Pictures and analysis of AFC Telford 0 Gateshead 0

It was not pretty, but it was significantly better for AFC Telford than their abject display against Macclesfield just four days earlier.

The Bucks did not emerge from their first game on new caretaker manager John Psaras's watch with a desperately-required three points.

But there was still enough to admire in a committed display which will have gone some way towards appeasing dissatisfied supporters, some of whom jeered the team off at the weekend.

It has been a tumultuous four days for the Bucks which began with the resignation of previous caretaker boss Graham Hyde on Sunday.

And the team fielded by Psaras bore the scars of a busy week of comings and goings.

The Bucks began the game with three changes to the starting XI following the departures of Jordan Rose and Jake Reid, on loan to Alfreton and Welling respectively, while Bagasan Graham returned to his parent club Cheltenham on Tuesday.

In their places were Steve Jones, Nathan Rooney and Steven Leslie while academy player James O'Neil was named on a bench which contained only four substitutes.

Luke Hubbins and assistant boss Alex Meechan had been ruled out because of a knee injury and a problem relating to international clearance respectively, leaving Telford short on numbers.

The Bucks almost got off to a nightmare start, but goalkeeper Ryan Young did well to deny Gateshead striker James Brown from close range inside six minutes.

The Telford custodian was again called into action seconds later after defender Simon Ford inadvertently stabbed the resulting corner-kick goalwards.

Again Young managed to claw the danger away while at the other end, Leslie fired over from just outside the box.

The visitors found their rhythm the quicker of the two sides and enjoyed a lot of possession in the opening 30 minutes or so.

Bucks captain Ryan Valentine led by example when he blocked James Marwood's fierce shot on the edge of the box.

And Ryan Donaldson had Young stretching as he looped a dangerous header just over from Paddy Boyle's arching left-wing cross with 19 minutes gone

The Bucks were becoming hemmed in their own half, but continued to press and hurry the visitors, none more so than Walsall loanee Aaron Williams who was a tireless runner throughout.

Will Salmon, too, was having some joy down the right flank and he created a decent headed chance for Williams which was comfortably saved.

And it was Telford who dominated possession as the first half drew to a close, albeit without finding the killer pass needed to open up their opponents.

Quality in the final third had been at a premium for both sides in the opening 45 minutes – and so it continued after the break.

Donaldson drew a solid save from Young at the near post soon after the re-start and Ben Clark did the same from a corner-kick.

But the most dramatic moment in the first 20 minutes of the second-half came when Gateshead defender Carl Magnay went down in apparent agony after a late challenge by Williams, and had to be taken off on a stretcher as a result. Williams was booked for the foul.

Luckily a stodgy spectacle came to life in the final quarter of the game as both sides pressed for a winner.

Salmon had hearts in mouths when his last-ditch clearance from Donaldson's inviting right-wing cross flew just a few inches wide of the Telford goal.

And Marwood was not far away either with a low drive which fizzed just wide.

At the other end, Phil Trainer saw a fierce goalbound effort blocked at the last second before Nathan Rooney powered a volley fractionally over with three minutes of normal time remaining.

The same player drew a solid save from Bartlett with a thumping 30-yard free-kick in stoppage time

But Liam Hatch twice could have stolen the points for the visitors in the dying minutes.

He was first denied by a last-ditch Salmon tackle and then headed just wide from a Donaldson cross.

In the cold light of day, it's a result which does very little to boost Telford's dwindling survival hopes.

But it was at least a full-blooded, battling display that supporters could identify with and of which they could be proud.

By Matthew Viney