Robins hit back as late goals earn a draw (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Robins hit back as late goals earn a draw

Hitchin Tn 2,

Evesham Utd 2

by Mervyn Collins

IT makes a nice change to report on a game in which United should have come away with nothing yet left their shellshocked hosts reflecting on two dropped points.

The boot's been on the other foot so many times this season but not even the staunchest Evesham follower could have seen them scoring last Saturday - never mind snatching a point!

Having gifted Town a second minute goal when Daniel French took advantage of a quick free-kick to drill a shot past Dave Adey, the visitors went on to control the opening 45 minutes but only after Adey had saved well from Josh Sozzo and French had seen a sixth minute strike ruled out for offside.

Evesham responded in splendid fashion with Rob Taylor back to his mercurial best down the left.

However, it was from the opposite side of the pitch that Richard Ball came closest to levelling when his tenth minute left-footer struck a post.

Gavin O'Toole then saw a goalbound drive blocked, Ball's right foot curler was a yard wide before Richard Wilmot superbly fingertipped aside Taylor's left footer that was heading for the bottom corner.

Ball did well to carry on after being on the wrong end of a nasty challenge but he was hardly in the game after the interval when Hitchin were a transformed outfit.

The hosts nullified the threat of Taylor and Mike Feely down the left, while Mark Duckett was at the hub of Hitchin's second half transformation.

The substitute was denied an early reward by Adey's fine stop, while both James Aires and Thomas Hayes headed wide when well placed.

Superb

Sozzo was thwarted by another Adey save before a superb cross from John Williams should have seen Ball add to his goal tally but the striker could only direct the ball across the face of the home goal.

Sozzo then struck the woodwork and should have profited from a Robinson error 20 minutes from time, Three minutes later, David Hicks wasn't so wasteful when firing a 20-yarder past Adey after Evesham had failed to clear their lines.

Ball, Steven Duncan and the ineffective Matty Lewis made way for Grant Pinkney, Leon Blake and Romi Cammock with 14 minutes left on the clock and within a minute Gavin O'Toole had curled a 20-yard free-kick into the corner off the hands of the sprawling Wilmot.

Four minutes later, Taylor's left wing cross caused panic in the home penalty area and Pinkney set up Cammock who poked in an equaliser.

Amazingly, the visitors suddenly seemed most likely to nick the points but more sloppy defending saw Mark Bridge hit the angle of the Evesham post and bar.

Adey again had to be alert to whip the ball off the toes of Glen Lama-crayt who was ready to nullify United's fightback that eventually earned another valuable point.