Cambridge City play out 3-3 draw at Eastern Region Premier Division leaders Royston Town

Cambridge City gave champions elect Royston Town a run for their money in their own backyard in a pulsating 3-3 draw on Sunday in the Eastern Region Women’s Premier Division.

Top goalscorer Faith Harrison found the back of the net along with Natasha Coe and Tye Smith as the Lilywhites battled back from 2-0 down.

With new midfield-pairing of Gabriella Giusanni and Anais Winney patrolling the centre of the park, winning duels and starting attacks, it was comfortably City’s best performance of the season. They went blow-for-blow with the league leaders and will be disappointed not to come away with three points.

A win would have considerably boosted City’s survival hopes, yet a point and a victory from their last two games could see them safe from relegation.

“I believe 100 per cent that we are more than capable of getting enough points to stay up,” said a delighted manager Stewart Nicholls.

“I am very proud of this team. They have come a long way this season and improved massively, and it's down to their attitude and hard work.

“I thought we could have got a win today, we had some great chances in both halves. Gabriella took to playing out of position like a duck to water and combined well in midfield with Anais.

“I could go on all day about individuals as there were so many good performances.”

City almost took the lead after 18 minutes when Harrison’s free-kick was only parried by the Royston goalkeeper and Coe’s follow-up shot was blocked on the goal line.

True to form, Royston took the lead on the half-hour despite loud protests that the striker controlled the ball with her hand before powerfully shooting past Erica Neale in the City goal.

They doubled their tally a minute later, but then came the City fightback. As the as first half entered time added-on, Giusanni played a 40-yard ball into the path of Smith, who neatly tucked the ball under the onrushing goalie from 18 yards.

Coe had a shot saved less than a minute after the restart as City poured forwarded with an intensity not seen so far this season. She then got the equaliser on 51 minutes when her inswinging corner went directly into the net at the far post.

City almost took the lead a minute later when Giusanni disposed the midfielder and Coe fed Harrison, who sprinted away from two defenders and shot past the goalkeeper. It looked a goal all the way but then bobbled on the hard ground, on to the outside of the post and wide.

Royston were rattled and made a raft of substitutions to try and regain the initiative and it was an unfortunate lapse in concentration in the City defence that allowed the hosts to retake the lead.

The drama was not over and Royston thought they had got a fourth but it was disallowed when an attacker blocked Neale’s view in an offside position. And City were not done either with the clock ticking past 90 minutes, the Royston ‘keeper fumbled an innocuous shot and allowed an alert Harrison to tap the ball home and spark wild celebrations on and off the pitch.

City travel to St Albans after the Easter break before finishing off the season at home to Stevenage.