Ryman League Division One North Leyton 0 Potters Bar Town 0 Mark Hemmings reports POTTERS Bar Town assistant Mike Smee took charge of the Scholars for the first time as they drew 0-0 at Leyton in the league on Saturday. With newly appointed manager Adam

Ryman League Division One North

Leyton 0 Potters Bar Town 0

Mark Hemmings reports

POTTERS Bar Town assistant Mike Smee took charge of the Scholars for the first time as they drew 0-0 at Leyton in the league on Saturday.

With newly appointed manager Adam Lee on a pre-arranged holiday in America, his number two looked after team affairs against the Lilywhites.

Town enjoyed the better of a goalless first half, but it was the hosts who could have taken the lead in the very first minute.

A deep free-kick was drilled into the Bar box, with the ball falling to Rob Carter, who could only drag his effort wide of the target.

Two minutes later and Bar attacked with Mustapha Dumbuya on the left and he teed up Alex Bolt inside the area.

The lively midfielder hit a low attempt at goal which was turned away by the diving Leyton stopper Sam Tanner.

With his first chance of the day Town striker Sammy Winston collected an Aron Freeman ball down the line on 12 minutes.

The experienced front-man cut in from his marker and could only find the side-netting with a deflected shot.

Bar continued to have the upper hand and went close again when Sean Bonnett-Johnson gave Danny Francis the ball on the right wing.

He charged into the Lilywhites' area, beat defender Phil Kane and from an acute angle pulled the trigger but was denied at the near post by Tanner.

In a rare attempt at goal for the hosts, Dan Gabriel rolled the ball into the path of former Welwyn Garden City man Michael Bakare to fire well wide of Ricketts' goal.

Smee watched on as his new side came closest to breaking the deadlock just before the half-hour mark.

Winston saw his goal-bound header from Francis corner cleared off the line by home defender Des Thomas.

At the other end a Francis throw-in near to the right corner flag found Bolt.

He got to the byline and flashed a dangerous low ball across the face of goal, however nobody was there for Bar to tuck it home.

Not long after the visitors then had a decent penalty appeal turned down as they looked the more likely of the two sides to get a goal.

Bolt's drive appeared to hit a Leyton hand in the box. However, the ref kept play going in what was the last talking point of the opening 45 minutes.

Leyton came more into the game in the second period as the Scholars began to regret not making the most of their first half chances.

Ricketts did well to save a Thomas header from a corner, while at the other end his opposite number easily collected a Bonnett-Johnson bobbler from 25-yards.

Both keepers made fantastic saves within the space of three second-half minutes and from then on it seemed destined for a 0-0 draw.

Firstly, an Arjan Tajbakhsh corner from the left found Sam Adejokun who rose highest and planted a firm header goalwards.

However, diving to his right Tanner caught the ball on the line to deny the centre-half.

Play switched to the Bar end as Tanner aimed a long kick forward, it was half cleared by Adejokun to the edge of the area.

The ball dropped to Bakare who smashed a fierce half volley that was heading inside the left-hand post until Ricketts superbly pushed it around away from danger.

After that a Bolt drive just wide from 25-yards was the best the two sides could muster.

Leyton and Town played out the rest out the game and both appeared happy to settle for a point.