Kidsgrove Athletic claimed a goalless draw away at Frickley Athletic which keeps them in touch with the playoff places.

A Jiri Boula effort that rattled the crossbar and, a cross that narrowly evaded Ruben Wiggins-Thomas at the back post were the closest that the Grove came to breaking the deadlock.

Even though with 13 minutes remaining, Jonathon Margetts had a goal disallowed for Frickley when the referee deemed him to handle the ball which helped it find the way into the back of the net.

The encounter began quite scrappy with the home side looking the more threatening in the opening 20 minutes. However, it was Kidsgrove that created the first clear cut opportunity but Wiggins-Thomas shot on the turn from outside the area narrowly sailed over the crossbar.

Only a minute later, a powerful strike by Boula from range crashed against the crossbar and, to the relief of Frickley, then flew over the goal.

Just before the half hour mark, Tom France called Thomas Jackson into action for the first time when his shot bobbled in front of the goalkeeper. Jackson was unable to hold the midfielder's attempt but luckily for him, the Blues were able to clear the follow up.

However, the hosts went close to taking the lead three minutes before the interval when a Kieran Harrison kick rebounded off the back of James Butler and the ball fell to Bradley Wells but his shot from the right hand side was kept out by the recovering goalkeeper.

A minute later, Crewe loanee Regan Griffiths hit a free kick from 30 yards that Jackson did well to turn behind for a corner and, then in first half stoppage time Oliver Jepson was unable to guide his header on target when he was found at the back post via a France cross.

After the break, even though Kidsgrove created a couple of half chances that were blazed over by the likes of Griffiths and Willaimson, it was Frickley that formed the first decent chance of the second period but Jacob Hazel’s effort from a tight angle was well blocked once again by Harrison.

With 19 minutes left on the clock, Boula lifted the ball over the bar after he latched on to a mistake made by Jackson when he dropped a long ball by Kyle Blake.

The Blues thought they took the lead when a cross from the right was bundled over the line by Margetts but the referee adjudged the forward to have used his hand as the ball came in towards him, which was rightly ruled out.

Then with six minutes left, Wiggins-Thomas had a huge chance to win it when he just could not get a touch on substitute Rhys Thompson's cross from the right hand side.

Liam King, who had not long been on the pitch for the home side, went up the other end of the pitch and his low shot inside the area forced Harrison to parry the ball away to safety.

Kidsgrove had two chances in quick succession to win it in the 88th minute when Williamson’s fizzing shot inside the box was very well kept out by Jackson. A few moments later a long ball found Thompson unmarked, but he could not generate enough power on his header and the goalkeeper was able to collect.

This result meant that the Grove remains in tenth place, nine points away from the playoff places but they do have games in hand on seven of the teams currently above them.

Frickley Athletic: Jackson, McGowan, Williams, Hotte, Davie, Hughes, Blake, Hollingworth, Margetts, Hazel (King, 81), Wells (Thomas, 72)
Unused Subs: Mclauchlan, O'Reilly, Bowring

Kidsgrove Athletic: Harrison, Blake, Morris, Griffiths, Duffy, Butler, France (Thompson, 69), Williamson, Wiggins - Thomas, Jepson, Boula ( Rumenio, 75)
Unused Subs: Hall, Chesters