ELY City surrendered a commanding lead to draw 3-3 with mid-table Hadleigh United on Saturday. Some lively attacking play saw Denis Lightning s men move into a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes as United wilted, only for a frantic second-half that produced four

ELY City surrendered a commanding lead to draw 3-3 with mid-table Hadleigh United on Saturday.

Some lively attacking play saw Denis Lightning's men move into a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes as United wilted, only for a frantic second-half that produced four goals and a share of the spoils.

The point keeps Ely in 17th place ahead of their match with Histon Reserves this weekend.

The game started brightly for Ely as they broke away to open the scoring after just four minutes, defender Lee Dixon tapping in after a flighted free-kick eluded most in a crowded area.

The lead was doubled after 26 minutes as Robbie Mason latched onto a slide rule pass to drive home. The Robins might have made the game safe in the ensuing minutes but for some fine work from home keeper Aaron Benstead, who produced some sterling saves to keep Hadleigh alive.

Benstead's good work paid dividends after 38 minutes as striker Bobby Bethell netted and it was Bethell on hand once more to restore parity two minutes later, much to the ire of boss Lightning.

Matters soon worsened for Ely as, shortly after the restart, United moved into the lead via Craig Payne, who pounced on a slack back pass.

Ely committed numbers to the attack in the last 20 minutes of the game, and their endeavours were rewarded with 15 minutes left as Simon Warren netted his second in as many games to level the scores.

There were chances for both sides in a frenetic last 10 minutes, but some alert work from both goalkeepers ensured that the spoils were ultimately shared.