Pictures and analysis of AFC Telford 0 Alferton 0

It took a Herculean effort by staff and supporters to get the game on following heavy snow – and AFC Telford United showed the same spirited characteristics on the pitch against Alfreton.

But a second consecutive 0-0 draw, with other results going against them on Saturday, emphasised that performances alone will not be good enough to keep the Bucks in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

The game will be filed away, along with so many others this season, as a missed opportunity to grab that elusive win.

For all their endeavour in a fully-committed team display, Telford's lack of quality in front of goal was again abundant.

The result, coupled with surprising wins for Barrow and Stockport, plunges Telford back into the drop zone, two points adrift with more games played than their rivals.

Now without a win in 15 games – beating a 'club' record set by Wellington Town 99 years ago – the numbers appear to be stacking up firmly against Andy Sinton's team.

There were, though, signs of significant improvement again on Saturday.

And while a win is desperately needed, it is hard to see that abysmal run extending much further if the team can reproduce the same type of display week-in, week-out that they have managed in their last two games.

As it had done against Luton in midweek the back four looked solid, coped well with set-pieces and limited the Reds to very few goal-scoring chances.

They enjoyed a slice of luck early on when errors by Dan Preston and Jordan Rose allowed Nathan Arnold in on goal, only for the winger to scuff his shot at goalkeeper Ryan Young.

Ben Tomlinson drew another save a minute later but that aside they were very rarely troubled.

The Bucks' attack has also come under fire following several toothless displays, but it would probably be inaccurate to apply that term to Saturday's performance.

While they struggled to create any decent chances against Southport and Wrexham at home for example, they created several against Alfreton. Creativity was not the problem.

Finishing was their short-coming. Whether these two draws are the precursor to a sustained spell of improvement or a prelude to another string of defeats it is impossible to tell at this stage.

Telford have certainly got a better chance of beating the drop if they can sustain this level of performance.

But whichever way you analyse it, there is no escaping the fact that Telford should have had three points on Saturday.

Steve Leslie's shot over the bar and a chipped effort from Gerard Kinsella that never troubled Phil Barnes were the only strikes Telford managed of note in a stop-start first half littered with heavy challenges.

But Telford found another gear after the break and for the fourth time in three games, they were denied by the woodwork.

Nathan Rooney's drive came back off the crossbar after Jake Reid's shot had been saved, but the chance went begging after Reid fired the rebound over.

Steve Jones failed to react to a delightful pass from Reid soon afterwards, which would have given him a tap in at the far post.

But the former Walsall man looked to have found the breakthrough with 25 minutes remaining only for his accurate low drive to be pushed round the post at the last minute.

Second-half substitute Luke Hubbins pulled just wide a few minutes later and he almost caught Barnes off his line with a chip late in the game.

When Phil Trainer's header was cleared off the line with three minutes to go it confirmed this was not going to be Telford's day.

But still the Bucks had time to create one more chance, which Rooney fired over from within the box in stoppage time.

A heart-stopping Connor Franklin effort 10 minutes after the re-start and a Josh Law shot over the bar were the best Alfreton could muster at the other end in a fairly one-sided second-half.

Back-to-back draws for the first time since early November – and two consecutive clean sheets for the first time since August – does represent a step forward for the Bucks.

But the harsh reality is that they now need not only wins, but their rivals to slip up, to pull themselves out of the drop zone.

By Matthew Viney