JUSTIN Pickering’s second-half penalty earned Winsford United a draw against Squires Gate at the weekend.

However player-manager Lee Duckworth believes Blues missed an opportunity to beat opponents that had lost nine of their previous dozen North West Counties League games.

“It’s definitely two points dropped,” he reflected.

“They barely left their half after the interval, and we tried everything to get a winner – I think we ended the game with about six players up top!

“You could tell from the way they celebrated at full-time that they saw it as a decent draw, which is in part a compliment to how tough a place we’ve made this to come now.”

Gary Pett headed off-target from a promising position before Winsford took the lead midway through the opening period.

Will Foster’s header, from Callam Gardner’s corner, had been blocked on the line by goalkeeper Ben Fletcher before the ball was sent into the area a second time.

Robbie Hatton’s close-range touch, via the crossbar, proved decisive.

Pett was again wasteful before the visitors, with new boss Andy Clarkson on the touchline, levelled on 40 minutes.

Michael Hall’s free-kick reached Mark Buchan, who had been left unmarked, and the striker headed past goalkeeper Matthew Green.

Gate scored again in the seconds before the break when Jack Williams found the net from an angle after Dean Ing had twice been allowed to try and pick out his teammate.

Green made a vital intervention on 73 minutes, racing from his line to deny Williams after he had broken clear.

The visitors will have felt rueful shortly afterwards when referee Lewis Raper spotted Alex Colquhoun’s handball from Pickering’s free-kick.

From the resulting penalty, the wide man restored parity by firing low into the corner.

Blues laid siege to Fletcher’s goal in the time remaining, but without finding a way through.

Winsford | Green (GK), Fowles, Bircumshaw (Skolorzynski 54), Rothwell, Lee Duckworth, Foster, Gardner (Taylor 68), Hopper, Webb (Koral 61), Hatton, Pickering Subs not used Sherwood, Hudson Goals Hatton 23, Pickering 75 (penalty)

Gate | Fletcher (GK), Colquhoun, Richards, Hall, Masters, Carroll, Pett, Thornber (Moxon 10), Buchan (Cech 79), Williams (O’Mahoney 89), Ing Sub not used Moorhead Goals Buchan 40, Williams 45 Booked Colquhoun

Referee Lewis Raper

Attendance 127

Additional reporting by Bob Astles