Hitchin Town 2 Leiston 2

East Anglian Daily Times: Leiston players line-up ready to run onto the pitch before Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Hitchin Town. The Blues are at Beaconsfield in the FA Trophy this weekend. Picture: CARL MARSTONLeiston players line-up ready to run onto the pitch before Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Hitchin Town. The Blues are at Beaconsfield in the FA Trophy this weekend. Picture: CARL MARSTON (Image: Archant)

Centre-halves Joe Jefford and Tom Bullard showed their attacking prowess to put Leiston in the driving seat, but the visitors were denied by an injury-time equaliser at lowly Hitchin Town tonight.

The Suffolk high-fliers were trailing to a cracking long range strike by Isaac Galliford for much of the evening, but they over-turned that 12th minute strike as Jefford and Bullard tucked home goals in a four-minute spell during the second half.

However, there was a sting in the tail as substitute Ezra Forde bundled home a 93rd minute equaliser for the Canaries.

Leiston did have early chances, before falling behind. Skipper Bullard scooped a shot over the top on three minutes, and Christy Finch fired straight at the keeper.

However, Hitchin took the lead just three minutes later, as Galliford’s long-range shot wrong-footed keeper Marcus Garnham and flew into the roof of the net.

Harry Knights, operating as a right-back, nearly squeezed home an equaliser on 16 minutes, but he was unable to get clean contact to Robert Eagle’s low cross.

Byron Lawrence squandered a gilt-edged chance to level the game on the 20-minute mark. Defender Edwin Mensah completely missed Knights’ cross, but the lurking Lawrence screwed his shot disappointingly wide.

Hitchin very nearly doubled their lead in the 34th minute, only for Matt Lench’s angled shot to fly across the face of goal and wide.

It was Leiston’s turn to curse their luck, just four minutes later, as Lawrence homed in on goal with just keeper Michael Johnson to beat. The midfielder’s rasping shot did beat Johnson but cannoned back off the inside of the far post.

Knights was thwarted by a marvellous save from the agile Johnson, on 56 minutes.

But Leiston did equalise in the 67th minute, with Jefford directing a shot-on-the-turn into the net. It was a slick finish from the big centre-half.

And his centre-half partner, Bullard, then got in on the act by poking home, from close in, just four minutes later, only for Forde to pounce when a last gasp free-kick was pumped into the box.