In a game that sometimes threatened to fizz and pop, there were no fireworks as West ended the decade not with a bang but a whimper with a draw at bottom-placed St Martins.

The game started in fine fashion for the travelling side, with Callum Jones starting brightly to release George Blackwell in the area after only two minutes, with the winger amply slotting home, with thoughts of a procession entering the away supporters minds. However, mere moments later the sides were back level as a blocked Andrew Jones clearance looped back over the keeper and into the empty net – a moment of luck that reset the game in the host’s favour.

For the remainder of the first half, St Martins were in the ascendancy, and were well worth the lead when they added a second on 26 minutes. No luck was involved this time as West were sliced open with ease, a lack of pressure on the ball meaning Jones could only parry a shot, before it was stroked into the net unchallenged.

At the break, any home support must’ve rued the Saints inability to turn dominance into further goals, with a Sam Heathcote effort that glanced the post being the only real effort of note for West as the home side dominated.

However, the second period started brighter for Chris Rowley’s team – Chris Middleton heading onto the post from a corner on the 52nd minute, before parity was finally achieved. Curtis Miller, a bright spark all game, found the byline before squaring the ball across the 6 yard line, with Heathcote waiting to tap home.

Sadly, it was to be the last goal of the 2010s for West, as pressure failed to turn into 3 points. Stephen Hall, a late sub, was perhaps closest to earning the lead with his first touch of the game – a header across goal that went the wrong side of the post – but St Martins could just as easily feel aggrieved that they failed to gain their first win since August. With West pressing for a third goal, the Saints broke, but their man could only find the advertising hoardings with the goal at his mercy.

A fair point for both sides, but West will use the dawning of a new year to cheer the end of a disappointing 12 months on the field, and to hope for a relatively big swing in fortunes come 2020.

St Martins	2-2	West Didsbury & Chorlton
Starting XI		Starting XI
George Austin	1	Andrew Jones
Sean Holt	2	Matthew Cook
James Gregory-Cork	3	Zachary Cooper
Jack Bates	4	Joshua Tinker
Jeffrey Agyeman	5	Christopher Middleton
Jamie Smith	6	Matthew Eckersley
David Forde	7	Curtis Miller
Sean Moscrop	8	Callum Jones
Joseph Foster	9	Sam Heathcote
William Wells	10	Matthew Boland
Callum Graybrook	11	George Blackwell
Substitutes		Substitutes
Jacob Stretch	S1	Dontai Gabidon
James Page	S2	Matthew Argent-Barnes
James Durman	S3	Billy Matthews
	S4	Jack Ryan
	S5	Stephen Hall