Belper Town travelled to Harrison Park hoping to build upon their opening day victory against Loughborough, but Leek worked very hard to make things difficult for the Nailers and a draw was the right outcome.

The starting line up was unchanged from the one that kicked off the new campaign a few days earlier, and the conditions were pretty awful and more representative of the end of October rather than mid August.

The home team set off a frantic pace and Belper couldn't get out of their half in the very early stages, but it was the Nailers who shocked the home support by taking the lead in the sixth minute.

Andy Rushbury, who grafted all evening as Belper's virtual lone striker, intercepted a poor pass out of the Leek defence and took full advantage by slotting the ball into the far corner of the net.

A rash challenge on the edge of the area from Mickey Harcourt gave Leek a 10th minute opportunity to level the scores but Steve Brannan put his free kick over the top.

Ben Walker hit the side netting in the 14th minute and while Belper were sporadically causing problems for the home side it was Leek who looked the stronger attacking side especially on the right hand side.

Paul Pettinger pulled off a good save from Leon Ashman who found space running through, but the Belper 'keeper looked annoyed with himself on 26 minutes when Nicky Ward collected the ball on the left of the penalty area, took half a dozen steps forward and fired the ball in across the face of goal and beyond Pettinger's dive and into the net.

Richard Froggatt, in the Leek goal did well to stop Lee Stevenson's deflected shot on 29 minutes and Ben Walker had a half chance six minutes later after Andy Rushbury nodded on a cross from the left, but Walker was only able to shoot straight at the 'keeper.

Rushbury went close again on 43 minutes when Danny Hudson slotted the ball through the Leek defence but he put the ball wide of the target.

Rushbury looked set to score early in the second half when he surged through in the 47th minute but after doing the hard bit, he sliced his shot wide.

While Belper had created the best opportunities in the game so far it was Leek who looked strongest going forward.

Even so, it should have been the Nailers who regained the lead in the 53rd minute but Rushbury contrived to lift Jimmy Ghaichem's pin point cross over the cross bar from barely six yards out.

Steve Brannan found space on the right but wasted his shot from 16 yards and although Richard Haigh headed just over from a 63rd minute Rushbury corner, the home side seemed to be threatening more.

Leek had a blistering spell of around 12 to 15 minutes when they pressurised the Belper goal – forcing corner after corner, but solid defending kept the home team at bay.

The Nailers came within a whisker of taking all three points when substitute Richard Tracey struck a tremendous effort just past the angle in added on time but despite creating the best of the opportunities in open play, Belper can't complain too much about a share of the points.

Leek Town: Froggatt, Johnson P, Allen, Ward, Ruddock, Moult, Bailey, Brannan (Edward 66), Ashman (Weir 83), Miller, Scheuber Smith C 59). Other subs: Johnson W, McMann.

Belper Town: Pettinger, Colliver, Barnard, Harcourt (Kotylo 66), Hobson, Haigh, Ghaichem, Stevenson, Walker (Tracey 75), Hudson, Rushbury (Smith P 83). Other sub: Carney

Referee: C Rushton (Stone)
Att: 229