Chelmsford City showed their battling qualities when they clawed their way back three times on Monday to gain a deserved point with Ian Cambridge netting a dramatic injury time penalty to round off an absorbing game.

City's failure to stamp any real authority on proceedings ultimately proved costly, although referee Neil Perkin left both sets of players and supporters bemused with a string of dubious decisions.

City, minus flu victim Brett Girling, were looking for another three points to put pressure on the leading pair of Margate and Havant & Waterlooville. They almost had the ideal start when Cambridge rounded Fisher goalkeeper Jimmy Jones only to see Matt Middleton block his effort on the line.

That early incision augered well for City but they fell behind after 18 minutes, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Neil Coburn's timely intervention as Mark Thompkins surged through the middle looked to have tided things up, and when Thompkins clattered into Coburn, a free kick should have been inevitable.

However, the referee let play continue, enabling Bryn Charles to set up Tony Turner for a simple tap-in.

City's complaints fell on deaf ears and five minutes later they were indebted to goalkeeper Danny Kelly who bravely thwarted Charles at the expense of a corner.

City restored parity in the 25th minute when Coburn swung over a perfect cross and Tesfaye Bramble did the rest with a close range header via the underside of the bar.

Fisher, under the management of former City defender Micky Stead, continued with their shoot-on-sight policy and it paid off three minutes before the break as ex-Leyton Orient midfielder Bradley Gamble won possession and let fly from 25 yards.

Kelly got both hands to the ball, but Gamble's shot still had enough power to reach its destination.

The opening half closed with Barry Lakin being booked for kicking the ball away after being caught offside, an act which brought him his fifth yellow card of the season and a subsequent two-match ban to follow.

In a bid to liven things up, City boss Gary Bellamy introduced winger Christian McCann for the second half and on 57 minutes it was all-square again.

The goal transpired from a swift City break after Kelly had produced a great save from Thompkins.

Just a matter of seconds later Bramble slammed in his 15th goal of the season from 12 yards after the south Londoners had made a meal of clearing Cambridge's low cross.

It was a strike in keeping with young Bramble's rapidly growing reputation, but it was one that kept City on level terms for just six minutes.

Kelly pulled off another acrobatic stop from a Turner piledriver, but the ball looped up for Tim Hambley to nod in from a couple of yards.

Cambridge, already booked for kicking the ball away, was heavily involved in an off-the-ball incident that left a Fisher defender grounded. Luckily for Cambridge, the referee saw nothing.

City's John Girling and Neil Coburn should also have been yellow carded for fouls but, 10 minutes from time, Mr Perkin cautioned Hambley for a tackle on Daniel Reeve, and his name was soon followed into the book by Darren Amos before City grabbed their point two minutes in stoppage time.

Cambridge jinked his way towards the by-line where he was tripped by Hambley, who was made to pay the penalty when Cambridge picked himself up to send Jones the wrong way from the resultant spot kick.

The visitors' disappointment in letting victory slip away was evident with yellow cards being shown to both Middleton and Paul Manning moments before the final whistle.

Chelmsford City: Kelly, Sutton (McCann 45), Coburn, Saddington, Girling, J. Lakin, Greatorex (Berquez 82), Tovey, Bramble, Cambridge Reeve. Unused Sub: Warley.

Attendance: 520.

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