Haverhill Borough off the foot of Thurlow Nunn League First Division North table after draw with Whitton United at The New Croft

Haverhill Borough are off the foot of the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North table after a 2-2 draw at home to relegation-rivals Whitton United.

Rhys Shulver’s side started the day bottom of the standings but leapfrogged Needham Market Under-23s after their 4-2 defeat to Haverhill Rovers.

The New Croft outfit are three points from guaranteed safety.

Archie Cowe got the scoring underway five minutes before the break, after a poor-quality first half, with a moment of magic as he arrowed an effort into the bottom-right corner from outside the box, but the visitors cancelled this out just 10 minutes after half-time.

Having weathered an onslaught of Whitton attacks, Borough regained the lead when Ollie Emsden’s cross evaded everyone in the box before looping into the back of the net. But the hosts could not hold onto what would have been their seventh victory of the campaign, as Ash Horne’s volley from range found the bottom corner.

Both sides had chances to win the match, none better than when the visitor’s Matt Elms fluffed his lines from close range, with the goal gaping.

Borough, who had lost four of their last five matches heading into this game, started the contest on the front foot and looked a threat through Cowe on the left wing. He latched onto a well-weighted ball over the top from Emsden after five minutes, but the winger’s teasing cross was dealt with at the near post by Owen Andrews.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the Borough fans five minutes later when Leon Scarlett knocked an underhit backpass straight into Whitton’s path on the left-hand side, but the resulting cross evaded the boot of Max Tate, who then fouled Borough skipper Jemel Fox in frustration.

Chances were at a premium for both sides in the first half as they struggled to keep hold of the ball and Borough frontman Callum Stone received little service to work with in the final third.

The visitors started to find some joy in behind as the momentum began to shift towards the end of the first half. Borough had to be resolute at the back and player-coach Shulver put in a superb block in the box to deny Aidan Stern the chance to cross in a dangerous position on the left. Soon after, Charlie Holmes was alert with a last-ditch diving header in the penalty area to clear away another Whitton attack.

Pushing forward, Tony Lanni’s side crafted a neat move that resulted in Horne curling an effort from outside the box over the bar.

Having weathered the storm from the visitors, Borough broke the deadlock with five minutes of the first half remaining. After a well-worked counter attack, the ball set up nicely for Cowe outside the box and he drilled a stunning strike into the bottom-right corner, on his favoured left foot, to fire the hosts in front.

Whitton crafted one last chance before the break when Kade Ivatt directed his header onto the roof of the net, from Luke Warren’ cross, that seemed to take an age to land over the bar, as the Borough players and supporters watched on in suspense.

The visitors came flying out the traps in the second half and crafted their best opportunity of the contest just two minutes after the restart. Mason Ransome teased a brilliant first-time inswinging delivery into the box that evaded the paths of all of three Whitton’s attackers, before it trickled past the far post.

Ransome was again at the heart of the chances created by Lanni’s outfit, as he forced Dethridge into action twice in the space of two minutes, but the Borough shot-stopper parried both efforts away.

The pressure from the visitors eventually told, and they bagged their equaliser 10 minutes into the second half. A long throw from Andrews caused a melee in the box before the ball was eventually stabbed home by Tom Watkins from close range.

Borough could not get out of their own half as the game ticked past the hour mark. They remained strong in defence, putting their bodies on the line to stop Whitton taking the lead from back-to-back corners.

Then, with their first attack of their first attack of the second half, the hosts regained the lead. Emsden’s cross from the left looped over everyone in the box, including goalkeeper Watts, and into the back of the net.

With a spring in their step after their second goal, Borough should have netted a third minutes later. Substitute Harry Farrow was played through one on one with Watts, but the winger put too much power on his volley over the onrushing goalkeeper and the ball sailed over the bar.

The hosts were left to rue their missed chance, as Whitton drew level once again. After his effort from outside the area in the first half flew wide, Horne made no mistake with a left-footed volley from range at the second time of asking, as his cultured strike set up a grand-stand finish to the contest.

And then, it looked for all the world that Whitton were about to take the lead when Elms received a square ball to set up a tap in, but the substitute missed the ball and Borough survived.

Haverhill Borough: Dethridge, Scarlett, Holmes, Shulver, Fox (cpt), Emsden, Lively, Cowe, Markwell, Stone, Zachariou

Whitton United: Watts, Warren, Cheetham, Horne, Flurrie, Andrews, Watkins, Ransome, Ivatt, Tate, Stern (Elms 69’)

Suffolk News MOTM: Rhys Shulver – Led his side well with real maturity, especially when tempers threatened to boil over, and was a rock at the back.