In football a point gained rarely thrills the senses or creates quite the same surge of optimism as a victory.

But as draws go Saturday's entertaining impasse at the National Sports Centre was equally as satisfying as any of Hogges' three wins this season, especially considering they were facing tabletoppers Charlotte Eagles who smacked them for six just a few months ago.

Even more impressive when you take into account that coach Kyle Lightbourne was forced to field a far from full-strength line-up with a number of key players still recharging their batteries following their recent national team excursions.

It must be pointed out that the Eagles appeared extremely jaded having played a match less than 24-hours earlier and opted to leave their talismanic striker, and Hogges' nemesis, Dustin Swineheart on the bench.

Yet to use tired limbs as an explanation or excuse for the Eagles' under-par performance would be doing the Hogges a huge disservice.

During the first-half they played the more expansive football and should have gone into half-time with a greater cushion than Keishen Bean's 19th minute strike.

It was a goal worth the admission fee alone and it was criminal that there weren't more spectators to witness Keith Jennings' quarterback-style pass down the right channel, Damon Ming's first-time hooked cross, and Keishen Bean's sublime touch and volley past Kevin Trapp, the Eagles' goalkeeper.

In just three swift passages of play the Hogges carved open the Eagles defence and produced the sort of attacking football Lightbourne has long believed his team capable of, but far too often goes unseen.

Just moments later the Hogges, lining up in a 4-4-2 formation, really should have increased their lead when another direct pass from midfield opened up the Eagles back-line and put the buoyant Bean clean through on goal.

Maybe he was still replaying his glorious opener in his mind because his second touch was a poor one and allowed Trapp to mop up the danger.

In contrast Nigel Burgess, the Hogges' goalkeeper, was relatively untroubled during the first period with the home side's defence looking surprising strong in the absence of defensive lynchpins Omar Shakir and Kofi Dill, with stand-in skipper Darius Cox marshalling the back-line.

Cox finally seems to have smoothed out the sometimes erratic nature of his game, and no other player in the squadhas shown greater signs of improvement season.

In this form it will be hard for Lightbourne to leave him out.

"Darius has been fantastic while the guys have been away with the national team," said Lightbourne.

"He's shown he can handle it and we always thought he could handle it. Last season was disappointing because he kept making mistakes leading to goals but he's learned a lot - even when watching from the bench."

On the stroke of half-time new capture Keith Jennings was denied what would have been a debut goal to remember when his audacious overhead-kick was superbly saved by Trapp, with John Barry Nusum's follow-up desperately scrambled away by the Eagles defence.

The second-half saw Eagles ring the changes as Swineheart entered the fray and at times the Hogges were forced into some last-ditch defending of their own with Jennings' the unlikely hero.

Twice the controversial figure, who turned down an offer to play for the Hogges last season, threw his body across the goal line to prevent certain equalising goals and win the praise of his coach.

"Keith was outstanding and worked terrifically hard," Lightbourne said.

"He had a back injury a couple of years ago and yet there he was doing bicycle kicks. It would have been a great goal if it had gone in, and the 'keeper made a great save."

Burgess was called upon to make a fine flying save from veteran Swineheart and the Eagles' constant pressure eventually told on 87 minutes when the Hogges failed to clear their lines from a corner-kick, allowing Brady Bryant to fire a shot through a maze of players and into the net.

"Whenever we've played the Eagles they've beaten us comfortably and before the game I said 'guys we've got to have a go at them'," added Lightbourne.

"It was a good point and we would have taken it before the game - it was a good team effort."