Jewson League: Woodbridge 2 Stowmarket 2 - AN INJURY-time goal denied Stowmarket their eighth consecutive win, after they had twice led at Notcutts Park. The visitors felt somewhat aggrieved as the free-kick which led to the Woodpeckers' point-saving strike was a shade debatable, but it was certainly justice for the home side, who created the majority of the game's chances and were good value for at least a share of the points.

Woodbridge 2 Stowmarket 2

AN INJURY-time goal denied Stowmarket their eighth consecutive win, after they had twice led at Notcutts Park.

The visitors felt somewhat aggrieved as the free-kick which led to the Woodpeckers' point-saving strike was a shade debatable, but it was certainly justice for the home side, who created the majority of the game's chances and were good value for at least a share of the points.

With a flurry of snow falling as the game started and a stiff breeze blowing it was a raw afternoon and both sides did well to produce some decent entertainment for the hardy spectators.

The visitors struck first in the sixth minute when Woodbridge failed to clear the ball from around the edge of their penalty area and Wayne Pannell took advantage by sending an accurate lob into the net past the stranded Dean Garnham.

The home side responded well to this early setback and took the game to their opponents, with Andy Coote and Mark Bailey both having goalbound shots blocked.

On the half-hour a corner from Simon Gray was met by a back-header from Bailey, playing his 350th game for the Woodpeckers, and Simon Nunn was forced to save at full stretch.

Despite leading at the interval Stowmarket had rarely threatened to add to their score, with the best efforts coming from a pair of Carl Ratcliffe free-kicks either side of half-time.

Five minutes into the second-half the home side equalised. Coote burst into the penalty area and his low shot across goal appeared to be going narrowly wide up until the ball took a number of ricochets, with Ian Brown the last Woodbridge man to apply a touch.

Just as the home side had dominated play immediately after falling behind, so the same happened again, with the visitors enjoying a good spell of possession following the equaliser.

It was Woodbridge who went close to scoring though in the 66th minute when Simon Head's close-range shot was blocked on the line. Nunn saved low down from Jamie Carr's header and at the other end Stuart Jopling was inches away from converting a cross from the left at the end of a quick break.

As the game entered the closing stages Woodbridge once again regained the upper hand, with Head hitting the side-netting and Gray shooting over but it was the visitors who took the lead for the second time in the 85th minute when Jopling raced onto a through-ball and fired past Garnham to overhaul Dave King's mark to set a new goalscoring record for his club.

Just as it seemed likely that it was not to be Woodbridge's day they were awarded a free-kick close to the left touchline and Gray swung the ball over to the far post where Carl David placed a header inside the post to earn his side a deserved second equaliser.