St Neots Town battle to hard-earned point at Lichfield

St Neots Town picked up a valuable away point after a goalless draw against Lichfield City in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midland Division — although results elsewhere mean the Saints remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Following their heaviest home defeat of the season last time out, the visitors delivered a much-improved and determined performance to earn a share of the spoils in a closely fought contest lacking clear-cut chances.

Both sides came into the match struggling for form, with Lichfield having won just once in their previous six games, and confidence appeared fragile throughout as neither team did enough in attack to claim all three points.

St Neots handed debuts to full-back Kwadwo Bugyei-Kyei and forward Marcus Gouldbourn, while MJ Muyembe returned to the starting line-up in place of the injured Neo Richard-Noel. With Stacey Freeman having departed and Lewis Burgess unavailable, the reshuffled side initially struggled to find rhythm.

The hosts controlled much of the early play, forcing goalkeeper James Goff into action with important saves from Harvey Smith and Tom Brown. St Neots’ first opportunity arrived when Sam Willis’ free kick found Charlie Bowen, but his effort was comfortably dealt with by Lichfield keeper Brendon Bunn.

Robbie Parker was shown an early yellow card before Rhys Thorpe headed wide from a Bugyei-Kyei delivery, while another Thorpe effort failed to trouble the target as the Saints battled against a disciplined home defence.

Just before the interval, Goff produced another strong save to deny Jack Edwards, ensuring the sides went into half-time level.

St Neots improved after the restart and competed more effectively, though clear chances remained scarce. Goff was again called into action to tip over a dangerous header, while Muyembe saw two promising efforts blocked as the visitors pressed forward.

The Saints’ best opportunity fell to Thorpe, who broke clear but hesitated in front of goal, allowing Bunn to smother the chance. Harvey Williams later fired over as both teams appeared increasingly content to settle for a point.

While the draw does little to ease St Neots’ league position, the performance offered encouragement as they continue their fight to climb away from the relegation zone.