Clear cut chances were at a premium in a hard fought Isthmian League South East Division encounter between Erith Town and Ashford United.

Both teams struggled to create openings as the defences coped better with the strong wind, periodically coupled with sweeping rain.

James Dyer had an early free kick for the hosts turned round the post by Roshan Greensall and from Dyer’s corner Elliott Wenham’s header was cleared off the line by Sam Hasler. At the other end Harrison Hume headed over at the near post.

Joe Luke Lewis burst through for Ashford before shooting from twenty yards, however, his effort started going just wide and faded further away from goal before Erith again went close. Dyer picked out Harry Taylor and Greensall was unable to hold on.

It came back to Taylor and he hooked it goalwards only to be denied by a brave clearance by William Moses who knew he was going to crash into the post. After extensive treatment, he was able to continue.

Greensall turned a fierce Dyer cross-shot round the near post before Jedd Hobbs scuffed his shot wide after Ashford struggled to get it away. Hasler had the last attempt of the first half for the visitors but fired over from the corner of the penalty area.

Early in the second period, Hobbs had a free kick tipped over then Taylor was unable to keep his near post header down from Dyer’s corner.

It was then the Nuts and Bolts’ turn to try and take advantage of the wind and when Kareem Isiaka’s shot was blocked into the path of Ollie Bate, Harrison Firth had to be alert and come out quickly to charge down his effort. Gary Lockyer’s low twenty yard shot was well held by Firth before the Erith goalkeeper had to scramble back to turn over a Hasler free kick from inside his own half.

As the game moved into the latter stages, Firth did well to hold onto a near post Miquel Scarlett volley from a deep Hasler free kick before two Erith substitutes, Richie Atkins and Tyrese Sutherland, combined and the latter fired into the side netting.    

Hasler again tried his luck with a low shot that went just beyond the far post before the visitors came very close to taking all three points in the ninetieth minute. Lewis surged forward and sent Isiaka away down the left. He played it in to Bate and his shot on the turn came back out off the underside of the crossbar.

Winning a point didn’t ease the Dockers out of the bottom four, but they are now only behind on goal difference and they have six matches left to gather the points required to keep them in the division.  

Erith Town: Firth; Turner, Wenham, Hanfrey, Dythe; Goodwin (Hatega 75); Reid-Solanki, Hobbs (Oluesi 81), Valler (Atkins 65), Dyer (Sutherland 65); Taylor (O’Mara-Knapp 85).

Unused subs: None. 

Goal scorers: None 

Yellow cards: Valler (13 foul), Hobbs (76 foul)

Ashford United: Greensall, Scarlett, Dixon, Moses, Lewis; Hume (West 46), Hasler; Collins, Bate; Isiaka, Lockyer.

Unused subs: Fuller, McCarthy, Bodkin, Brooks. 

Goal scorers: None 

Yellow cards: Dixon  (35 foul), Lockyer (73 foul)

Referee: Callum Peter

Assistants: William Prior and Thomas Sansom

Attendance: 114

Pictures supplied by Jordan Perfitt.