Isthmian Premier: Bowers & Pitsea 1 Wingate & Finchley 1

Wingate & Finchley earned a 1-1 draw at Bowers & Pitsea on the opening day of the new Isthmian Premier season on Saturday

The Blues made the trip to the winners of the Isthmian North and got off the mark for the term with a hard-fought encounter.

Boss Steve Clark was taking charge of his first competitive match and his team had to contend with strong winds at Len Salmon Stadium.

It didn't seem to impact them too much though, as forward Charlie Cole went close on a couple of occasions before Wingate took the lead.

Olumide Oluwatimilehin tried his luck from outside the area and saw his thunder bolt go into the roof of the net with 36 on the clock.

The Blues held onto their advantage until the break, but Bowers levelled in the 66th minute and through a Wingate old boy.

David Knight, who enjoyed a successful spell at Summers Lane in the 2014/15 term, got on the end of a cross and beat Shane Gore to make it 1-1.

No further goals occurred and so Clark had to settle for a point on his managerial debut with the Summers Lane outfit.

Wingate return to the Maurice Rebak Stadium on Tuesday for the visit of Kingstonian after they played out a stalemate with Cray Wanderers last weekend.