By Dave Read.

Burnham United threw away a two-goal lead as North Greenfold United scored twice in the last five minutes to secure a 2-2 draw in the Combined Counties Premier League North last Saturday.

The game started at a furious pace with both sides trading blows but without testing either goalkeeper.

Rhys Harper had a couple of penetrating runs early on but ran out of space on both occasions and couldn’t get a shot away.

The visitors looked dangerous and forced a succession of corners which were dealt with by home goalkeeper Carl Dennison. 

Dennison was called into action following some smart interplay around the area which released Morgan Cooper and his strike was smartly saved low to the keepers right. Harper tested the Greenford defence with his pace and, despite looking to be pulled back, got his shot away but Sam House was equal to it. 

A lovely move down the right culminated in a pull back from the by-line but the ball just evaded the onrushing Harvey Killeen for the visitors. 

Killeen had a another half chance getting his head to a delicate chip over the home defence but he couldn’t generate enough power to trouble Dennison as half-time approached.

North Greenford again started quickly and a ball over the top found Cooper in space but his shot was too high. Burnham had the next chance with George Butler wriggling free in the area but he could only find the side netting after House narrowed the angle well. 

The hosts finally made the breakthrough when Jack Penton, a recent signing from Bracknell Town, managed to get on the end of a well worked moved to stroke the ball into the net.

Minutes later Burnham doubled their lead. House, in the visitors goal, made a mistake and had the ball nicked away from him by Anas Igozouln and he squared it across for Jabir Labara to put the ball in the empty net.

With five minutes to go North Greenford gave themselves a lifeline when confusion in the hosts defence gave Cooper a half chance and he poked the ball in from near the penalty spot. 

In a breathless climax to the game the visitors poured forward searching for an equaliser while Burnham looked dangerous on the break. 

In stoppage time this see-saw battle had a final twist, a North Greenford corner led to pinball in the hosts area before the ball fell to Qasim Khan and his pinpoint shot from just inside the area nestled in the bottom right hand corner of the net to level the match.

Both sides went searching for the winner as the referee added a further three minutes but it wasn’t to be and this absorbing, entertaining and hard fought match where both sides gave everything, finished all square at the 1878 Stadium.