Football Ely City 1 Walsham le Willows 1

ELY recovered from a goal down to earn a hard-fought point against high-flying Walsham at the Unwin on Saturday.

The Robins rallied in the second half and levelled after Richard Chadwick tucked away the rebound to his own penalty, which had come back off the post.

Alan Alsop’s side remain in 13th place in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, with a trip to 14th placed side Felixstowe and Walton United to come on Saturday.

There were half-chances for both sides in the opening minutes but nothing clear cut as the pressing and persistence of both midfields dictated the play.

The hard-working visitors eventually took the lead in the 35th minute when the ball was lashed home from 20 yards by Jack Brame, who popped up in the right place just outside the area to profit from a poor clearance.

The visitors could have extended their lead early in the second half but Lee Pacey reacted quickly to narrow the angle with Stuart Jopling clean through on goal.

Ely soaked up the Walsham pressure admirably and managed to level the scores just shy of the hour mark as the referee awarded a penalty when Adam Murray was bundled to the floor in the box challenging for a header.

Chadwick’s effort hit the keeper and the post before popping back into his path, with a simple finish duly applied.

Ely were buoyed when a Walsham player was sent off for a second bookable offence but the visitors defended stoutly and the Robins were denied a clear sight at goal.