Both sides were missing key players, although the depleted Bucks welcomed back Dorryl Proffitt to the bench, and the striker's introduction in the second half fashioned one of the main talking points of the match.

Nantwich looked lively in the opening exchanges, with young winger Omar Mahmoud an ever-present danger, powering a shot wide after ten minutes.

The Dabbers used their offside trap effectively, catching out the Buxton runners.

But the home side weathered the storm and created good chances through Kieran Lugsden and emergency forward Tommy Agus, whose tireless running is giving the Energiser bunny a run for its money. His best chance came after pouncing on a lucky deflection, narrowly missing the target when one-on-one with keeper Lee Jones.

The Bucks were almost made to pay minutes later when Joe Wilcox clumsily brought down Mahmoud in the box, but keeper Scott Hartley saved Ashley Carter's weak spot kick.

The remainder of the half was all Buxton. Christian Millar tested Jones' reflexes on more than one occasion, while Knight headed wide from a tricky position.

Rodney Jack, on for the injured Mahmoud, still had time to storm past two defenders during a piercing run which ended when he drove over the crossbar.

Jack continued to be the thorn in Buxton's side after the break, but the Buxton defence kept goalscoring chances to a premium.

The introduction of Proffitt injected fresh impetus into the side, and the striker wasted no time in racing into the Nantwich box, only to be tackled from behind by Dave Whittaker.

The inevitable red card for being the last man never materialised - in fact, the referee didn't even issue a booking. To add insult to injury, Jones then pulled off a great save to deny Knight from the penalty spot.

Buxton still looked the most likely to break the deadlock, with two chances falling to Proffitt while, close to full time, Hartley ensured his second successive clean sheet with a diving fingertip save from Matt Rhead.

Match Report Courtesy of the Buxton Advertiser