Clitheroe’s foray into the footballing hotbed of the North East produced little in the way of entertainment for the 30 Clitheroe followers, but they were rewarded by a spotless ground, lovingly tended by a large team of volunteers, and by a warm welcome from the friendly locals.

The two evenly matched sides were both keen to play good football but in the end simply conspired to cancel each other out. To say chances were at a premium, would stretch understatement to breaking point. Essentially, neither keeper had a shot of note to save. The best move of the game came on 38 minutes as Clitheroe threatened to slice open the home defence, with Craig Carney pulling the strings, but the end result from the sweeping move was disappointing. Dunston’s best chance came five minutes later, as their striker pivoted on the edge of the box, but his shot was easily smothered by Chris Thompson.

Hopes were high that the second half would see the Blues shake off the three hours’ coach travel from their legs and go up a gear, but little actually changed. On 53 minutes, a deep in swinging free kick from Jack Baxter found Craig Stanley unmarked at the back post, but whilst he made contact with the ball, it squirted beyond the post. On 59 minutes, Chris Thompson had to be alert to save at the feet of a Dunston striker, but that was the action for the half. Given that Dunston beat Ramsbottom in midweek, the outcome was seen as a point gained rather than two lost. It also saw another superb performance by 16 year old Finlay Armstrong at full back, who if Burnley do not renew his loan spell at Shawbridge will surely quickly move into the professional ranks.

Team : Chris Thompson, Jacob Gregory, Finlay Armstrong, Craig Stanley, Oliver Muir, Jack Baxter, Terry Cummins (Conor Gaul), Charlie Russell (c) (Mitch George), Ollie Wood, Craig Carney, Jake Connelly (Oscar O'Neil). Subs - Conor Gaul, Mitch George, Oscar O'Neil. Not used - Danny Gray, Markell Foulds.