Sidley held to frustrating draw

The Blues were very much the better side despite being far from their best, but they paid the price for poor finishing in just their second home league game of 2007.

They only made one of 21 efforts at goal count, while Worthing converted their sole genuine shot out of the 11 they attempted.

Sidley had the upper hand in the opening exchanges of a game that, despite the hard pre-match work of the ground staff, was probably only played due to the extent of the fixture backlog.

And they seized the initiative with a 22nd minute strike from Peter Baker on a pudding of a pitch which was something of a throwback to the quagmires of the 1970s.

The club's leading marksman last season and this drilled the ball into the far bottom corner with his left foot after Graham Morris and Scott McDonald had combined to tee him up.

Sidley then really got on top and ought to have been further in front by the end of a stop-start first 45 minutes as Baker and Scott McDonald looked dangerous in attack, while Morris and Keith Miles controlled the midfield and Dave Henham dominated at the back.

McDonald, Morris and Baker were all thwarted by visiting goalkeeper Sam Figg, while McDonald headed wide from another presentable position before the break.

Sidley failed to get going at the start of the second period, however, and Worthing levelled on the hour mark when the unmarked Gavin Geddes superbly headed in a Paul Curtis free kick.

The equaliser stung Sidley back into action and they had more than enough opportunities to restore their advantage.

But McDonald, whose finishing sadly didn't live up to his excellent approach play, was unsuccessful on no less than five occasions, while Jordan Wood and Nick Whiteman also forced saves out of the in-form Figg.