Thurrock 0, Basingstoke Town 0

ERNIE Howe praised his side for their hunger, commitment and a battling performance at high-flying Thurrock on Saturday.

Despite the dour scoreline, this was an encounter between two evenly-matched teams in which both sets of defences excelled.

It was also a game where Town rediscovered their fighting spirit and refused to be bullied by their third-placed hosts. That aggressive attitude shone through a murky Ship Lane.

At the heart of it was Town's Rob Kember. His doggedness and crunching challenges set the tone for his team-mates to follow.

All 11 players displayed such desire to highlight the work they have been putting in at training to turn things around.

Howe said he hoped the result - which earned Town their first point in four league games - would prove a building block to better things over the closing months of the season.

He added: "There were a lot of good performances out there - Toby Sumner lasting 90 minutes after all his injury troubles, and Oliver Burgess had his best game in months for us, running at players the way we know he can.

"I am pleased with our approach to the game and the way we have defended.

"It's a difficult place to come to, and we always seem to play in a tight game here.

"What we need now is a goal or two so that we can get a win."

An early scare was avoided when Paul Linger lobbed wide with Scott Tarr stranded. The Town goalkeeper was on the edge of his area after coming out to head away a dangerous ball over the top of his defence.

Craig McAllister had a fantastic opportunity to grab his 18th goal of the season in the 23rd minute.

Oliver Burgess' free-kick, hit out wide to the left, was headed back across goal by Ricky Allaway. McAllister was just five yards out and un-marked after Thurrock's defence had pushed up, looking for an offside flag.

It never came, but McAllister was hesitant and applied a soft touch to the ball, enabling Thurrock goalie Paul Gothard to save with his legs.

The striker said afterwards: "I thought I was offside, but should have scored and worried about that afterwards."

As half-time approached, Jason Bristow made an excellent clearance, just yards out, to thwart Simon Martin, who was poised to pounce on Kris Lee's low cross from the right.

Chances were strictly limited in the second half.

McAllister thought he had a legitimate penalty claim after Jason Broom swept his legs away, but referee Stephen Fay waved play on.

Tarr was called upon to make a brilliant stop from substitute Craig Davidson as Thurrock created their only clear-cut chance in the 74th minute.

Tarr narrowed the angle and superbly beat out a stinging left-foot drive.

As the final whistle loomed, the Town bench became increasingly agitated as Thurrock pressed to force Tarr into a smart near-post stop.

Basingstoke Town: Scott Tarr, Rob Kember, Nathan Stamp, David Ray, Jason Bristow, Ricky Allaway, Alex Ewin, Toby Sumner, Craig McAllister, Neville Roach, Oliver Burgess. Subs not used: Barry Elmore, Steve Hemmings, Ian Dickens, Michael Watkins, John Dyer.