Lowestoft Town's players had to strain every sinew to hang on to a hard-earned point against Harrogate Town in Conference North.
The Trawlerboys were without captain Dan Gleeson because of injury but Sam Gaughran shrugged off an ankle problem to start alongside Curtis Haynes-Brown in the middle of defence, with Adam Smith coming in at left-back.
There were three changes from the Blues' 3-0 loss at Stockport County last Saturday, which ended their unbeaten start to the season.
Jefferson Louis returned to the starting line-up in attack alongside Shaun Bammant and Erkan Okay came into central midfield in place of the unavailable Andrew Fisk.
The visitors started the stronger, playing an attacking 4-2-1-3 formation with a fluid front four, including on-loan Hull City youngster Jonathan Margetts.
Lloyd Kerry headed over in the sixth minute for Harrogate and the Yorkshire side should have taken the lead four minutes later, Ryan Kendall stepping over a low ball from the left from Jake Speight only for Margetts to fire weakly at Lowestoft keeper Ashlee Jones.
Jones was having a difficult afternoon, with his kicks often travelling too far for his team-mates to catch.
His opposite number, Phil Barnes, came to Harrogate's rescue in the 13th minute as Harrogate cleared some pressure, but only as far as Gaughran, who played it back to Louis on the edge of the box, who spun and fired at goal to force a good save.
Okay was cautioned in the 17th minute for a late tackle on James Walshaw on the edge of the box and the visitors had the ball in the back of the net from the resulting free-kick.
Jones' difficult afternoon continued as he spilled the free-kick and Speight fired home from close range, only for his effort to be disallowed for offside.
Smith very nearly picked out Bammant at the back post in the 22nd minute, as Lowestoft started to get to grips with the game and Chris Henderson forced another good save from Barnes with a drive from 25 yards shortly afterwards.
Good play from Robert Eagle, exchanging passes with team-mates as he worked his way from left to right, opened up a shooting opportunity for Okay but his powerful low shot rolled wide of the left upright.
In the 37th minute Chris Henderson saw a shot scrambled off the line following a corner but Lowestoft still couldn't force the goal they needed.
Harrogate piled on the pressure as the half closed but Lowestoft twice broke away and had chances, with Bammant thwarted and then Eagle scuffing a great opportunity with his weaker right foot, to leave the score at 0-0 at half-time.
There were fewer clear cut chances in the second half as the battle continued but goalkeeper Jones came to the rescue for the Blues in the 81st minute, flinging himself to his left to stretch and turn away a great long-range effort from visiting substitute Dominic Rowe.
Walshaw was put through by Lloyd Kerry for the visitors in the 83rd minute but blazed his shot over from close range.
Eagle then came to the fore for the Blues and tried to carve out some late chances, allowing Rossi Jarvis to burst through, but his tired legs let him down as he tried to shoot. He then had a second chance but couldn't get his shot away.
Henderson was then brought down around 30 yards from goal deep into injury time and Eagle swung a cross in with his left foot, but substitute Rickie Hayles could only head tamely wide as the battle ended in a stalemate.
Lowestoft Town: Ashlee Jones; Jack Ainsley, Sam Gaughran (C), Curtis Haynes-Brown, Adam Smith; Chris Henderson, Rossi Jarvis, Erkan Okay, Robert Eagle; Jefferson Louis, Shaun Bammant (Rickie Hayles 75). Subs: Dawid Radomski, Joe Marsden, Harvey Hodd, Jake Jessup.
Harrogate Town: Phil Barnes; Matt Bloomer, Matt Heath, Dave McGurk, Rhys Meynell; Lloyd Kerry, Simon Lenighan; Jonathan Margetts (Louis Swain 88); James Walshaw, Ryan Kendall (Adam Nowakowski 65), Jake Speight (Dominic Rowe 51). Subs: Leigh Francis, Peter Crook (GK).
Attendance: 818
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