Thackley 1 Pickering Town 1

THE new regime stopped the rot as Thackley put an end to a five-match losing streak with a point at home against a good Pickering Town side in the Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

Thackley took an early lead but were pegged back before half-time. The second half was action packed but failed to produce any goals, the visitors coming closest but twice being denied by the woodwork and several times by keeper Ed Hall.

New first-team head coach Carl Priestley was not entirely satisfied. He said: “It was a frustrating afternoon really. I thought we defended well but we needed a bit more in the final third.

“It had been a difficult week, and after what has gone on for those players to go out there and give me that much in terms of effort was fantastic. I was pleased with the new players that came in as well but its more about the players that are already here because I want to give them every chance to prove themselves.

“They worked hard and I thought the back five were excellent. We rode our luck a bit, especially when they hit the inside of the post but Ed played really well and made some important saves so I think we earned that bit of luck.”

Thackley had threatened twice before they broke the deadlock in the seventh minute from a set-piece. The Pikes had conceded a needless free-kick 25 yards out and Mark Trueman lashed it home.

The home side were forced into an early change as Danny Lyness succumbed to injury midway through the first half, and Elliott Holmes replaced him. Holmes was one of three players to make their Thackley debuts, Nathaniel Dacres and Antonie Burke being the others.

The visitors drew level just before the half-hour with an opportunist strike by Sam Calvert. The forward had found space on the left- hand side of the area and netted a neat, low shot across Hall into the far corner.

In the second half, the woodwork saved the Dennyboys when a Calvert shot from outside the area came back off the bar, and later when Lewis Taylor’s header struck the inside of a post and flew across the face of Hall’s goal.

Thackley could have stolen all three points as Chris Davey and Trueman both went close in stoppage time.