In an entertaining finale, battling Hitchin Town came back from two goals down to grab a point in a 2-2 draw with Leiston.

The Blues' Will Davies grabbed a brace with a strike in each half to put the visitors from Suffolk firmly in command with only 15 minutes remaining.

That was before Layne Eadie pulled back a goal from the spot 13 minutes from time, before Lawrie Marsh headed home a late equaliser from a corner taken by his brother Alex.

The leveller prompted an outpouring of joy mixed with relief from the majority of the bumper 523 crowd at Top Field.

For this was a curious clash, punctuated by shapeless play and plenty of unforced errors, bookended by Mark Burke's Canaries determination to banish memories of their defeat at the hands of St Albans in the FA Cup last weekend.

While three late goals flattered the Saints at Clarence Park as ten-man Hitchin fell to harsh 5-0 defeat, boss Burke was keen to get back to winning ways against Leiston in north Herts.

This was evidenced by concerted spells of pressure at the start and end of this Southern League Premier Central match at Top Field on Saturday afternoon.

On six minutes, Blues' keeper Samuel Donkin denied Callum Stead after the highly-rated Canaries striker powered through on a one-on-one.

To his frustration the former Biggleswade Town netminder was equal to the chance by saving well down to his left.

It was a reunion of sorts for Donkin as he once turned out for Hitchin in a pre-season friendly at Hendon two summers ago, before, unfortunately, shattering his cheekbone.

Yet, despite an early spell of pressure from the Fishponds Road outfit, Leiston went 1-0 ahead in the 14th minute, after Davies slotted home from an acute angle following a spell of possession from the visitors.

Four minutes later former Luton academy forward Stead sent Marsh through but again Donkin kept the Canaries at bay with fine anticipation.

The game fell into an energetic if shapeless spell up to the interval with the visitors from Suffolk heading into half time with a one-goal advantage.

The second half started in much the same fashion. Although the lively Jhai Dhillon tried his best to angle a header past the alert Donkin, Leiston looked comfortable.

That was until the game exploded into life, ironically, when the Blues doubled their lead, through Davies' second goal of the afternoon on 75 minutes.

The strike was somewhat fortuitous with Leiston's striker capitalising on not one, but two errors.

Canaries defender Ben Walster had a solid game but failed to clear his lines, which saw Davies drive on.

There was still plenty to do but his low drive was fumbled by Parker on its way into the net to make it 2-0.

Yet, Burke's side refused to buckle under the disappointment, with Dhillon once again showing his value to the Canaries by jinking into the box, before he was felled by Kyle Hammond, giving referee, Mr List, no option but to point to the spot.

Left-back Eadie, namesake of Leiston boss Darren Eadie, wasted no time in slotting home past Donkin to reduce the deficit to 2-1, 120 seconds later.

Buoyed by the goal, the home side pressed for an equaliser which came from Marsh's late, well-aimed header in a crowded box to draw level at 2-2.

There was still time for Parker to redeem his earlier mistake when he touched the ball onto the far post from a late Finlay Barnes shot to ensure the bumper crowd went home happy, as Burke's battling boys claimed an unlikely point.