Brilliant defensive effort hailed by Burgess Hill Town boss as Ramsgate are held

It was only the fourth time in their 32 games the Rams have dropped points and Mansell felt the performance and result was further evidence of how far the Hillians have come.

They remain third and well clear of the sides outside the play-off places.

Burgess Hill managed to give the league’s top scorer, Joe Taylor, a blank day – he had a penalty kept out by Slav Huk as Hill’s unbeaten run stretched to 15 league games.

Mansell said: “It was a really entertaining game with two really good sides that were well matched.

"Before the game both teams would have been pleased with a point and I think on reflection, it was probably a fair result.

"We were pleased with the performance our boys gave. The game could have gone either way which is a reflection of where we’re at.

"It was a great atmosphere and a brilliant crowd and it was a good day for the football club.

“A good crowd makes a huge difference when there’s an atmosphere. Both sets of fans were brilliant, it was just a shame we couldn’t get a goal at the end to give them something to cheer.

"There was a really positive feel around the ground and we enjoyed it.

“There was the big penalty save but defensively we were brilliant, we had done the preparation and the details and the backline was excellent on the day.

"We restricted Joe Taylor to one penalty and one shot which he dragged wide. Apart from that, he didn’t really have an impact on the game and that was credit to not just our defence but stopping the service into him as well.”

Hill have had a rare match-free midweek and now go to 13th-placed Ashford United on Saturday as the business end of the season approaches.

“A week between games gives us a chance to take a breath and assess where we’re at,” Mansell added. “It gives us an opportunity to have a little bit of recovery and do a little bit of assessment.”