Atherton Colls 0-0 Widnes: Colls battle to draw

In the opening 20 minutes a succession of Coll’s chances were denied by a stout Widnes defense, without any attempt to get through to experienced stopper Mark Halstead.

The first real flashpoint came in the 25th minute, when Keilen Adams was shown a yellow card for a “collision” with former Collsmon Nathan Caine.

It was Adams who created the best chance of the first half, beating Halstead with an effort placed inches wide of the post.

Widnes’ first real chance came in the 45th minute when Louis Isherwood rose highest from a corner to head a header past debutant Solomon Honor, who made a strong save.

After the Colls spent the first half in the ascendancy, it was Widnes who came out of the blocks quicker after the break, going close twice within five minutes of the restart, drawing another strong save from Sol Honor before threatening again from the ensuing corner kick.

The Black & Whites had their first real chance of the second half on 65 minutes, when a corner pinballed around the Widnes area, defending well with plenty of bodies on the line to deny the home side the lead, with Kielen Adams and Danny Lafferty both could not repent.

Sol Honor continued his unforgettable debut with two late saves to deny the Dragons, making a superb stop from close range from a header before tapping an effort wide from the edge of the box.

Alfie Belcher came closest to producing last minute heroics for the Colls as he combined well with Will Riding before beating two defenders with great skill and drawing a fantastic save from the experienced Halstead.

Although the match ended in a stalemate, it was an entertaining and end-to-end affair throughout, with both teams getting the chance to claim a full share of the spoils.

The Colls then travel to Hednesford Town on Saturday to continue to build the momentum and regain their position in the table.