Hitchin Town picked up what could a hugely vital point after a draw with play-off chasing Peterborough Sports.

Two goals from Jake Hutchinson were scored either side of a brace from Richard Jones as the Canaries got a 2-2 draw with Southern League Premier Division Central.

There was only five games across the whole of the division but the bottom five were all part of those fixtures.

They remain third from bottom and results elsewhere went their way, Biggleswade Town and Nuneaton Borough both drawing while Bromsgrove Sporting and Lowestoft Town both lost.

There were two changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Leiston last time out, Lewis Barker and Malaki Black coming in for Jack Green and Rio Dasilva.

And Mark Burke would have been delighted with the application of his players for 30 minutes.

They never gave Peterborough a moment's peace, biting into tackles and closing them down at every opportunity.

It had the visitors' rattled too, with words exchanged between Luke Warner-Eley and skipper Jones at a throw-in a visible example of that.

And the Canaries hit them when they were done by taking the lead on 21 minutes.

It was a long ball over the top that caught the defence flat-footed. Hutchinson ran onto it and got there ahead of the advancing Paul White, poking it past the keeper and into the empty net.

But while that was a simple goal, so too were the ones that left them trailing at the break.

The first was a free-kick, taken by Lewis Hilliard from 10 yards inside the Hitchin half and to the left of the centre circle.

And it was just looped into the air towards the back post where Jones was running towards. The header was lifted over Charlie Horlock and into the far corner.

The Canaries almost conceded a mirrored copy with a delivery from the right, Jones this time putting the header back across goal and wide of the target.

But it was only a brief respite and moments later, a set-piece from the right found Jones in the middle and he had way too much time to take it down before turning and hitting it into the roof of the net.

The comeback left a flat feeling around Top Field and the return for the second half almost brought a third similar goal, Ryan Fryatt heading a right-wing corner back across goal and wide.

Fryatt was one of two first-half subs for the visitors, injuries costing them the services of Brad McGowan and Dion Sembie-Ferris.

And if there were any issues adapting to the new personnel, Hitchin made sure they exploited it.

And after Steve Cawley had pushed a golden opportunity wide, Hutchinson drew them level, picking up the ball in a central area and slipping it under White.

Stephen Gleeson had a free-kick that skipped round the wall but just past the post as Hitchin tried to drive home their advantage.

But from a long way out it appeared as if both teams had settled for a point.

There were a few efforts from the visitors, Horlock holding onto a Kyjuon Marsh-Brown shot while there was a great block from Stan Georgiou.

One long throw from the hosts came to nothing but Sports almost snatched it at the death with a Michael Gash coming back off the post.

Hitchin though will be more than happy with the point.


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Hitchin Town: Horlock, Georgiou, Brown, Gleeson, Webb, C.Jones, Coldicott-Stevens, Barker, Hutchinson, Cawley, Black.

Subs (not used): Dasilva, Stevens, Conlon, Allotey, Popoola.

Goals: Hutchinson 21, 62

Booked: C.Jones 40, Coldicott-Stevens 68, Black 90+5


Peterborough Sports: White, Jarvis, Warner.Eley, McGowan (Fryatt 37), R.Jones, Lawlor, Sembie-Ferris (Hawkins 45+3), Hilliard (Sherif 62), Gash, McCammon, Marsh-Brown.

Subs (not used): Rolt, Herd.

Goals: R.Jones 31, 37

Booked: R.Jones 58


HT: Hitchin Town 1 Peterborough Sports 2

Referee: Joe Woolmer (Northampton)

Attendance: 496