Newmarket Town 1-1 Bury Town: Late Cemal Ramadan penalty sends Blues top of Isthmian League North Division table

Bury Town moved back to the top of the Isthmian League North Division table with a 1-1 draw from tonight’s derby away at Newmarket Town.

It appeared that the Blues were going to pass up the opportunity to return to the summit when they fell behind midway through the second half at the Tristel Stadium.

But with seven minutes remaining leading scorer Cemal Ramadan converted a penalty to give Cole Skuse’s men the point that they required to leapfrog Tilbury into first place on goal difference.

It was Newmarket that carved out the game’s first meaningful effort with six minutes on the clock. They pressed high, forced the mistake from Bury midfielder Ryan Horne and when the ball broke to Ryan Cole his effort from 25 yards out stung the palms of Charlie Beckwith in the visitors’ goal.

Within two minutes Bury signalled their attacking intent when Ryan Jolland’s reverse pass found Ramadan unmarked inside the box, but the finish was tame and simple for James Young to collect.

Young was called into action soon after to keep out Ed Upson’s dipping shot from the edge of the box, while he also got down well at his near post to turn behind a volley from an off balance Ramadan.

Bury looked the more threatening of the two sides for a period, but as the first half wore on they lost momentum and Newmarket grew in confidence.

And they almost took the lead in stoppage time when a quickly taken throw released Josh Lee inside the area, but the Jockeys forward was denied by Beckwith, who took a ball in the face for his troubles.

Having lost their way somewhat as an attacking force towards the end of the first half, Bury were swift out of the traps after the restart and could have been two up by the 50th minute.

Both chances fell to their main marksman Ramadan, but he uncharacteristically failed to hit the target on either occasion. He flashed his first effort over and then slotted the ball the wrong side of the post after being expertly picked out by Upson.

And those two wayward finishes were duly punished in the 62nd minute as the home side broke the deadlock.

Former Bury full-back Will Gardner sent a long throw from halfway deep into the opposition’s territory and when the ball broke for Cole, he displayed the sort of composure that convinced Sky Bet League One side Wycombe Wanderers to take him on trial last week. The 18-year-old showed quick feet to break into the box and then as Beckwith advanced off his line to narrow the angle, he finished with aplomb.

For a while the response from Bury was muted and it was Newmarket that looked the more likely to add the game’s second goal.

Substitute Jose Santa de la Paz lashed well over from a narrow angle with 15 minutes remaining and then six minutes later another player off the bench – Jacob Mingay – forced Beckwith into action with a low shot from the edge of the box.

But with a player of Ramadan’s ability, you have always got a chance – even when he’s squandered some earlier opportunities. In the 84th minute Bury midfielder Max Maughn went down under a challenge from Efraim Romanos inside the box and Ramadan was never going to pass up the chance from the penalty spot.

Much of what remained was played in the Newmarket half, but to their credit the hosts stood firm to the pressure to secure a share of the spoils that has moved them up to 19th, with only an inferior goal difference keeping them in the bottom four.

Newmarket: Young, B Robinson, Eady (Mingay 81’), Walter, Gardner, Conway, Romanos, Cole (Dean 74’), J Robinson (Williams 90’), Foster, Lee (Santa de la Paz 70’)

Bury: Beckwith, O’Malley, Curry (Parr 86’), White, Horne (Mayhew 77’), Upson, Davis (Thulborn 80’), Jolland, Brown, Ramadan, Maughn