THE goalless scoreline aptly summed up Braintree Town's draw with FC Halifax Town encounter at Cressing Road on Saturday where defences dominated the game.
After a dull and uninspiring first half for the 909 spectators the match did liven up after the interval and the Iron played much better and had a greater share of the game, managing to finally prize open the visiting rearguard with three or four good chances which all went begging.
The best one came four minutes from time when substitute Michael Bakare was left unmarked in the area where he met a left wing cross from Simeon Akinola, but instead of controlling the ball first he tried a flashy first time sideways scissor-kick that ballooned over the bar.
Had the Iron nicked all three points it would have been an injustice on the visitors, currently second in the league, which was easy to see, as their long ball game seemed set to pay dividends whenever they attacked.
But an outstanding afternoon's work by the Iron backline, led by the impressiveAlan Massey, kept them at bay and a tremendous save by keeper Nick Hamann, pushing Paul Marshall's free-kick round the foot of a post on 76 minutes, ensured the match ended in deadlock.
Although desperate for a win as usual Iron manager Alan Devonshire felt it was a case of two "decent sides cancelling each other out with both defences outstanding."
It saw his team keep their fifth clean sheet of the campaign and he added: "I was pleased with a clean sheet as we defended well when we needed to.
"It's hard to play against that when the ball is bombing into our box from long throws and all that but we defended well and Nick (Hamann) really had only a save to make from that second half free-kick.
"And really it looked like there was only one side trying to win it at the end when we had a few little chances when we could have nicked it.
"But it's our first drawn game this season and I'm not going to complain."
Devonshire admitted with so many injuries it was case of getting the walking wounded to play adding: "Jordan (Cox) is playing with an injury and so are one or two others but I've no other options left at present but again they all still gave me everything and I can't ask for more."
The main threat from the visitors all afternoon was for the Iron defence who had to withstand a barrage of high balls into their box from set pieces and long throw-ins by the Shaymen's Marc Roberts.
But led by Massey the home defence stood firm and in that much improved second half looked the more likely side to break the deadlock.
In the first half the Iron's best chance fell to skipper Kenny Davis but he side-footed the ball from a corner wide of the target.
The visitors' best chance of the half came on 39 minutes when a cross into the Iron box fell to Danny Hattersley who could not stretch to make contact with the ball.
The Iron certainly raised the tempo after the interval but again they were let down by not just having that bit of quality when it came to finishing good moves off in the final third of the pitch.
In the final ten minutes of the game the Iron attacked relentlessly to try and snatch a winner and after Bakare's miss James Mulley tried a shot with the outside of his boot when he was found on the edge of the Halifax box but again the shot went just over.
Mulley then ran at the visiting defence and crossed the ball to Bakare in the middle of the box but this time his effort was finally blocked at the second attempt.
A draw was a fair result and the Iron look to entertain league leaders Barnet on Tuesday evening which will prove another stiff test.
Braintree Town: Hamann; Peters, Habergham, Brundle, Massey; Mulley, Davis, Walker (Bakare, 71), Issac; Cox, Akinola.
Unused Subs: Smith, Pentney, Maybanks, Case
