The Pitmen have to settle for a point on this Boxing day afternoon, despite taking the lead against local rivals Telford United through Paul Bagshaw's goal just after half-time

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Having seen his team soundly beaten at title hopefuls Rushden & Diamonds ten days ago, new manager Neil Pointon - managing his first home game since taking the role - made wholesale changes to his side for today's A5 derby as Mark Gayle, Tom Griffiths, Val Owen, Jake Sedgemore, Keith Russell and Bagshaw all came into the side ahead of Stuart Ford, Stuart Evans, Pointon, Mark Cooper, Ian Robinson and Micky Norbury

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Thirteenth placed Telford arrived at Keys Park off the back of a morale-boosting win over strugglers Woking ten days ago, with Bucks manager Jake King choosing to make one change to his side for today's clash as Simon Travis came back into the side in midfield ahead of Steve Palmer

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It was a bitterly cold Boxing Day afternoon in the Midlands, with the Keys Park pitch hard and bumpy after passing a mid-morning pitch inspection. The all-red visitors started the better of the two sides, with Kevin Jobling's third-minute cross headed back across goal by Jake Edwards but into the grateful hands of the returning Gayle, who held the ball ahead of Gary Martindale

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The home side's first chance came in the seventh minute of the game as recently-appointed skipper Lee Colkin made a move down the left flank, taking on Kevin Jobling and picking out top scorer Neil Davis with a whipped-in cross that was turned just wide by the striker at the near post, twelve yards from goal

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Back came the Bucks, with a neat passage of play through midfield in the eleventh minute playing Martindale in on goal down the left; the striker took a touch and turned onto his right foot before he lifted a shot over the crossbar from fifteen yards out, under pressure from Russell Bradley

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Youngster Griffiths had started the game well, making several overlapping runs beyond Colkin down the left as he offered the Pitmen an option down the flank. On fourteen minutes, he made a marauding run to the byeline and cut the ball back into the path of Keith Russell, whose first-time shot was blocked by the burly Jim Bentley

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Gayle watched another long-range effort from Telford sail over his crossbar three minutes later as Brian McGorry's cross into the penalty area was cleared by Mark Haran to Roger Preece, whose follow-up shot from twenty-five yards out failed to test the Hednesford stopper as the ball ended up in amongst the homes supporters in the Heath Hayes terrace

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The Bucks were looking a threat on the counter-attack, soaking up the Hednesford pressure before looking to catch the hosts out with quick breaks down the wing from the likes of Travis and the ever-willing Jake Edwards. The latter made an excellent angled run across the Pitmen's defence on twenty minutes to receive a pass from Preece, dragging Haran out of position before striking a firm shot wide of goal from sixteen yards out

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Russell's presence of mind saw the former Blackpool man intercept a lazy pass from Jobling midway through the first half and play Griffiths into space down the left. The teenager jinked his way into the penalty area and looked to pick out Davis at the far post, only for the Pitmen's old nemesis Ryan Price to claim the cross ahead of the former Aston Villa man

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Good play from Martindale and Travis saw the pair create another good chance for Edwards on twenty-six minutes as a neat one-touch passing move played Edwards in behind Bradley, only for the former Wrexham man to drag his first-time shot horribly wide from just inside the Hednesford penalty area

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Edwards did have the ball in the net on the half-hour mark as he made a late run into the box to latch onto a clever reverse pass from Travis, turning the ball past Gayle from close range before being pulled back for a late offside flag from the assistant on the main stand side of the pitch

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Price denied the Pitmen the game's opening goal on thirty-three minutes as he tipped over a rising shot from Jake Sedgemore after the youngster had been played into space just outside the Telford penalty area by Val Owen

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The game continued to and fro from end to end as Telford went straight down the other end of the pitch and forced Gayle into a save sixty seconds later as Travis's run and cross was headed goalwards by Edwards at the far post, but lacked any power in his effort from ten yards out and made it an easy stop for the goalkeeper

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Paul Bagshaw had seen very little of the ball for the Pitmen thus far, having been well shackled by Kevin Sandwith in the first period. The former Barnsley youngster finally got the better of his marker on thirty-seven minutes as he took advantage of a slip from the Bucks defender to pull the ball into the path of Owen on the edge of the Telford penalty area, only for the experienced midfield man to strike his shot wildly over the crossbar when a pass to Colkin may have been a better option

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Scott Goodwin was the first player to be shown a yellow card by referee Mr Castle a minute later as he was pulled up and cautioned for an untidy and clumsy challenge on McGorry that flattened the Telford man thirty yards from goal

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With four minutes of the first period remaining, Edwards played a clever reverse pass into the path of strike partner Martindale, whose attempted shot at goal had the sting taken out of it by a Griffiths block and allowed Gayle to make a fairly comfortable save

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In first half added time, Bradley's first foray into the Telford penalty area saw him meet a Bagshaw corner kick full on at the near post with a powerful header, but his miscued effort ended up in amongst the shivering Telford fans housed in the Hednesford end of the ground

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0-0 at half-time was a fair reflection of the first half from both sides, who had traded half chances throughout the game but had struggled to make their efforts count. Haran had picked up a knock towards the end of the first period after a challenge on Edwards and was withdrawn in favour of the wantaway Stuart Lake before the start of the second half

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The hosts made a swift start to the second period, forcing Telford onto the backfoot straight from the off and were rewarded for their enterprising start with the game's opening goal on forty-nine minutes; Griffiths was involved once more as he took Colkin's pass all the way to the left-hand byeline and picked out Davis, who got goal side of Bentley and fired in a first time shot at goal that was brilliantly saved by Price at his near post. Unfortunately for the former Macclesfield Town and Stafford Rangers stopper, the ball fell kindly into the path of the incoming Bagshaw, who did enough to force the ball over the line from close range despite Jobling's best attempts to keep the ball out

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This gave the hosts a real shot in the arm as they dominated possession in the next ten minutes, giving the likes of Bagshaw and Griffiths plenty of time on the ball to create chances for the front men. On fifty-three minutes, Bagshaw's quick feet left Neil Moore in his wake as he cut inside from the right flank but curled his shot well wide of Price's far post

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Davis's presence created a chance out of nothing three minutes later as he forced Lee Fowler into a hurried pass toward Bentley that the striker intercepted. However, with no-one in white to pass to, he was forced into a hurried shot that was easily saved by Price to his right

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Russell joined Goodwin in Mr Castle's notebook on fifty-seven minutes as the striker's attempted block on Preece saw him leave his foot in on the midfielder and was shown a yellow card for the foul

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On the hour mark, substitute Lake himself picked up a knock as the Pitmen defended a corner kick and was forced to limp off the pitch; he was replaced by player/manager Pointon, who was forced into playing as the left-sided centre-back for the final half hour of the game

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A corner kick from Bagshaw two minutes later was partially cleared by the Bucks out to the edge of their penalty area, where Bradley picked the loose ball up and attempted a shot back towards goal that dropped a yard or so wide of Price's left-hand post

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Russell could have put clear daylight between the team on sixty-five minutes as he raced onto a clever flick from Davis to break through the Telford offside trap, only to pull his shot inches wide of the post with only Price to beat from fifteen yards out

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Sedgemore was also off-target for the Pitmen on sixty-eight minutes as his right-footed strike from twenty-five yards out sailed over the crossbar and into the large Hednesford following behind Price's goal

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The Pitmen were made to pay for not taking their numerous second-half chances as Telford levelled matters once more on seventy-one minutes; Pointon's mistimed tackle on substitute Chris Malkin handed Telford a free-kick just to the left-hand side of the Hednesford penalty area, allowing Jobling to take the resultant set-piece and curl a delightful right-footed shot over the wall and beyond the reach of Gayle to his left-hand side - a superb strike from the Bucks' player/assistant manager

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Back came the home side, with Griffiths once again creating a good chance for Russell on seventy-four minutes with a square ball into the path of the forward, who scuffed his effort straight into the arms of Price as he failed to make a clean connection on the ball

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Colkin made a superb run down the left for the Pitmen with thirteen minutes remaining, pulling the ball back across the face of the Telford goal where both Russell and Davis inexplicably missed their kicks in front of goal

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Assistant manager Colin Lambert elected to bring on the younger legs of Scott Bonsall to add to the Pitmen's attacking threat with nine minutes remaining as the former Eastwood Town man replaced Russell

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Within sixty seconds, Bonsall could have won it for the hosts as Sedgemore made progress down the right and stood up a cross to the far post, where Bonsall arrived ahead of Bentley but could only glance the ball wide of goal as he stretched to reach it

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With five minutes remaining, Jobling's deep corner kick to the far post was met by Bentley, whose header back across goal was punched away by Gayle as he denied substitute Gez Murphy a header at goal

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Gayle was involved again on eighty-seven minutes as he smothered the ball at the feet of Malkin to claim a through ball from McGorry after the substitute had beaten the flimsy Hednesford offside trap

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A frenetic final few minutes saw both sides force corner kicks at each end of the ground as they looked to force home a late winner, only for both defences to hold firm and earn their side a point in what had been an exciting local derby, almost akin to a cup tie in the way it had ebbed and flowed from end to end throughout. The Pitmen play the second of back-to-back home games over the festive period on Saturday afternoon as they play host to eleventh placed Dover Athletic, who had drawn 1-1 at Dagenham & Redbridge this afternoon

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Hednesford Town: Gayle, Goodwin ▆, Bradley, Colkin ©, Griffiths, Haran (Lake 45 (Pointon 60)), Owen, Sedgemore, Davis, Russell ▆ (Bonsall 81), Bagshaw        Subs Unused: Robinson, Ford

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Telford United: Price, Jobling, Sandwith, Moore, Bentley, Fowler, Preece, McGorry, Martindale (Malkin 66), Edwards (Murphy 66), Travis      Subs Unused: Williams, Davies, Albrighton

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