YET again Marlow FC found another gear for a big game when they drew 1-1 with Chesham on Tuesday night, but their season has been ambushed by a failure to beat the teams at the other end of the table.

Adam Harman gave Blues the lead against Chesham and although they conceded an equaliser a point still represented something of an over-achievement.

Manager Kevin Stone said: “On Tuesday we played a side whose budget is probably twice ours.

“We’re a million miles apart and the two clubs have totally different agendas – they’re looking to get promoted and we’re looking to just be competitive.

“They get Danny Burnell and we promote our youth team captain. That says it all.

“But we got a point and only lost by one goal over there, we’re just so inconsistent. When we play the bottom sides it’s a real struggle to impose ourselves on them.

“We’ve not got six points off any of the teams below us. The top teams, even if they’re not playing well, have players that can take those games by the scruff of the neck and they’ll win those games by the odd goal.

“But we knew the situation before the season started.”

Tuesday’s draw followed another point agaisnt Rothwell, when they led 3-1 with less than 15 minutes to go thanks to goals from Johnny Isaac, Marcus Mealing and Gavin Lane.

But keeper Michael Watkins then got sent off and Rothwell scored twice in a fiesty finish.

Stone said: “We played well and got a point against Chesham, but we played very well on Saturday and still walked off the pitch with the same number of points as the opposition.

“In the last minute Jermaine Roche had a breakaway, went round the keeper and only had to sidefoot it in but he mis-kicked and the ball never reached the goal.

“If he’d kicked it over the bar we’d have won 3-2, but it stayed in, a defender got back and ten seconds later they equalised.

“I’ve never known our conversion rate to be as low as this. It’s been a long season.”