WOODLEY UNITED twice came from behind for a deserved share of the points with captain Luke Axton-Hall atoning for his own goal in the last home game, scoring his first goal for the club that levelled the scores at two apiece.
On a sticky pitch with wind once again blowing from touchline to touchline, the home team started the better but fell behind in the tenth minute when left back Lewis Thorne beat Craig McCreeth from the edge of the penalty area firing into the keeper’s left hand corner.
United wobbled for a period and it needed a block by Jamaal Whight in the goal area to prevent Thame doubling their score six minutes later.
The 19th minute saw Woodley have a strong appeal for a penalty turned down when Max Laschok was bundled off the ball but the forward got his reward when his cross from the goal line was met by Lamin Ceesay to level from close range in the twenty first minute.
A slip by Axton-Hall on the testing surface allowed Joe Walls to shoot and hit the net station from the kick off but after this the best chances were created by Woodley with Ceesay dangerous when running the defence and linking well with Laschok.
Calvin Evans fired a shot over the home crossbar from range seven minutes before the break that saw both teams go in level one apiece.
Despite Woodley starting the second half in positive manner McCreeth was called on to make a good save from Walls for a corner in the 55th minute from which Rangers kept the pressure on the home defence and where rewarded a minute before the hour mark when a good run and pass from midfield found Ben Lloyd to restore their lead.
United rallied and Laschok rounded visiting keeper Archie Davies only for his goal bound shot to be cleared off the goal line. This was followed in the seventy first minute of Axton-Hall heading substitute Josh Millo’s corner onto the upright with Harry Hawkins firing the redound goal wards that was cleared of the line to Millo whose low cross found Axton-Hall to have his shot cleared off the line.
Buoyed by this pressure United forced another corner in the seventy sixth minute which this time saw Axton-Hall’s header hit the back of the next from Millo’s kick.
With legs tiring on the heavy pitch chances then became fewer as the teams played out the remaining time and the match ended all square.
Woodley United: McCreeth, Whight, Hill, Hawkins (Wood), Alexander, Axton-Hall, Barron (Swaine), Boyd, Laschok, Anderson (Millo), Ceesay
Report by Mark Rozzier
