Hayes & Yeading United broke their losing streak at Histon but will feel aggrieved that all three points did not return with them to Middlesex as the hosts found an equaliser from nothing deep into stoppage time.

Garry Haylock handed four Conference debuts in this game with last weeks three new signings all starting and youth team top scorer Daniel Wishart making an appearance from the bench.

United started well and could have taken the lead after just 65 seconds as Craig Watkins outpaced Callum Stewart on the right before picking out a stooping Andrejs Štolcers in the middle but the Latvian's headed looped just wide of the target with Histon keeper Danny Naisbitt beaten.

Watkins himself then fired over after receiving a Scott Fitzgerald centre before a sweeping move on the right saw Štolcers and Watkins combine to send Danny Allen-Page towards the bye-line, his cross being met on the volley by Dale Binns but Naisbitt grabbed the ball right on his goalline.

On 14 minutes and with virtually their first sortie forwards the home side were awarded a penalty when new signing Ed Harris was adjudged to have held striker Danny Wright. Wright himself stepped up and sent debutant Clark Masters the wrong way to give his side the lead.

It was almost 20 minutes before another note hit the book, and this was a deserved United equaliser. Adam Bygrave and Stewart got themselves in a tangle allowing Watkins to snatch the ball from them and advance on Naisbitt before calmly slotting the ball past the stranded keeper from just outside the area.


Four minutes later Watkins again had the ball in the Histon net when he met a deep Binns corner only for his effort to be ruled out for a mystifying offence in front of him.

United's defensive problems again came to the fore just before the break when Histon were allowed not one but two free headers in the box and consequently re-took the lead. A corner swung in from the right was first met by an unmarked Wright before an equally free Danny Langston headed past the unprotected Masters.


Stoppage time saw a defensive lapse at the other end almost gift Fitzgerald an equaliser. Langston stumbled in possession and the United striker took the ball forwards but he was quickly closed down by Naisbitt who managed to block his effort to safety.

Histon replaced Stewart at the break with Erkan Okay and just six minutes later this paid dividends for the home side. Binns fed the ball inside to Fitzgerald who span his marker before trying his luck from 20 yards, Naisbitt being forced to tip over. The resultant corner was misjudged by Naisbitt who helped it on to Tom Cadmore at the far post, he chested it perfectly to himself and fired a volley that Okay did superbly to block out at point blank range.

As United started to dominate proceedings, Binns went close after Ram Marwa had robbed Bygrave and then just a minute later the once again deserved equaliser arrived. Watkins ran at the centre of the Histon defence before curling a ferocious shot around Naisbitt that came back off the post across the face of goal where Štolcers arrived to crash home a first time shot from an acute angle that Naisbitt appeared to dive over.

Histon's first serious forwards push came ten minutes later when Nathaniel Knight-Percival was played in on the left side of the United area, his shot was comfortably dealt with by Masters at the foot of his post.

United were soon back in the ascendancy though as twice within as many minutes balls were fired across the six yard box with first Binns and then Fitzgerald being just inches away from the killer touch with the Histon defence well beaten.

Hayes & Yeading finally took the lead with nine minutes remaining when top scorer Fitzgerald rose highest at the near post (pictured right) to head home a Štolcers corner despite an attempt to keep the ball out with his hands by defender Lanre Oyebanjo on the line.

With time almost up Naisbitt fired one final punt into the United box, Masters met the ball with his fist but sadly for United the ball went straight to Lee Smith who hooked the ball back goalwards and looked in amazement as it beat all and sundry on the line and dropped into the top corner of the net to earn his side a most fortunate point.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Craig Watkins.