AFC Sudbury 3, Aveley 3

AVELEY left the MEL Stadium with a sense of frustration, having twice thrown away the lead and then saw a late penalty controversially saved.

This was a BetVictor Isthmian North game the Millers should have won comfortably, particularly from the position of having been two goals ahead after 17 minutes.

Alex Akrofi had put them ahead after 16 minutes when he capitalised on a mistake by Sudbury's pedestrian centre half pairing and raced through to calmly slot the ball past keeper Paul Walker.

And within a minute George Sykes pounced to fire an angled shot home.

Playing against the howling gale and dominating the match, it seemed Aveley were firmly in the driving seat approaching half time and a close range miss by Harry Gibbs seemed inconsequential.

But Sudbury stuck to their task and went close when Millers keeper David Hughes pulled off a fine save. However, from the subsequent corner on 45 minutes Billy Holland nipped between defenders to force the ball home.

Coming out with the gale at their backs Aveley would have thought they held all the aces but the score was levelled when Baris Altintop headed in from a corner seven minutes into the half, a corner that again came about from a Hughes save.

And the keeper then kept his team in the match with fine diving stops from Freddie King and Holland.

His efforts were rewarded on 65 minutes when Akrofi netted the goal of the game, controlling the ball, evading defenders and crashing home a shot from the edge of the box.

The momentum was back with Aveley but they couldn't make it pay and Sudbury made it all square again seven minutes from time when Hughes dived but misjudged the flight and bounce of King's low shot and the ball flew off his wrist into the net.

There was still time for one more piece of drama in the closing minute when sustained Aveley pressure saw Jason Raad fouled in the box.

Referee Jack Willmore, who had a poor afternoon all round, didn't have any alternative but to award a spot kick which sub Shad Ngandu stepped up to take.

Mr Willmore took the time and trouble to warn Walker to stay on his line but then ignored that instruction as the keeper leapt forward before Ngandu delivered his admittedly poorly struck kick and the keeper's dive to his left saw him parry the ball.

Sudbury's clearly encroaching defenders scrambled the ball away in the subsequent melee but again Mr Willmore and his assistant elected not to intervene and the game ended a couple of minutes later.