Yashwa Romeo pleased as Thatcham Town battle to a point away at Bideford in Devon

Yashwa Romeo was pleased with his Thatcham Town side as they battled to a draw at Bideford.

Thatcham were faced with some harsh conditions upon arrival in Devon, with wind and rain battering both sides.

Thatcham won the toss and chose to change ends, kicking with the wind in the first-half.

Harvey Flippance and Jadyn Dundas tried to take advantage of this, launching ambitious shots in the first ten minutes which both went wide of the mark.

The first-half saw few real chances, with Kyle Daniel-Spray’s in-swinging corner one of the few things testing either keeper.

Thatcham stopper Matthew Pullinger then made a great double-save just before the break to keep things level.

Kicking against the wind in the second-half didn’t deter Thatcham, as the scrappy encounter continued.

In the 75th minute though, bad luck struck as Thatcham were denied a penalty.

In the aftermath, Bideford countered and ran up the other end to go 1-0 up.

Thatcham battled bravely though, and in the 80th minute substitute Christian Johnson levelled the scores.

Andy Matthews’ long clearance was miscalculated by the keeper, allowing Johnson to walk it in for 1-1.

He had the chance to win it late on, but the keeper was equal to it and the match ended 1-1.

“Conditions weren’t great,” said manager Yashwa Romeo.

“The pitch was really bobbly, so there wasn’t much football actually played.

“I thought we edged the chances about four to one.

“We were the ones knocking on the door.

“We really took it to them after we scored.

“It’s another point on the board, but we were probably unlucky not to come away with all three.”

Two draws in their last two will encourage Romeo, ending a tough losing streak.

Second bottom, Thatcham face play-off chasers Bemerton Heath Harlequins on Saturday, before travelling to bottom-club Cinderford on the 22nd.

“The fire is still there,” he said.

“We played to the conditions really well on Saturday.

“We had a good conversation on the coach on the way back.

“The belief is still there, it’s going to be tough but it's still doable.

“We were beating Bemerton until the 89th minute and lost 2-1.

“We’ll be really up for that one, but we’ve still got to stay controlled and disciplined.”