Harpenden Town pulled off an unlikely survival act by drawing away 0-0 at Buckingham Athletic on Saturday despite having two players sent off.

Town kept a clean sheet when down to nine men and had to be pleased with a gritty point which kept them seventh in South Midlands Division One.

Harpenden started strongly and could have been in front after a series of strikes on target.

But a crucial moment came after 30 minutes when players fell to the ground and Harpenden’s striker Jimmy Warner jokingly kicked his opponent on the backside. The referee didn’t see the funny side and immediately went for his red card.

Town survived the pressure with ten men for 50 minutes but then suffered a second blow when Warren Plowright was sent off for two yellow cards. Despite that Jamal Harvey came close to winning the game with a shot near the end.

Manager Danny Plumb said: “We didn’t get the decisions going for us all day. For the first time ever I went to see the ref afterwards and I met him in a polite way but I felt hard done by.

“So coming away with a clean sheet and a draw being down to nine men was a small victory for us and I was proud that the team held it together.”

Harpenden Town travel to Bush Hill Rangers this Saturday.