"I'VE had more fun at the dentist" joked Supermarine coach Richard Smith after watching his side stumble to a dour draw with relegation-haunted Mangotsfield United at Hunts Copse.

For the supporters it probably felt like having a tooth yanked out as well as they were made to sit through 90 minutes of tedious Southern League action.

Not even a dose of laughing gas would have brought a smile to the faces of some on an afternoon when both defences came out firmly on top.

To be fair to the players there was no lack of effort, and the swirling wind made passing the ball doubly difficult, but the game was anything but easy on the eye.

Before Saturday, Marine had yet to be involved in a goalless Premier Division draw, but the signs were clear to see from the first whistle.

Like two boxers tentatively circling the ring, both sides threw the odd punch but neither ever looked likely to land the knockout blow.

The best chance fell to former Swindon Town trainee Alex Rigley after 70 minutes, but the winger sliced horribly wide from 10 yards with teammate Jason Welch screaming for the ball in the centre.

Earlier, Marine goalkeeper Tom King produced an acrobatic save to deny the burly Alan Griffin on one of Mangotsfield's rare attacks.

The first half was a forgettable affair, punctuated by whistle-happy referee Justin Amey, who dished out several bookings for dissent.

Half an hour passed before either goal was threatened, Ashley Edenborough and Rigley combining to set up Welch, who saw his effort cleared off the line by Mangotsfield skipper Gary Thorne.

The visitors' first opening came from a King error, but Luke Ballinger's first-time effort was safely gathered by the back-peddling Marine goalkeeper.

Mangotsfield forced a series of corners at the start of the second half, but Griffin's looping header provided the only real test for King.

At the other end, Rigley's miss summed up the host's misfortune as the lively Edenborough twice fluffed his shot when presented with a clear sight at goal.

That the visitors left happy with their point is an indication of just how far Marine have come, as the Swindon side trudged off disappointed not to have taken another established Southern League scalp.

Manager Mark Collier admitted his side were far from their best, but he remains quietly content with a recent haul of 10 points from four league matches.

He said: "In the second half we created two or three good chances but we just weren't able to take them.

"Alex Rigley should have done better with his chance and it proved costly. He should have been looking to square the ball instead of shooting from that angle.

"We found Mangotsfield very tough to break down and we would have settled for an ugly 1-0 win.

"But it's another point towards safety and it means the gap between ourselves and Mangotsfield remains at eight points."