Leverstock Green looked to be heading for their sixth straight away win as they went into a 2-0 lead at Hillingdon Borough, but the home side had other ideas and fought back strongly to claim a 2-2 draw. The second half was something of a battle for the Leverstock side and in the end they did well to even come away with a point.

Steve Benitez was without three of his key players, with Sam Lyon missing out due to a groin strain and both Alfee Robbins and James Dabbs away. Stefan Owen-Edwards was pressed into service as a makeshift sweeper and George House made his first start for the club.

There were early chances for both sides. In the 6th minute Owen-Edwards won the ball and played it through to Tobi Akin, but keeper Rhys Marshall came off his line to save with his legs. Two minutes later at the other end a cross from Sam Hurrell found Hassan Sulaiman in space on the far side of the box but he shot over the bar.

David Bailey saved a shot from Jonathan Constant in the 18th minute as he got on the end of a cross from Sulaiman, while in the 27th minute Curt Dizon had a run at goal before shooting wide. Two minutes later there was another chance for Akin as he burst through the defence, but Marshall came off his line again to save.

The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when Leverstock were awarded a penalty for Billy Crowther pulling back Adam Hallissey inside the box. Akin stepped up to take the spot kick, and despite Marshall getting a hand to it, Akin finally found the net to put the Green into a 1-0 lead. Hillingdon had more chances towards the end of the half but failed to get any of them on target.

The Green made the perfect start to the second half. Adiel Mannion's ball gave Akin a run at goal, and he cut past a defender before shooting past Marshall for a 2-0 lead within 20 seconds of the restart.

Leverstock should have gone on from there to win the game, but they ended up being pressed back and came under sustained pressure from Hillingdon. On 56 minutes a cross to the far post found Adam Bunce all alone but David Bailey saved his shot, and a minute later Bailey turned a shot from Jimmy Froud into the side netting.

On 66 minutes Brad Wadkins got to the bye-line and pulled the ball across for Mannion, but his shot was blocked. Two minutes later a good move ended with Wadkins crossing the ball for Mannion again, but again his shot was blocked. Instead it was the home side who found the net next on 69 minutes, as Froud came in unmarked to meet a cross from the right and calmly sidefooted past Bailey to reduce the arrears to 2-1.

Leverstock were now in a genuine battle, and their cause wasn't helped when Chris Cutler had to leave the game on 81 minutes after being hit full in the face with the ball from close range. Three minutes later a poor clearance was returned into the box by Froud to find Bunce all alone, but he ballooned his shot over the bar.

Chances were coming at both ends. On 85 minutes a cross from Kris Tyrell found Wadkins, who tried to place his shot in the corner of the net but it went wide. That miss proved costly as Hillingdon levelled the scores a minute later. Constant met a cross from the right with a close-range header that hit the underside of the bar and bounced down. The consensus was that it crossed the line, but Froud followed up anyway to make sure.

There was another glaring miss from Hillingdon a minute from time as Constant came in to meet Andre Suaries' shot across goal but somehow put it over the bar. Two minutes into stoppage time Akin had a chance to win it as he ran through the defence and went past Marshall only to stumble before he could get his shot in. Still it wasn't over as Constant beat the offside trap to go clean through, but Bailey saved, and a last ditch tackle from Hallissey on the edge of the box denied Sulaiman.

Ultimately a disappointing result against a side in the bottom four, but the way the Leverstock side fought with their backs against the wall in the second half was encouraging, and to come away with a point was a good reward for that hard work.