Click here to listen to Glenn’s post-match interview.

City recorded their first clean sheet of the season against pacesetters Dartford, the match ending in a rare Melbourne goalless draw as Clarets Manager Glenn Pennyfather reacted: “On another day we could have won it.”

 

The two sides couldn’t be separated on an afternoon where defences were on top, resulting in a point apiece which keeps Dartford in the top three and maintains City’s own solid start to the Blue Square Bet South campaign. Pennyfather was pleased with the shut-out, and thinks his team had marginally the better of the game.

 

“I can’t fault any of the players as they all put in a good shift,” was his assessment after the match. “Certainly the application was there for the whole match, which I’ve questioned over the first two home games. We had some good individual performances and played some good stuff in patches.”

 

Warren Whitely was included on the left wing ahead of Greg Morgan, while Kezie Ibe replaced Cliff Akurang up-front as the striker had suffered a family bereavement. The lack of defender Adam Tann and midfielder David Rainford meant Kenny Clark was handed the captain’s armband for the first time, with Mark Haines filling-in at centre back for Tann and Sam Corcoran replacing Rainford in the middle.

 

Other than a Dartford volley wide from Ryan Hayes, a Whitely delivery across the face at the other end and an ambitious 45-yard volley well over from the Darts’ Charlie Sheringham it was an uneventful first half-hour. Then another Whitely cross was guided goalwards by Corcoran from 15 yards on the volley with the inside of his right boot but defender Tom Bonner was able to scramble back and clear.

 

A Sheringham header wide followed shortly afterwards, while Clarets goalkeeper Stuart Searle was called into action to push the ball onto the bar and over when a Hayes corner looked like swerving into the goal. Searle was involved once again on 37 minutes, diving expertly to deny Sheringham who’d sent a downward header on-target. Seconds later, Adam Green fired over from distance for the visitors.

But Chelmsford ended the half well. On 42 minutes Ricky Modeste stood a cross up from the left which found Ibe in space ten yards out but he was only able to nod wide. Then Whitely did well to dribble inside from the right flank and tee-up Ibe to shoot at goal first time, Green getting his body in the way to block.

During the interval Chelmsford were made to change into white shirts after their claret ones were deemed to be a clash with Dartford’s dark navy and red trim. It didn’t alter either side’s fortunes, however. Elliott Bradbrook headed straight at Searle early in the second period while Corcoran headed down for City winger Modeste to shoot straight at away goalkeeper Andrew Young on 53 minutes.

 

Jon Wallis tried his luck from long range, shooting low at Searle, while a 69th-minute effort from Bradbrook on the edge of the box forced the Clarets’ custodian to spill the ball, with Sheringham lurking nearby and almost feeding off the scraps. Meanwhile, on 74 minutes, Ibe progressed in from the right and Paul Goodacre cut a yard wide of his own goal, the corner prompting a header too high from Ibe.

 

The final attack saw Ibe lay the ball off to Jermaine Brown who struck well wide a dozen minutes from the end. Despite the dropped points, Glenn reflected: “The pleasing aspect was that we came out of it with a clean sheet, and they’re always important. I think we probably just shaded the game and had the better of the opportunities. There were two sides that cancelled each other out in the end.”

 

City:

 

1 Stuart Searle

2 Ben Nunn

3 Aiden Palmer

4 Mark Haines

5 Kenny Clark (C)

6 Sam Corcoran

7 Warren Whitely

8 Jermaine Brown

9 Kezie Ibe

10 Max Cornhill

11 Ricky Modeste

 

12 Joe Benjamin (On for Modeste, 78)

14 Justin Miller

15 Greg Morgan (On for Whitely, 72)

16 Tyrone Scarlett

19 Joe Woolley (GK)

 

Dartford: Andrew Young, Matt Jones, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Paul Goodacre, Tom Champion, Ryan Hayes (Danny Harris, 59), Jon Wallis (Lee Noble, 75), Charlie Sheringham, Elliott Bradbrook (C), Richard Graham (Lee Burns, 75). Unused Substitutes: James Rogers, Derek Ibrahim.

 

Bookings: Dartford: Champion (89, foul).

 

Referee: Antony Coggins (Bicester).

 

Assistant Referees: Shon Meale (Norwich) and Tom Neild (Norwich).

 

Attendance: 1,013.

 

City Man of the Match: Ben Nunn.