An inspired performance by evergreen goalkeeper Paul Bastock preserved St Albans City’s undefeated start to the Conference South season on Saturday with a goalless draw at Clarence Park sending early season league leaders Braintree Town tumbling from pole position.

A draw was more than either side really deserved from a dreadful 90 minutes during which the ball was virtually battered to kingdom come, such was the excessive use of big punt tactics by both sides.

But, amongst the gloom, there were some individual performances worthy of a better stage than this. In front of the outstanding Bastock was a solid back four in which Ben Martin and David Deeney shone. Unfortunately, going further forward in the side there were few gems to behold.

Braintree were equally unimpressive but having played for 46 minutes with just ten men, following the dismissal of Adam Bailey-Dennis, the Iron can take some satisfaction in maintaining their undefeated start as the two sides drew for the eighth time in their last eleven meetings.

A dull encounter it may have been but it all looked so different inside the opening 20 seconds when Inih Effiong went on a weaving run into the penalty area past four Braintree defenders only to get the ball trapped under his feet as he attempted a shot, thus allowing the Iron to clear for a throw in.

City maintained the pressure with the ball coming back across to the right side of the penalty area where James Fisher fired in a good shot that took a deflection to win the first corner of the game.

Fisher, continuing as captain in the absence of Ryan Frater, maintained City’s bright opening with a fine ball low down the Saints right that sent Effiong sprinting away from Bailey-Dennis. But as the retreating defender and goalkeeper Nathan McDonald both dived in the tall City striker shot wide of the near post.

Braintree, 3-0 winners in each of their opening two fixtures, first threatened on 10 minutes when Sean Marks headed over from Phil Starkey cross. Five minutes later Effiong beat McDonald to a Peter Smith free kick but his header looped comfortably wide.

Braintree striker Kenny Davis picked up the first yellow card of the day when fouling Deeney after the City right back, starting in his own half, had surged forward to the edge of the penalty area.

St Albans had half-hearted appeals for a penalty ignored when Drew Roberts appeared to be pushed inside the penalty area and before Braintree could clear their lines Adam Martin, making his first start for the club, sent a powerful drive into the middle of the goal that McDonald needed two attempts to gather.

Bailey-Dennis was cautioned when clumsily clattering into Roberts on 38 minutes. Six minutes later Effiong twisted sharply when collecting a pass from Fisher only to be caught by Bailey-Dennis who was duly sent off for two yellow card offences.

But neither of Bailey-Dennis’s two offences came close to matching a quite shocking lunge by Matt Paine on Smith. Fortunately Smith, somehow, escaped injury and just as amazing Paine was only shown a yellow card.

A half blighted by stoppages and the long ball game ended with Sam Lechmore sending a well struck free kick just over the home crossbar.

Braintree manager Rod Stringer, hardly a shrinking violet when it came to offering advice to the match officials, did a good job in calming his remaining ten players down during the interval and after the break it was Braintree that looked far the more threatening outfit.

The second half began slowly but on 54 minutes another good cross by Starkey was met with a firm header by Marks that clipped the top of the City net.

Three minutes later a misplaced header by Smith fell short of Bastock and presented Marks with a clear opportunity that the City keeper was down swiftly to block. The ball ran loose to Davis but again Bastock swooped to save.

Marks, who fought a strong physical battle with Ben Martin, joined the list of names in referee Mike George’s notebook when taking complaints about not being awarded a 59th minute corner too far. Five minutes later his day was made complete when he was substituted along with former Saint Danny Green.

St Albans made their first change just on the hour with Fisher making way for Chris Sullivan.

The prospect of a City goal at this point was receding fast as Effiong and Roberts seldom linked together, while from the touchline manager Steve Castle called for greater effort from his strikers.

The duo did link together though just after the hour but Effiong’s off-target shot was carefully watched by McDonald.

On 65 minutes Roberts, close to the halfway line, drove a quickly taken free kick the width of the pitch to Robbie Martin. The former Braintree player sent over the best cross of the day from wide on the City right towards the back post where another ex-Iron player, Sullivan, came in only for his close range header to lack sufficient power to beat McDonald who saved for a corner.

That moment aside Braintree looked the side most likely to break through but when substitute Dave Bryant looked to have found a way through the home defence Adam Everitt stepped in with a timely intervention.

Castle, well aware that his side was on course to fail to score for the fifth time in six Conference South matches, sent the experienced Mark Peters into the attack on 72 minutes with Roberts going to the right of midfield in place of the substituted Robbie Martin.

Deeney went on a surging run after being fed by Adam Martin and played the ball back to his former Hemel Hempstead colleague whose shot from 22 yards went a couple of yards wide of the target.

By now though Braintree were enjoying the better of what little decent football was to be had and went close when Davis headed over from a Lechmere cross.

The flow of the game continued to be interrupted for silly stoppages as Effiong and Adam Martin were both booked, the former for kicking the ball away after being penalised for a foul on Paine and the latter for an artistic dive on the edge of the York Road penalty area.

On 89 minutes Lechmere showed Ben Martin a clean pair of heels down the Iron right but was thwarted inside the penalty area when his shot towards the back post was beaten out by Bastock. The ball ran loose to Bryant but as Smith dived in attempting to block the shot Bryant wastefully fired back across goal and wide.

The afternoon was perfectly summed up in the third minute of added time by Nicky Symons who received possession some thirty yards from goal and sent the ball soaring high over the home goal.

City made one change from their opening two games with Adam Martin coming in for Hassan Sulaiman who was unavailable due to work commitments. Steve Castle expects Sulaiman to be back for Tuesday’s trip to Staines Town.

The draw keeps City in 14th place in Conference South while the Reserves slipped to 17th in Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League following a 4-3 defeat at Bedford.

Prior to Saturday’s kick off a one minute’s silence was held in memory of former City player and manager Doug Parkin who died recently.

St Albans City: P.Bastock, D.Deeney, P.Smith, R.Magwood, B.Martin, A.Everitt, A.Martin, J.Fisher (C.Sullivan 59), I.Effiong (G.Kweme 82), D.Roberts, R.Martin (M.Peters 72), subs; L.Simpson, R.Frater.

Bookings: Effiong, A.Martin.

Braintree Town: N.McDonald, P.Starkey, M.Jones, M.Paine, A.Bailey-Dennis, B.Quinton (M.Alaile 46), S.Lechmere, N.Symons, K.Davis, S.Marks (J.Guy 64), D.Green (D.Bryant 64), subs; S.Holloway, T.Bruno.

Bookings: Davis, Paine, Marks.

Dismissed: Bailey-Dennis.

Referee: Mike George (North Walsham).

Att: 330.