With one or two injuries in the camp, manager Liam Kelly included new signings Liam Hallam and Thomas Clare in the squad to face local rivals Alsager Town at the Apex Arena. The visitors had made a good start to the season and the game would be a test for the Eagles.
Alsager started well and looked the stronger moving forward in the early stages. On 14 minutes, Richard Mc Aleese hit a piledriver from outside the box and it brought a great one-handed save from Eagles keeper Aaron Woolrich. The keeper then watched a shot by Christopher Hunt go wide of the post before Tom Winkle cleared a header by Alsager striker Jack Woolley. Woolrich went down to collect an effort by Thomas Hassall. In reply, before the interval, Nick Wellecomme had a shot on the turn, but it was over the bar. In reality, both sides had cancelled each other out and the game needed a goal to spark it into life.
HT: Eccleshall 0 Alsager Town 0

Eagles came out for the second half and should have taken the lead on 49 minutes when skipper Jordan Benton had a gilt-edged chance within the six-yard box, but Town keeper Ryan Brown produced a point blank save to keep them level. Kelly brought on Blake Robinson and Jonathan Kapend for Winkle and Ryan Malbon in an attempt to break the deadlock before Woolley missed a great chance for the visitors on 74 minutes, but he blazed high and wide after running through. In reply, Kapend set up Mitch Glover, but Brown held his well struck effort. George Woodroffe replaced Hallam and Clare came on for Dan Counter before Alsager almost sealed the points on 86 minutes when a cross from the left by Kallam Boyle was headed against the post by Elliott Coleman and the ball rebounded clear. Then Callum Feeney put over a cross and Woodroffe’s tame header was easily dealt with by Brown. With time ticking away, Robinson cleared a downward header off the line. There was still time for a final bit of drama when Alsager substitute Jordan Cobley received a red card from referee Cliffe for a foul.
FT: Eccleshall 0 Alsager Town 0

In truth, the longer the game went on, the result had 0-0 written all over it. It had proved to be a typical tight local derby. Having now drawn five matches to date this season, manager Kelly needs to find a formula to turn these into wins if Eccleshall have designs on reaching the play-offs at the end of the season. Attention now turns to a tough away trip to Cheadle Heath Nomads next Saturday as Eagles look to get back on the winning trail.

Eagles: Woolrich, Darlington, Minshall, Benton, Winkle (Robinson), Counter (Clare), Malbon (Kapend), Feeney, Wellecomme, Glover, Hallam (Woodroffe).
Unused sub: Tomlin

Referee: Mr Joshua Cliffe
Attendance: 76