TWO sending offs in three minutes added spice to an otherwise dull game as Almondsbury Town were held to a goalless draw by Bishops Cleeve.

In a physical encounter, Cleeve’s Mark Pritchett received two yellow cards in eight minutes towards the end of the first half, with a straight red card for Almondsbury’s Adam Mahdi sandwiched in between to leave both sides down to ten men.

With Paulton Rovers’ match against Yate being called off due to a frozen pitch, a win would have taken Almondsbury into the play-offs but a draw was a fair result as both sides struggled to make a significant impact on the game, especially after the red cards.

Substitute Dave Anyinsah came closest to scoring for Almondsbury early in the second half when he had a header cleared off the line, but goalkeeper Stuart Jones made a good save late on from Julian Alsop’s header.

Almondsbury included new signing Matt Thorne from Clevedon Town, while Josh Klein-Davies returned from a short spell at Ryman Premier League side Hastings, and the pair combined to almost devastating effect in the 17th minute.

Klein-Davies latched onto midfielder Thorne’s ball over the top and attempted a lob with Cleeve goalkeeper Tom King off his line, but the ball went over the bar.

Almondsbury put pressure on the visitors’ goal with a succession of corners from Ross Stearn and Scott Brice saw an effort blocked before King got down well to his left to tip Thorne’s effort round the post on the rebound.

Cleeve posed a threat of their own, though, with former Cheltenham Town target man Alsop up front, and after he coolly chested down Jon Crowford’s delivery into the box Richard Mansell contrived to hit the ball over the bar when in space.

With a number of niggling tackles in midfield, tempers began to flare and Pritchett was lucky to get away with a booking for a reckless two-footed lunge on Stearn after the whistle had already been blown for a free kick.

It was Almondsbury, however, who were reduced to ten men first when Adam Mahdi caught Crawford with his studs up on 40 minutes.

Cleeve’s numerical advantage didn’t last long as Pritchett again caught Stearn with a late tackle after the Almondsbury man made a clearance in his own box and was shown his second yellow card.

Both sides struggled to find any fluency from this point, although Almondsbury came close to taking the lead five minutes after half-time.

Thorne won the ball in midfield and Marcus Mapstone threaded a through ball to Klein-Davies in the box, but his shot was saved by King’s legs before Anyinsah’s header on the rebound was cleared off the line by Mansell.

Cleeve also came close to a winner when Crowford’s lovely cross into the six-yard box was met by the head of Alsop, but Almondsbury goalkeeper Stuart Jones brilliantly kept the ball out with an outstretched leg after diving the other way.

Almondsbury have gained a reputation for scoring late goals this season and Anyinsah found space in the box in stoppage time under Marcus Mapstone’s high ball, but his attempted volley was difficult to control and went wide off his shin.

On a bitterly cold afternoon, the final whistle to an uninspiring contest brought relief to most spectators, but Almondsbury will view it as a missed opportunity to gain ground on the teams above them.

Almondsbury Town: Jones, Warren, Willshire, Brice, Peckham, Thorne, Stearn (Anyinsah, 46), Mapstone, Klein-Davies (Whittington, 77), Pitcher, Mahdi. Subs not used: J White, Winter, Matthews.

Ref: Mr D Jacecko.

Att: 84 Gazette star man: Matt Thorne.