Recap
Over 180 minutes of football this month failed to see a goal between the sides as a blustery afternoon at Heritage Park restricted chances throughout.
The first half was particularly non-eventful, with half-hearted penalty shouts for Bishops’ as Howard tried to get on the end of a cross but appeared to be held briefly as he tried to get away from his marker. There was only one effort on Norton’s goal at the other end, the ball dropping over the crossbar to safety.
The second half carried on largely in the same vein, with the ball at times struggling to get into the Bishops’ half as Belper, this time, contended with the wind. Many of the Bishops’ attempted attacks came to nothing as most attempted long balls were carried beyond the forwards, making it a tough watch as a spectacle.
The game could have turned with around 20 minutes left when John Howard was red-carded for a tug, having already been booked for dissent in the first half, but in truth, the lack of chances at either end meant it had no real impact on the flow of the game.
The only clear-cut chance was squandered by Bartliff as the attacking midfielder got on the end of a pass but blazed just over the bar. A minute prior to this, Belper had arguably their best moment in the game when an attacker beat his defender but failed to make the most of his half chance in the box.
The point apiece saw the visitors drop out of the play-off spots due to results elsewhere, with no change to Bishops’ eleventh position in the table.
Match report by Gavin Hadden
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