Knaphill earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Abbey Rangers in the Combined Counties Premier Division South on Saturday.

The Knappers were made to settle for a point in a game where defences were firmly on top.

The hosts created the first real opening after 11 minutes when Danilo Cadete’s cross-shot forced Knaphill keeper Harvey Keogh into a late touch to turn the ball around the post.

Moments later, Knaphill thought they had taken the lead as Dale Burnham headed home at the far post, only for the assistant’s flag to cut short the celebrations.

Abbey’s best chance came on the half-hour mark when Jordan Sarfo broke clear on the counter, but Keogh raced out of his area to block bravely.

Just before the break, Knaphill’s Jack Carrod found Thomas Harland-Goddard with a cross-field ball and Harland-Goddard struck his first-time effort against the bar.

Burnham, Joe Throp and Jack Baisden were booked after the break as the contest became increasingly scrappy. Ben Mitchell drove down the right shortly after the restart and fired narrowly wide of the far post.

Jack Phillips, Rami Halloufi and Ross Cheek were introduced from the bench as Knaphill looked to lift their tempo, but clear-cut chances remained limited. Phillips was shown a yellow card soon after coming on, while Carrod was cautioned late on before being replaced by Olly Woolgar. Elijah Hopwood entered the action for Mitchell in the closing stages.

Abbey went close when Jake Beck-Nardoni latched onto a through ball and struck a low effort, but Keogh was equal to it, making a smart save with his foot.

The closing stages saw little rhythm as play swung from end to end without quality in possession. Knaphill competed well but lacked their usual sharpness in attack, with Keogh’s steady performance the standout in an otherwise fragmented encounter.

By James Carpenter