Cheadle Town 0 St Helens Town 0.

Alsager Town 1 St Helens Town 1.

A DISAPPOINTING season finally drew to a close over the Bank Holiday weekend with a third successive draw at Alsager on Monday, alongside a scoreless draw at Cheadle on Saturday, to enable St. Helens Town to end their Hallmark Security NW Counties First Division campaign in 20th place, two places above bottom place on 32 points, a point above the basement pair of Nelson and Daisy Hill.

Both games saw St. Helens on top for each match, but frustratingly unable to land the knockout blow, a failing which has dogged their season, leaving them with an unenviable 8 wins and 8 draws from 42 games.

The game at Cheadle on Saturday saw Town in the ascendancy from the kick-off, with Matty Smith and Liam Diggle narrowly wide with early chances, then Diggle set up Hal McHugh, only for keeper Steve Piggott to save well.

St Helens were dominant throughout the first half but just before the interval, stand-in keeper Kieran Yong was called into action and he produced a fine acrobatic save to keep the score-sheet blank.

The second-half again saw Town in control, but a careless back-pass from Alex Hope O’Connor very nearly gave the game away, Cheadle’s Michael Sherrington hitting the bar with a speculative effort, but Diggle and Shaun Brady both had late chances to snatch a winner go agonisingly wide and the game ended 0-0.

Monday’s game was a much better match and Town should have gone ahead in the 22nd minute, when Diggle set up Brady but, with the keeper beaten, Town’s livewire top scorer blasted over the bar.

Immediately afterwards, the home keeper scooped the ball off Diggle’s toes as he shaped to shoot and McHugh had a great chance, but could not get a clean shot with the keeper struggling for position.

Diggle, who was prominent throughout, had a shot blocked, but then got his reward, rising to head home from Danny Greene’s cross, in Andy Carroll fashion in the 36th minute.

Brady had a great opportunity to double the lead shortly afterwards, but his lob went just over the bar from 30 yards.

Alsager levelled the score at 1-1 right on half-time with a shot across Carl Williams inside his far post from Jordan Cobley.

Town had the best chances to win the game in the second-half, Diggle firing wide and Smith going round the keeper before narrowly missing, but new father Williams – absent on Saturday when his wife gave birth – did well to block a shot right on his line with only a few minutes remaining to ensure the game ended in a 1-1 draw.