Thwaites fire blanks in relegation 6-pointer.

Thwaites FC missed out on 4 valuable points last night as they were held against second from bottom Real Leyburn. The brewery team, who had two games against fellow strugglers Leyburn in the same night in a bid to ease fixture congestion had to settle for two 0-0 draws. Thwaites played well and should have won their first game of the evening with ease. Sean Tormay and Damian Tabbinor both missing gilt-edged chances in the first half after going one on one with the keeper. New Signings Logan and Norman played a pivotal role in an under-strength Thwaites team and look to have secured long-term deals with the brewery outfit. Leading goal scorer Simon Tipton, Mark Slater and beanpole defender Dominic Hopwood all missed last night’s games. Real Leyburn failed to get out of the blocks until late in the first half when Paul Slater easily gathered a long-range effort. Influential midfielder Jamie Hopwood had a night of mixed fortunes. He was superb in the centre of midfield as he carved open the defence with several exquisite balls. Hopwood however could have capped a fine first game performance with a goal late in the second half. He skipped past a Leyburn defender and neatly shot from the edge of the box with the outside of his foot. However, the ball shaved the outside of the post and was cleared away to safety. With Hopwood and Tormay both battling in the midfield engine room Thwaites always had the upper hand. Logan and Tabbinor were solid in the Thwaites back line and Norman caused the Leyburn defence problems with his pace and neat footwork. The second game was almost an exact replica of the first with Thwaites dominant. However, Leyburn did have a few chances of their own, but Slater prevented any threat of a goal. Leyburn did have a goal ruled out early in the second half as the striker was adjudged to be in the Thwaites area when he shot at goal. Thwaites then began to pile on the pressure in the second half as they looked for their first win of the season. Tabbinor nearly rounded off a great performance with a goal. Under-fire manager Southworth almost scored from a fierce shot that cruised just over the bar. In the final minutes, Hopwood found himself in acres of space at the edge of the box. However there was no power in his shot. This came as a relief to the Leyburn keeper who would have been helpless to stop it as he lost his footing when the pass across the box found Hopwood. Thwaites remain bottom of the league on three points, two points behind Real Leyburn who are on five points. The brewery side will be disappointed not to have claimed maximum points in what was a much more convincing Thwaites performance. The five-a-side team could only get four players together for their game on Wednesday. They suffered a 9-1 capitulation. Match Ratings. P.Slater 8 – Pulled off some good saves when called upon. Has had much busier games. D.Tabbinor 8 – A good defensive display. Missed a host of good chances that would have capped a fine performance. D.Logan 8 – Looks set to have secured a long-term future at Thwaites. Norman 9 – Like Logan, could be a permanent fixture for Thwaites after an excellent two games. Hopwood 8 – Played a pivotal role in the Thwaites engine room. Should have scored at the death in the last game. Tormay 8 – His recent displays look like Tormay is finally back to the level of performance shown in his St Peters hey-day. D.Southworth 8 – Tough-tackling no-nonsense performance. Managerial stress did not seem to bother him on last night’s evidence.