PICKERING Town have the meanest defence in the Northern Counties East League and have been setting their sights on re-writing the record books, writes Ian Appleyard.

Paul Marshall's promotion chasers had gone nearly 12 hours without conceding a goal prior to last night's fixture against Albion Sports at Mill Lane.

The record for consecutive clean sheets in the NCEL stands at NINE games and was set by premier division side North Shields in 1991-92 season.

The Pikes have kept clean sheets in their last SEVEN games as well as eight of their opening 10 league games.

Parkgate's Mohammed Hamid was the last player to score against the club in a league game on August 27.

In total, they have gone a staggering 706 minutes without conceding a goal in the league and also scored 26 goals along the way.

Contrary to the club's claims on social media, they needed 10 consecutive clean sheets to break the NCEL record, a statistic confirmed by the NCEL.

Prior to last night's game, they shared the honour for the second longest run of consecutive clean sheets in the NCEL premier with Emley (1988) on seven games.

Parkgate (1989), Garforth Town (1995), and Pontefract Collieries (2015) have all reached that figure in division one fixtures while Liversedge (1988) pulled off the feat in the reserve league.

On the back of this Scrooge-like defending, the Pikes have emerged as genuine title contenders.

Unbeaten since the opening game of the season, they started last night's game in fourth spot - but only six points behind leaders Liversedge with two games in hand.

Fifth-placed Albion, however, were seeking a victory to leap-frog the Pikes in the table.

With no game this Saturday due to Pickering's 'War Weekend' and back-to-back Cup games against Hall Road Rangers, in the NCEL League Cup third round, and Bridlington Town in the FA Vase, it will be October 29 when the league programme resumes against Handsworth Parramore. If they are to beat the clean sheet record, it will come against Hemsworth on November 1.

The Pikes beat promotion rivals Thackley and Bottesford Town last week and the only real disappointment was the dismissal, against Bottesford, of midfielder Nathan Kamara for violent conduct.

Former York City and Tadcaster Albion midfielder Kamara missed the first four games of the season through suspension and will now have to serve a three game ban.

He had scored three goals in four games since returning to the team and been voted Man of the Match twice.