Harvey Flippance efforts earn Thatcham Town a point at Cinderford Town

Thatcham Town drew 2-2 on Saturday as the league’s bottom two sides faced off.

Thatcham travelled to face Cinderford, the only side with a worse record than the Kingfishers this season.

A victory was vital if Thatcham were to keep their survival hopes alive, but their chances were dented early on.

A lapse in concentration saw the hosts catch Thatcham on the break early on, putting them 1-0 up after just seven minutes of play.

Thatcham refused to let this shatter their confidence however, battling back into the game and dominating the ball for the rest of the half.

Thatcham got back on level terms in the 22nd minute, as Harvey Flippance stepped up with a much needed equaliser.

Thatcham ushered in the second-half with a trio of changes.

Shyam Taank, Christian Johnson and Oli Bourne replaced Jamie Davies, Shamar Moore and Andy Matthews as Yashwa Romeo hunted for a winner.

On the hour mark this bold decision paid off, as Flippance burst through a crowd of defenders to grab his second of the day and put his side 2-1 up.

He paid the price for his commitment though, suffering a nasty gash to the head which forced him off.

Thatcham did their best to hang on, but couldn’t secure all three points, as a goalmouth scramble saw Cinderford fumble the ball over the line with five minutes left.

The draw left Thatcham twelve points adrift of safety with eight games remaining.

“It’s a typical performance from this season,” said manager Yashwa Romeo.

“We started off well the first five or six minutes, and got hit with a sucker punch.

“It was their first chance anywhere near our goal.

“That’s the ninth time we’ve conceded in the first ten minutes in fourteen games.

“When we got into the game we were pretty dominant.”

Romeo changed the team’s shape with a triple substitution in the second-half, which yielded immediate results.

“Within five minutes we scored our second goal,” he said.

“But typical Thatcham luck, Harvey cuts his head and we lose our top goalscorer.

“We didn’t create that two goal gap, and they scored a ping pong goal.

“We probably should have won it.”

Flippance was taken to A&E after suffering a nasty cut above his eye whilst scoring his second.

“He’s had his head glued,” he explained.

“He didn’t need stitches, so depending on how he heals he might be available for Saturday.

“Knowing him, I’m pretty sure he will be.”