IT is easy to recall that 6-5 thriller or the 3-3 draw that had you on the edge of your seat. But football is about more than just goals. The art of good defending can be just as exciting and just as important.
With that in mind there was certainly much to admire in Northallerton Town's 0-0 draw at Whitehaven on Tuesday night. Many of the fans who had made the 200-mile round trip from North Yorkshire may have gone home disappointed not to have a witnessed a goal but there was nothing sterile about a game dominated by good defending.
The Whitehaven central defensive partnership of Kevin Law and James Parker looked as good as any in the Northern League this season. The fact they restricted the Town attack to just two chances over the 90 minutes shows just how solid they were.
Both chances fell to the one man Town would have wanted them to. Graham Caygill had scored three times in the previous two matches, including a superb winner at Brandon on Saturday, but he was unable to add to that tally on this occasion.
The first chance arrived midway through the opening period. It was the best Town move of the night as Martin Butterworth fed Caygill on the edge of the penalty area and for a split second he seemed to have finally escaped the shackles placed on him so expertly by Parker.
At first glance it appeared to be a weak finish that lacked conviction and goalkeeper Ian Studholme was able to save with ease. But that would be doing Parker a disservice. The Whitehaven man recovered quickly and made it difficult for Caygill; a superb piece of defending.
The only other chance afforded to Town came in stoppage time. Perhaps the Whitehaven defence switched off momentarily as they were caught out by a long ball over the top from Butterworth, and suddenly Caygill was one-on-one with Studholme.
But with the visiting fans ready to celebrate what would have been a dramatic late winner, the Town striker rolled his shot agonisingly into the side netting; the result, perhaps, of the lack of opportunities throughout the night.
It was not just the Whitehaven defence that shone though. Grant Hickman and James Howlett have developed a superb understanding in recent weeks and a third clean sheet in the last six league matches that they have played together underlined the strength of their blossoming partnership.
Howlett's pace compliments perfectly with the more physical attributes of Hickman, and with both dominant in the air, it has brought a new solidity to the Town defence.
Meanwhile, behind them was yet another new goalkeeper; the fourth to play between the sticks in the last six matches. And Steven Walker, on loan from Richmond Town, could not have asked for a better debut.
He was not called upon very often in the first half, although he showed his class with a fine save with his legs to deny Gregg Quayle. But it was after the break that Walker really came into his own. A terrific double save from Fergus Jeans and Barry Armfield, again with his legs, was followed up by a superb one-handed stop to deny Armfield again; a match winning save of the highest order.
So while there were no goals to warm the hearts and hands of the fans at Whitehaven on Tuesday evening, there was still plenty to admire. 0-0 draws may not always live long in the memory but there is much to be said for the art of good defending.
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