Fleetwood Town have narrowed the gap at the bottom of the table after a goalless draw against Bristol Rovers at Highbury Stadium.
Town gained a point in what was an even game against the Pirates on Tuesday night, and it was an evening for goalkeepers as both were on form to deny their opponents.
It was a slow start to the game with both sides trying to work each other out. Neither keeper was tested in the first quarter of an hour with both sides also competing against the testing weather conditions to play football in.
The game started to pick up on the 20-minute mark as Phoenix Patterson received a switch from Bosun Lawal, and Town threatened the visitors' box for a short period with nothing really coming of the play.
It was a good spell for Fleetwood leading up to the half-hour mark. Brendan Wiredu led the charge carrying the ball half the length of the pitch, and with momentum, it followed Patterson who received the ball and a mixture of players in red tested the Gas’ back-line, but no efforts on goal apart from a tame Danny Mayor strike that went wide.
But with five minutes to go before the halfway mark, Promise Omochere drove towards the by-line, he picked out Mayor, but the midfielder's strike was greeted with a last-ditch block by Connor Taylor.
Patterson again teased and showed encouraging signs down the left flank as Gavin Kilkenny’s interception allowed Patterson a chance to put a glancing ball across the face of Rover’s goal.
Jay Lynch was called into action against the run of play just before the interval as he got down quickly to deny Chris Martin’s one on one effort to keep the score goalless going into the break.
Again, it was an even start to the second half as following Town’s efforts on goal, Rovers counter-attacked where Lynch matched Scott Sinclair’s strike and Shaun Rooney cleared the following danger.
On the hour mark, Lynch’s ball over the Gas’ defence was met by Omochere - who set up Broom who found Kilkenny whose effort clattered the crossbar. Was that the key moments in the game?
The side from the Fylde Coast continued to have a positive spell, and midway in the second period, Stockley almost bundled the ball into the back of the net, but Taylor was there to hook it off the line.
Town’s number nine again had an opportunity as his header was well held by Jed Ward.
The game finished cagey and opened up as both sides huffed and puffed at their opposite numbers, however, the ball never dropped behind the goal line leaving Town now six points off safety.
Town XI: Lynch (GK), Wiredu (C), Lawal, Kilkenny, Stockley (Lonergan 89’), Mayor (Graydon 57’), Broom, Heneghan, Omochere, Rooney, Patterson.
Unused subs: McMullan (GK), Johnston, Boyes, Samuels, Simons.
Rovers XI: Ward (GK), Gordon, Finley (C), Sinclair, Taylor, Martin, Vale (Vaughan75’), Evans, Conteh (Ward 75’), Baggott, Hoole.
Unused subs: Cox (GK), Grant, Marquis, Brown, Crama.
