Dereham drew a blank on a frustrating afternoon at Aldiss Park.

After a scrappy start, with the flow of the game broken by fouls and the offside whistle, both sides began to create chances.

The visitors – who finished the game with 10 men after a late red card – threaded the ball through to Ross Wall inside the box, but with only Will Viner to beat the home keeper made a great save to keep out his low drive.

Dereham responded with Danny Beaumont passing inside to Will Sainsbury-Logan, but the midfielder skewed his shot wide from the edge of the box.

The visitors threatened again, with Nathan Cooper's header blocked from George Purcell's corner and minutes later home defender Ryan Fryatt, signed on a dual registration from King's Lynn, produced a superb block to deny Leon McKenzie from point-blank range.

Dereham came close to breaking the deadlock as half-time approached – Fryatt's free kick reached Sainsbury-Logan who found Joe Gatting just outside the box. The striker turned well before seeing his curler hit the bar, with keeper Sam Mott beaten. Just before the hour mark Mott was forced to claw Sainsbury-Logan's dangerous cross from the right to safety before Jackson Ramm had a fierce 20-yard drive blocked.

Beaumont was looking lively and had a low drive deflected inches past the left-hand post. Dereham were the most likely to score and David Hinton was fouled just outside the box, but Beaumont fired straight into the defensive wall and from their next attack Rhys Logan's drive struck the side netting.

Four minutes from time Hornchurch's Abs Seymour was dismissed for a late challenge on Beaumont, who then saw a cross-shot cleared at the far post.

Dereham: W Viner, V Constandachi, J Grant (J Ramm 38), R Linford, R Fryatt, D Morphew, R Logan, D Hinton, J Gatting, W Sainsbury-Logan (R Crisp 70), D Beaumont.

Subs not used: J Eastoe-Smith.

AFC Hornchurch: S Mott, A Bentley, J Luke, J Da Cruz, N Cooper, J Chouman, G Purcell (B Osman 87), L McKenzie (A Thompson 73), K Lee, R Wall, A Seymour.

Subs not used: G Cohen, A Coley, J Hursit.

Referee: G Byrne

Attendance: 126