Histon 0, Redditch United 0

THE fact that goalkeeper Jose Veiga was man of the match should not disguise the reality that Redditch United could have - should have - had three points to bring back from their trip to Cambridge side Histon.

True, two outstanding saves from Veiga ensured the Reds remain unbeaten in 11 matches.

But Liam McDonald’s promotion-chasers dominated from the start to finish and returned from the Glassworld Stadium frustrated by a fifth draw in a row.

George Carline hit the post and had another effort chalked off for offside as they pushed and probed, tested and teased but they couldn’t find a way to break the home defence.

Within the first ten minutes, the Reds could have been 3-0 ahead, only for Histon keeper Brandon Brown to parry an Ashley Sammons’ free-kick, Simeon Maye to chip over and a Maye cross to just elude the onrushing Sammons.

But Veiga produced two vital interventions either side of half-time. First the Reds No 1 showed stunning reflexes to keep out a Sam Ives free-kick on 44 minutes and then, six minutes into the second period, he produced an instinctive stop to block a Nick Freeman effort from close-range.

However, that was the sum of Histon’s attacks, and the Reds continued to be the more dangerous.

The closest they came was on the hour mark when a curling Carline shot from the edge of the area seemed to be heading into the net until it caught the wind and smacked into the upright.

Five minutes later, Carline was offside when he netted while the midfielder smacked another effort just wide late on but it was not to be the Reds’ day.

REDDITCH: Veiga 9; Haynes 6, Cullinane-Liburd 6, Richards 8, Mutton 8, Flanagan 7, Maye 7, Osborne 8, Shearer 6 (Molyneux 43, 6), Sammons 7 (Baker 75), Carline 8. Subs not used: Young, Morton, Fletcher.