HIGHWORTH Town manager Jeff Roberts said his side were unable to control enough of the game to emerge victorious after being forced to settle for a point away at Bideford on Saturday.

With new man Ben Lodge in the team following his move from Fairford Town, Highworth set about trying to better their two late defeats to the same opposition last season.

Though Roberts’ men did avoid defeat this time, the 0-0 draw they achieved could have been so much better had the midfield been able to dominate their counterparts for any real length of time, according to the Worthians boss.

Aside from a handful of efforts on target, Highworth did not create enough to win the game in the eyes of their manager while Roberts was left frustrated at the style of play Bideford operated with on a surprisingly plush surface.

He said: “The pitch was perfect. We were surprised when we arrived to see how good it was.

“That suited us because we like to get the ball down and pass it, but we couldn’t take control of the game for any real length of time.

“They were quite similar to the side that we faced last year.

“They are very direct, and they just try and get it forward as quickly as possible, there was no football from them.

“They carried on going really direct, and we dealt with that threat a little bit better.”

Another point for Highworth keeps them within touching distance of an unlikely play-off spot, but Roberts is aware his side will have to improve when facing the plethora of long-ball specialists in the division.

And with a trio of tricky fixtures still left to play before the year is out, Roberts admitted he would not be displeased to keep picking up scrappy draws away from home if necessary.

He said: “Where the ball was in the air so much from them, it was bypassing our midfielders and we didn’t pick up enough second balls.

“We didn’t take enough care and we were second to a lot of the second balls.

“In the second half, we came out and had a little bit more of a go at them. We started to dictate the game and we had a couple of chances where we might have scored.

“But for us, to go away from home and face one of the better sides we’ve faced this season so far, we always say a point is better than nothing and that’s no different this time.”