Hartpury FC ended Malvern Town’s unbeaten start to the Southern League Div One South season settling for a 2-2 draw at the 4ED Hartpury Stadium.
Strikes from Billy Osborn and Tomos Shyamapant, for the Acorns, overturned an early Levi Francis strike but a goal deep in stoppage time from Joe Tumelty salvaged a Bank Holiday Monday point for the Hillsiders.
The Hillsiders didn’t take long to break the deadlock when Francis picked out the bottom corner from 18-yards 10 minutes in.
Five minutes later, Renato Prifti came close to levelling the game when his effort on the angle only found the side netting.
Almost straight down the other end, ex-Acorn Luke Salter tried doubling the Hillsiders lead but Ryan Smallwood denied him with an outstretched boot.
First half substitute, Ryan Brunt, then came close to adding a second for the visitors flicking a long throw just wide of the post on 23 minutes.
Smallwood was then twice called into action again to deny a flicked Salter effort before he denied the ex-Acorn attacker, once again, with a big one-on-one stop on 27 minutes.
George Sims was next to clear a Luke Salter effort off the line on 30 minutes before Osborn got the Acorns level two minutes later, poking a dangerous Sol Kent cross into the bottom corner.
Osborn almost had the Acorns ahead before the break but saw a one-on-one effort well saved by Seth Locke in the Malvern goal.
HALF TIME- HARTPURY FC 1-1 MALVERN TOWN
The Acorns started the second period lively and almost took the lead through Nathan Jenkins but his curling effort went inches wide on 47 minutes.
It was all Hartpury for a period of the second half as Prifti and Vanylson Silva narrowly missed the targets on 55 and 63 minutes respectively.
The action went a little quiet until late on when Prifti tried a first timed effort from 18-yards, but it curled agonisingly wide of the post.
Four minutes later, substitute Shyamapant put the Acorns ahead when he finished off a fantastic counter attacking move on 89 minutes.
But it was heartbreak in the seventh minute of added time when Tumelty scored direct from a corner for the Hillsiders seeing the game end all square.
The Acorns return to action on Saturday as we welcome Willand Rovers to the 4ED Hartpury Stadium for our Southern League Div One South clash.
FULL TIME- HARTPURY FC 2-2 MALVERN TOWN
STARTING XI: Smallwood (GK), Kent, Machisa, Sims, McGregor, Aldridge (Coates 67’), Bonnick (Shyamapant 75’), Jenkins, Osborn © (Manning 75’), Prifti (Kelly 90+1’), Silva
ATTENDANCE: 180
