TRAFFORD drew 0-0 with Kidsgrove Athletic in an Evo-Stik West game where both sides were guilty of missing gilt-edged chances in the first half.

The visitors started brightly and in the seventh minute danger man Anthony Malbon cracked a curling drive from 25 yards that Matty Cooper parried, Rumenio Valido-Barai ballooning the rebound well over.

Three minutes later Kidsgrove should have taken the lead when full-back Ben Hart made a storming run down the right and pulled the ball back into the path of Lee Williamson who somehow fired over from just six yards.

The impressive Hart made another excellent forward run in the 26th minute, breaking free down the right, but Trafford keeper Cooper left his line to save bravely from point-blank range.

In the dying seconds of the first half Trafford also squandered a great chance when Matty Bryan made a great run down the left and crossed for Lewis Nightingale to blaze over from 10 yards.

A Darius Palma cross in the opening minutes of the second half was nudged against the post by Nightingale, while at the other end Malbon shot into the side-netting from eight yards.

Aaron Burns whistled a drive across the face of the Kidsgrove goal and a superb block by Keil O’Brien denied Chris Baker.

However, as the conditions worsened and the bitterly cold wind and driving rain made creative football extremely difficult, goalscoring opportunities were few and far between.

Malbon curled a shot wide from 18 yards, Cooper saved a Will Saxon snapshot at the foot of his left-hand post and O’Brien headed a Nightingale free kick over the bar.

Trafford now face two of their main rivals for promotion in the space of five days, travelling to play Prescot Cables on Saturday before they entertain Atherton Collieries at the First Point Shawe View Stadium on Boxing Day, both games kicking off at 3pm.