THE New Saints were forced to settle for a draw at Park Avenue, as Aberystwyth belied their lowly league position with a battling performance.

Both goals came in the second-half, the home side breaking the deadlock 10 minutes after half-time when a slip by Chris Marriott allowed Lewis Codling to feed Geoff Kellaway, who fired an angled drive beyond the reach of keeper Paul Harrison and into the far corner.
But the lead lasted just eight minutes before an excellent crossfield ball found Craig Jones on the right, whose cross was hooked home from close range by Greg Draper for his 11th goal of the campaign.
In a largely off-colour first period, Alex Darlington beat the offside trap and found himself clear on goal, only to be denied by home keeper Steve Cann, while Aeron Edwards fired wide from a good position.
Draper also went close while, for the Seasiders, former Sunderland midfielder Sean Thornton sent a couple of shots over the target before Phil Baker stopped Codling in his tracks with a last-ditch tackle.
Once level, the Saints upped the tempo and started to control proceedings, although man-of-the-match Kellaway fired a shot across the face of goal and then blazed over from a Jordan Follows pass.
But the Saints should have claimed the spoils in the dying moments when Cann fumbled an Edwards cross and Draper somehow spooned his shot onto the crossbar from point-blank range.
Photo: Greg Draper scored the Saints' equaliser.