CHERRIES captain Gemma Hillier admitted a “point is better than nothing” after her side were held at home by Keynsham Town in a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium.

It was beginning to look like it was not to be Cherries’ day in front of 6,162 fans at Dean Court as they trailed to a first-half Vicky Vipond strike.

Cherries had an iron-clad penalty turned down, hit the woodwork on multiple occasions and found Charlotte Haynes in the Keynsham goal a tricky prospect to beat.

However, Hillier’s rasping drive on 73 minutes managed to wriggle under Haynes and restore parity, although Cherries were unable to convert sustained pressure in the final 20 minutes into a winner.

The draw means Cherries must now win their remaining seven games in order to guarantee the FA Women’s National League Division One South title, and with it, the only promotion spot out of their fourth-tier league.

Discussing the game with the Daily Echo, Hillier shared: “Keynsham definitely came to work hard and put lots of challenges in.

“From our point of view, first half we just weren't good enough.

“Everything that we've worked on, every training session from the start of the season, we just didn't do, for whatever reason that was.

“But I thought second half we were outstanding.

“We just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net, which is obviously the main aim of the game.

“But to grasp a point from what we did in the first half was, one positive.”

Asked if Cherries were starting to feel like luck was against them, Hillier continued: “We knew second half we had to come out and do the complete opposite of everything we did.

“We had to work hard, we had to play the ball low.

“Because obviously the keeper was very tall, and she was having a great game.

“When we had the penalty shout that wasn't given, hit the crossbar, we hit the post.

“We had a few other shots on goal that went just wide.

“We were wondering if it was going to be our day, but we kept going and we got the goal in the end.

“So a point is better than nothing.”

Cherries return to action on Thursday night, when they cross the border into Hampshire to face Southampton Women at Test Park (7.45pm).

Currently in second place, eight points separate Cherries from league leaders Exeter City, who have played two games more.

The two sides meet on the final day in what could prove to be a title decider on Sunday, May 5.