deny Evesham’s top-scorer Lance Smith and then saving well from Garyn Preen.

Then to the surprise of the large home crowd, the visitors took the lead.

A lofted ball from midfield found Jamie Cook on the right of the Evesham penalty area.

He laid it back to Williams, who hit a crisp right-foot shot into the far corner beyond the grasping reach of Evesham’s massive keeper Kevin Sawyer.

Evesham hit back strongly with a series of corners, from one of which Cook cleared Ashley Williams’s header off the line.

The visitors had their backs to the wall, but the whole defence stood firm.

However, Preen finally beat Agboola with a left-foot strike from 15 yards that rocketed into the bottom corner of the net.

The second half was a story of incessant attacks by Evesham and brave defending by North Leigh, who made the occasional break-out.

Evesham attempted attacks down each flank, strikes through the middle plus numerous set-plays, but time and time again a last-ditch tackle, block or deflection prevented a goal.

Its probably unfair to pick out particular Leigh players but certainly apart from the keeper already mentioned the two full backs Jon Else and Michael Hopkins plus central defenders/midfielders Stuart Hole, Wellon, Dan Jones, Wayne Turk and Lance Williams were crucial in defence.

Late on, tensions increased and tempers were lost particularly by the hosts unused to being held to a draw.

North Leigh: Agboola, Else, Hopkins, Turk, Hole, D Jones, Wellon, L Williams, M Williams (Platt 85), Cook (R James 72), Lymn. Subs not used: Thompson, Seacole, M Woodley.

Attendance: 322

l THE Division 1 South & West games between Didcot Town and Shortwood United as well as Taunton Town and Wantage Town were postponed due to frozen pitches along with Kidlington’s trip to Arlesey Town in Division 1 Central.