Manager Neil Woolliscroft hailed this draw at high-flying New Mills as Market Drayton Town’s best performance of the season to date, writes TERRY MORRIS.

“At the kick-off, I would happily have settled for a point – but at the end I was very disappointed for the lads,” he said.

“To a man, everyone was superb and, while a draw was a good result, they really deserved to win.”

New Mills, who started this duel second in the Evo-Stik League South table, were in all sorts of trouble for the first half hour as Town, playing five in midfield and Martyn Davies as a lone front man, repeatedly turned defence into attacks.

Davies, Nicky Porter and Colum Dunphy were all guilty of firing wide after being played into one-on-one situations with the keeper before Town deservedly took the lead on the half-hour mark. Defender Christopher Young, under pressure from the persistant Davies, headed Matt Johnson’s craftily flighted free kick into his own net.

Two minute later however, New Mills were level, Antony Field finding the net after a good break down the left.

With half time looming, both sides were taking a bit of a breather when, out of the blue, Jamie Haynes put Town back in front with arguably the best goal of the game.

Ghosting in from the wing, from fully 25 yards out, he suddenly sent a sublime lofted shot over the keeper dipping into the far corner of the net.

New Mills, stung by being behind to third bottom Drayton, made a storming start after the break and Town lost skipper Paul McMullen after a clash with Dean Crowe, forcing his departure to hospital for treatment.

This disrupted Drayton and when Ashley Stott struck a good 67th minute equaliser, New Mills, further helped by a back injury that cost Town the influential midfield services of Shaun Humphreys, looked on the way to maintaining their 100 per cent league record.

In the main, it was then backs-to-the-wall stuff for Drayton and They did so with some style, Nicky Capper coming desperately close to converting for what would have been a deserved, but unexpected away victory.