They say luck runs with the champions.

And this certainly proved to be the case with North Village at St.John?s Field yesterday where the defending league champions lived a charmed life to come away with a share of the spoils.

Hornets forced Village on the defensive from the outset and pinned them in their own terrain for virtually the entire match.

But their inability to convert pressure into goals ultimately let Village off the hook and gave each team the point they deserved from a match played on a quagmire pitch in wet and windy conditions.

Hornets should have been ahead by at least three clear goals at the break.

Town?s temperamental striker Antwan Russell, returning from a one-game suspension, nearly broke the ice after five-minutes. After prising the Village defence apart with a clever wall pass with Carlos Smith, Russell fired over from an acute angle from just outside the six-yard box with only ?keeper Jason Williams to contend with.

Russell then lifted another effort from a similar angle over the bar with only the ?keeper to beat after outpacing Michael Hansey in a foot race for possession.

Veteran Smith also proved to be a handful with his alarming pace down either flank, particularly on the left side where he ran rings around full-back Jawan Thomas who was replaced at the half.

On one occasion Smith outfoxed the Reds? defence, his inviting cross in the middle trickled untouched across the goalmouth.

Hornet?s best chance of the match then arrived in the 25th minute when they were awarded a penalty after ?keeper Williams brought Russell down in the area and full back Robert Wilson escaped unpunished after handling the ball in the box.

However, Hornets? afternoon was perhaps best summed up by Heys Wolfe?s causal spot kick that was easily saved by college kid Williams.

Yet the home team quickly put this glaring miss behind them and continued to carry the match to the defending champions.

And they would come agonisingly close to scoring minutes before the break.

First midfielder Michael Parsons caught an unsuspecting Williams off-guard with a lob that, luckily for the ?keeper, nestled into the side -netting.

Determined to make amends for squandering his spotkick, Wolfe could only hold his head in disbelief as he had a goal-bound lob cleared off the line by full back Randy Spence and then had a curling free kick outside the 18 yard box hit the bar with Williams beaten for pace.

Village?s best chances of the half fell to striker Keishen Bean who had two volleys on goal saved by a well-positioned Jason Smith in the Hornets? nest.

The Reds inserted midfield ace Jemeiko Jennings into the fray in the second half, and gradually the diminutive player began to make his presence felt.

And during one of their better spells of the match Village sub Shayne Hollis created space for himself deep in Town real-estate, but completely mis-kicked the ball with goal at his mercy. Reds? captain Ralph Bean Jr then had a dangerous free-kick go untouched across the face of goal.

Town, though, regrouped and again pushed Village to the brink, the relentless Jared Peniston dragging a left-footed shot inches wide. Village then went unpunished for tugging on Wolfe?s jersey inside the area as Town?s appeal for a penalty fell on deaf ears.

By now Hornets must have realised it just wasn?t going to be their day and in the end it was they who survived a late flurry which saw Village nearly steal all three points.

Dribbling down the right flank, Village?s Hollis forced ?keeper Smith to push his effort from an acute angle around the post for a corner. And from the resulting kick Town survived a desperate goalmouth scramble and then breathed a sigh of relief as late sub David Hunt scooped an effort just over seconds before referee Jenny Villamarin blew the final whistle.: J.Smith, K.Mundy, A.Lowe, D.Lawler, D.Zuill, M.Parsons (C.Anderson, 85 mins), S.Tuzo (L.Dill, 65 mins), J.Peniston (capt), H.Wolfe, A.Russell (M.Smith, 80 mins), C.Smith.J.Williams, J.Thomas (J.Jennings, 45 mins), R.Spence, R.Wilson, M.Hansey, J.Boyles, R.Bean Jr (capt), T.Outerbridge, N.Smith, K.Bean (S.Hollis, 50 mins), D.DeGraff (D.Hunt, 81 mins).: M.Parsons, C.Smith (Town); R.Wilson (Village): J.Peniston (Town); R.Wilson (Village).: Jenny Villamarin.