RAMSBOTTOM United kicked off the year with two 1-1 draws.

But while the first was received with a roar of positive approval following a rousing fightback at title chasers Ossett Town on Saturday, Tuesday night's stalemate at 10-man Droylsden drew only grunts of frustration, anger and disbelief.

Adam Kay's second-half equaliser from the spot at Ossett was backed up by a superb late penalty save from Martin Fearon as Mark Fell's Rammy proved they could mix it with the best in Evo-Stik First Division North.

But the goodwill that performance earned from the travelling support, who went to Ossett in their numbers, was dissipated somewhat by their fragmented display at mid-table rivals Droylsden.

Admittedly, Rammy went into the match with a number of absentees, due to injury and unavailability, and were unable to field a recognised striker.

But after Grant Spencer put them in front on 37 minutes it looked like a welcome three points was on the cards.

That feeling only strengthened when Josh Askew raced clear with five minutes of the first half remaining.

The flying winger looked certain to score before being flattened by the Droylsden keeper, who was sent off for the challenge.

But after the resulting free kick had been driven high and wide, the incident proved to be a turning point, as Rammy floundered against the gritty resolve of the home side's 10 men.

A tactical switch – moving Spencer and Askew back out to the wings from their unaccustomed central roles in a bid to stretch Droylsden – backfired as Rammy failed to push the requisite bodies into the box to make it work.

Instead, the home side were able to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat, thanks mainly to midfielder Luke Daly, who took the game by the scruff of the neck with his fluid movement and accurate passing.

After 15 minutes of pounding at the door at the start of the second half, only to be denied by firm goalkeeping and some last-minute blocking, a Droylsden goal looked inevitable.

When it came, it was the result of yet another weak defensive header, which let in an attacker who was hauled to the ground, and Jamie Frost made no mistake from the spot.

The Rams brought on Aaron Hollindrake, returning Spencer to the middle, and they rallied slightly but still had to rely on Fearon plunging low to his left to keep the scores level after a quick counter-attack shredded the Rams cover.

The fact that at least five players were meandering back arguing with the referee did little to help the cause.

Even then, at the death, Spencer had the chance to seize a cruel win, finding himself at the edge of the box with only the substitute keeper to beat but his shot lacked strength and the keeper was able to make an extravagant dive to his left and clutch the ball.

The two points from two games did at least move Rammy up to 13th place in the table, but while they have games in hand of most of their rivals, Fell's men remain 12 points outside the play-off places.