IAN Street said his side took too long to ask questions of Atherton Collieries’ defence during a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

1874 Northwich salvaged a share of the spoils following Mike Brandon’s equaliser with 11 minutes left, leaving them six points adrift of a promotion position with eight games left.

“Considering how we played for the first hour, we didn’t deserve more,” said Street.

“It was flat, and we were short of the standards I expect.

“I’ve predicted all along that we would likely slip up at some stage, though whether that’s how to describe a draw against a team close to us in the table is debatable.

“The lads are frustrated, but that’s understandable.”

Street made a triple substitution shortly after Kieran Halliwell’s header put Colls in front, a change that livened up an attack that had struggled to create chances during a drab first half.

One of the hosts’ replacements, Daley Wood, provided an assist for Brandon to score while another – recent recruit Sakeel Abdullah – was denied a winning goal in stoppage time by goalkeeper Phil Priestley’s stunning save.

Street said: “I’d planned the reshuffle at half time, drawing it on a piece of paper. I didn’t want us to continue in the same way for the second half.

“They scored straight away, so we went for it.

“I felt after the substitutions we did more than they did to earn a win, particularly when we put them under pressure in the final 20 minutes or so.”

To read a report on Saturday's match, click here: http://bit.ly/1oMvULR