Accrington Stanley 0 Chorley 0

IN an age dominated by player power, Murdoch's millions, Sky TV and their fat cats, Chorley's Simon Marsh reminded fans just what football is all about.

The barrell-chested keeper hardly looks the part but his cat-like reflexes single-handedly kept Stanley at bay when they could have scored four in an action packed second half, writes ANDY NEILD.

Marsh is being sponsored 50p by Chorley fans for every clean sheet he keeps in his testimonial year as a reward for his loyalty.

And he earned every penny of his latest whip-round after a fascinating duel with Stanley striker Billy O'Callaghan which must have left manager Billy Rodaway cursing his luck.

"We could have won but for Marsh who was the man of the match," said the Reds boss.

"He pulled off a tremendous save to keep out Billy O'Callaghan in the second half.

"But at least we are still unbeaten."

As far as 0-0 draws go this was a cracker between two teams of contrasting styles.

For all Chorley's neater approach play it was Stanley who created the far greater threat in the third where it counts.

Both sides took time to settle in a scrappy first half but the visitors were the first to show when Neil Mitchell fired just over the bar.

The dangerous O'Callaghan flashed a shot just wide of Marsh's post at the other end. And Stanley had their best moment of the half when Ronnie Gouldbourne released Tony Black down the right and the ex-Wigan raider rattled the post with a fierce strike.

Darren Quick very nearly capped his return to The Crown with a goal but Jamie Speare matched anything Marsh could do when he clawed away his eight yard volley from a Colin Potts corner.

The second half was even better than the first as Stanley took more of a grip pouring down the slope.

Black rattled the post again with a far post header from a Glenn Little cross. And Marsh got down incredibly to tip aside an O'Callaghan effort to the astonishment of everyone in the ground.

He was there again to deny Black at the front post and his fingertips prevented a Derek Highdale effort from creeping into the bottom corner.

O'Callaghan must have wondered what he had to do to score when another whistling drive rebounded off Marsh's chest and Highdale sliced the rebound wide.

But Stanley almost had their pockets picked in the closing stages.

Michael Knowles cut in from the right and his left foot shot was screaming into the top corner until Speare got the faintest of touches to push his effort onto the post.

Had that gone in it would have been rough justice on the home side who were a different proposition to the one humbled 4-0 at Victory Park earlier in the season.

"It's certainly better than it was four or five games ago," said Rodaway. "We are becoming harder to beat and we are creating a lot of chances against some quality opposition but we are not going to get carried away."

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