SATURDAY must have been the closest that Hinckley have come to losing an unbeaten home record stretching back 48 matches, writes Mervyn Collins.

Stuart Payne's stoppage time strike had goal written all over it until Wayne Starkey's right hand appeared out of a cluster of players to produce a magnificent save.

Evesham certainly didn't deserve to win as they only snapped out of their lethargy once Steve McCartan had levelled from the penalty spot after a 77th minute foul on Phil Preedy.

The scorer had earlier been the villain of the piece when he directed a harmless cross from Neil Cartwright past a despairing Damien Beattie after 62 minutes.

If Evesham were disappointing up front, where Andy Hodgetts was preferred to Shaun Pratt, they were impressive at the back despite the absence of the injured Richard Clark.

Hinckley have found the net more than 100 times in all matches this term but the visiting back four proved more than equal to the task although both David Sadler and Paul Hunter contrived to miss good chances in the opening 21 minutes.

Beattie and Starkey were both given solid protection and a succession of crosses and back passes were the goalkeepers' sole concern throughout until the latter's late save.

McCartan came closest to breaking the deadlock only to see his 35-yard dead ball kick three minutes before the break flash the wrong side of an upright.

The match threatened to boil over following a nasty challenge by Richard Lavery on Jay Powell that saw only a yellow card flashed and Steve Taylor saw a similar colour for squaring up to the offender before an eight-man melee.

McCartan's misdemeanour left the Robins with a mountain to climb but Preedy was proving more and more of a threat down the left and Cartwright's nudge gave McCartan the chance to atone for his earlier error.

Phil Mullen's side were by far the livelier now with Pratt restored alongside Payne, who was hardly firing on all cylinders until the belated half chance came his way.

Ten minutes of injury time prompted a couple of close shaves in the visitors' back line but Beattie was rarely tested.

Evesham's forays were also thwarted as a point seemed to suit both sides although Mullen, and Mark Wolsey thrustings, perhaps sensed other ideas.

A draw, in front of the home side's biggest league gate of the season - 492 - did suit at the end of a disappointing table-topper in which the sides seemed to cancel each other out.

Defeats for Mangotsfield and Tiverton and a home draw for Bilston meant none of the top six won and Evesham are slightly better off in their tilt for a top two spot.