WOOTTON Bassett Town manager Paul Braithwaite was happy to grind out a point after claiming a 1-1 draw with Abingdon United.

It may not have been the performance that Braithwaite had been after from his side but he was happy to take the point against a much improved Abingdon side.

Dan Bailey scored with a header in the first half to open the scoring for the hosts but Abingdon came back in the second half and scored with 25 minutes of the match remaining.

Either side could have gone on to win the match but after time to reflect on the game Braithwaite was happy come away with something.

“I don’t think we played as well as we did in our last two games but on the flip side of that, we played better than what Bradford did on the weekend and we lost 2-0,” he said.

“For us it was to maintain playing well but get something out of the game and it ended up being the opposite.

“We didn’t play very well but we still got a point.

“Looking back on it, it was a good point because Abingdon are a team that are moving forward, they are not where they were earlier in the season.

“It was one of those games that could have gone either way in the second half but overall it was a good point and a point that I am happy with.

I” think for us it is just making sure we don’t lose games like that and we get points.

“If you are not going to win it, then you don’t want to lose it, you want to come away with something.”

With the year coming to a close Braithwaite is pleased with how his side have come together since the start of the year and will be hoping to push on in the second half of the season.

“Considering where we have come from, which was having to basically start a fresh this season,” he added.

“I think we are starting to settle now and we have a good bunch of lads and everyone knows what is expected of them, so from that point of view I am over the moon.

“Looking back on the first half of the season I think we could be four or six points better off but that is going to happen through the season to every team.”

Meanwhile it will be a merry Christmas for John Fisher and his Highworth side after they completed a 3-0 win over second-placed Kidlington.

The visitors scored within five minutes of the start when Nathan Blackford tapped the ball back for Sam Wadieh to score from close range.

The second came on the break mid-way through the second half when Callum Parsons found TJ Bohane on the half-way line and the forward was able to out-pace the defence to score past the advancing keeper.

Bohane came off shortly after scoring and it was his replacement, Josh Fowler, who wrapped up the three points in the final ten minutes.