Two goals in the last five minutes from Nicky Love and Stuart Fergus gave Halstead Town a priceless point when they looked down and out against Cambridge Regional College in a vital relegation clash at Rosemary Lane.

They ended up drawing 2-2 and moved off the bottom of the Ridgeons League premier division table, dumping Diss to the basement, if only on goal difference.

Manager Jody Brown said: "We were poor in the first half and came in 2-0 down and deserved little else.

"We need points so I'd have preferred to have gone down by five or six goals than not for it.

"We made changes at the interval and they paid off as we got back into the game and may have won it."

For most of the game Cambridge were well on top and it was no surprise when they took the lead after 23 minutes.

Rob Willmott escaped down the left and his low cross was turned home by Mike Hyam, with the home defence in disarray.

Halstead fell further in arrears five minutes before the break when a needlessly conceded corner by Lou Harper saw Craig Bussen's corner nodded home by defender Josh Coulson at close range.

Halstead simply could not get their game together.

Willmott broke away and lobbed the stranded Paul Rutherford and hit the crossbar, when a third goal would have ended the contest.

But such is the fascination of the game that Halstead immediately went to the other end where Love cut the arrears.

And the drama was complete when two minutes from time when Stuart Fergus was on the spot to snatch the equaliser in a crowded goalmouth.

For more non-league coverage, see today's Gazette.