Hartlepool United were held to a goalless draw with Braintree Town at Cressing Road as both sides shared a point in the Enterprise National League
Neither side were able to capitalise on the chances made at either end of the pitch.
The game took a while to come to life, with the first shots of the game coming after the first 30 minutes from Alex Reid and Adam Campbell respectively.
Ashley Nathaniel-George on his Pools debut came close to scoring minutes later with two efforts being cleared off the line.
George Evans had plenty to do in the match, keeping Sahid Kamara from scoring on a number of occasions.
Tom Parkes came close to finding the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, but Mason Terry was on hand to deny the Pools skipper.
The second half produced more threats from the Iron via Kamara, but Evans managed to keep him at bay.
Terry also had a busy game in the Braintree net, denying Campbell and substitute Pharrell Brown on the hour mark.
Pools’ best chance of the game came in the 77th minute as Campbell fed Reid through at close-range, but Terry produced a brilliant save to deny the forward.
Reid came close again in the 83rd minute when his strike smashed off the post and away.
Evans came to the rescue for Pools deep into stoppage time as a certain Braintree winner was saved brilliantly by the Millwall loanee.
Pools: Evans, Benn, John, Parkes ©, Kouogun, Campbell (Johnson 88’), Sheron (Charman 81’), Miley, Reid, Daly (Brown 60’), Nathaniel-George (Hunter 60’)
Unused subs: Smith, Ferguson, Darcy
Away attendance: 99
