While efforts from Jude Taylor, Josh Wykes and Jack Edwards came agonisingly close to putting Lichfield ahead, City were held to a goalless draw against Stone Old Alleynians.
Josh Wykes came in to replace Joe Haines as Ivor Green’s only change to the lineup that beat Highgate United last weekend.
The visitors lost 2-1 to Lichfield in the reverse fixture and went into the game having only won one of their previous three league games.
Despite being 11th in the league table, Stone have racked up the fifth highest goal total (50) in the league so far this season and presented a tough task for the Lichfield back four.
Stone kicked off and immediately looked to play long, but the ball was nodded back comfortably by Childs.
Lichfield then won an early free kick, just inside Stone territory, but the keeper gathered Kirton’s cross with ease.
The visitors brought the game to Lichfield in the opening stages and played on the front foot, while Lichfield seemed to miss the commanding presence of Haines at the back.
After 15 minutes, City had finally hit match tempo, and looked far more threatening as Lewi Burnside broke down the right flank.
However, Sam Wilson, the visitor’s top goal scorer, also looked dangerous and repeatedly found himself running in behind the City back line.
Burnside broke forward again and zipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal but there were no blue shirts in the box to meet it.
Smith was taken down on the left flank to earn Lichfield their first major chance of the game, as the ball was hit across field to Burnside, who whipped his cross from the right onto the head of Jack Edwards. His effort took a deflection and narrowly missed the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.
A late effort form Matthew Thomas was blazed over the bar, and neither side could find a break-through before the half-time whistle.
The first action of the second half came as Cameron Dunn broke forward and won a free kick for his side.
The following cross from Burnside was played too deep for Dom Lewis at the back post before Elkes and Wykes were forced into action again at the other end of the pitch.
Some incredible footwork from Childs to retain the ball allowed for a cross-field pass to be played to Burnside, who won Lichfield City another corner.
The corner was collected in the air by the Stone Keeper before the visitors broke down the other end and forced Elkes to slide in and clear a hazardous low ball across the face of goal.
A sinbin, for one of Stone’s central defenders, gave Lichfield a golden 10-minute window to get back into the game.
Smith’s effort from a corner kick was parried away by Radjan Gill in goal, before Wykes’ strike from range shook the cross bar.
Jude Taylor came on with the hope of turning the tide and made an immediate impact, as he worked himself into a strong position in front of goal and forced another diving save from Gill.
Stone came close to clinching a late goal from a corner kick, but the shot failed to find it’s way through a crowd of blue shirts.
The City midfield pumped ball after ball in behind the Stone back line, in the hope of finding Kirton or Taylor, but were unable to find the killer pass before the final whistle.
As a result, Lichfield have dropped to third place in the Midlands Football League Premier Division, as Congleton Town and Highgate United won both of their games.
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