SOUTHERN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION

Chalfont St Peter 2

AFC Hayes 2

A SPIRITED fight-back saw AFC Hayes grab a point at Chalfont St Peter as their 2014 campaign finally got underway on Saturday.

Successive postponements meant Ian Crane’s side had been kicking their heels since the draw at home to Leighton on December 28 and the rustiness showed as they fell 2-0 in arrears with barely 20 minutes on the clock.

However, two quick-fire strikes from first Charlie Crane and then Lucas Williams levelled matters before the interval, after which the visitors survived a late onslaught to claim a point.

The result keeps the men of Farm Park 12th in the standings a point and two places above Saturday’s hosts.

Such an outcome looked unlikely in a torrid opening which saw Alan Hedley fire Chalfont ahead from Scott Fitzgerald’s knockdown with just six minutes played.

Just 15 minutes later it was 2-0 when Romaine Walker seized on a Charlie Crane error to surge forward and fire home accurately from distance.

However, Crane (son of the manager) atoned for the error six minutes from the break when shooting home to halve the arrears and five minutes later it was all level again when Lucas Williams raided down the opposite wing to score.

The visitors forced a smart double save from Chris Christie after the break, the host keeper injuring himself in the process and having to be replaced.

However, it was Hayes who had to hold on at the end as Fitzgerald scooped an effort over when it looked easier to score and a Hadley effort was cleared off the line.

Crane’s men are back in action tomorrow night – weather permitting – when they host relegation haunted Ashford Town Middlesex.