Pictures and analysis of AFC Telford 0 Luton 0

With AFC Telford United coming off the back of a defeat to Braintree, last night's home clash with Luton had the potential to be even more demoralising.

Last time the promotion-chasing Hatters faced a team in the Blue Square Bet Premier's bottom four they scored six, and that after dumping Championship side Wolves out of the FA Cup.

And had Paul Buckle's side got their noses in front early on, as both of Telford's previous opponents had, there was the potential Andy Sinton's team could have suffered a heavy defeat.

Instead, they produced a performance full of commitment and determination against a highly-rated opponent that restored some of the team's wounded pride, and at least momentarily dragged them clear of the drop zone.

The brutal reality is the goalless draw at the New Bucks Head stretched their winless league run to 14 games – leveling the 'club' record set by ancestor Wellington Town in the 1913-14 season.

And they remain at risk of being cut adrift from safety, having played up to two games more than the sides around them.

But it gives Telford something to build on, a ray of light that just might be the catalyst for a season-saving revival.

Of course, the Bucks were in the same position this time last week, having grabbed a creditable draw at Hereford United.

How they respond to this positive result will be the key to determining the exact value of this hard-earned point.

And it was a deserved point. Telford began in just the right manner, closing down their more-fancied opponents quickly and denying them space or time on the ball.

So successful was this tactic that Luton did not muster a decent attack in the entire first 45 minutes.

Hatters striker Andre Gray, who had a brief spell on loan with the Bucks under Rob Smith, threatened with his pace but was frequently crowded out by a well-organised Bucks back line.

Telford were hardly prolific going forward themselves in a cagey first half but they did test goalkeeper Mark Tyler on two notable occasions.

Steve Leslie finished a slick move down the left wing with a thumping 20-yard volley which Tyler gratefully gathered.

And Gerard Kinsella then forced a stretching save with a looping header after good work from Jake Reid and Leslie.

It was Leslie again taking aim just after the 30 minute mark but his fizzing drive on the turn went wide.

And the same played curled over from the edge of the box while Reid had a powerful drive blocked from similar distance by Janos Kovacs eight minutes before the break.

Telford have on too many occasions this season not been able to sustain their performance after the interval.

But Kinsella provided an early indication that this would not be the case last night when he rattled the crossbar with a fierce drive from 25 yards after the Hatters had failed to properly clear Nathan Rooney's free kick.

However, Luton began to get a grip on the game in the final 30 minutes, and they gradually increased the pressure.

Kris Taylor did well to make a block after Gray had beaten Rose and fired over a dangerous cross into the box.

And the same player created the game's best chance after 57 minutes only for Jon Shaw to blaze over from the centre of the penalty box barely 15 yards out.

Young was far more fiercely tested after Gray turned his marker on the edge of the box just before the hour, but the goalkeeper was equal to the effort.

Gray was at the heart of everything Luton produced in attack and he again tested Young with a close range header from Ronnie Henry's cross, which the goalkeeper saved.

That Buckle chose to remove his star player, Gray, with eight minutes remaining seemed a strange move as he looked the most likely player to break the deadlock.

But it may also have been an acknowledgement that his original plan was not quite working against a determined defence.

Stuart Fleetwood was sent on as his replacement but made little impact in the short time left.

While Telford never looked like winning the game late on they also seldom looked like losing it either.

And given their current form and the quality of opposition, that represents a significant improvement.

By Matthew Viney