A Harefield United goal deep into injury time dented Hayes’s chances of lifting the Suburban League Premier Division title, handing the initiative back to leaders Basingstoke Town.

With just 12 players available, manager Colin Davis again named himself on the bench, whilst youth team left winger Toby Little was playing in his fourth game in as many days.

Despite this , Hayes were quick out of the blocks and Adam Cornell hit the bar with just 42 seconds on the clock. Little’s long cross was just cleared from the danger area, but Miles Jones returned the ball in front of goal where Cornell was waiting, only to fire it against the bar.

With a strong wind in their favour, Harefield’s best opportunities came in the first half and they took the lead on 22 minutes when Daniel Barrance played the ball out to the right channel where Chris Raah crashed the ball into the far corner from 25 yards with an unstoppable shot.

Straight from kick off, Rhys Price was inches wide having ridden two challenges and shot from 20 yards. But Harefield had a great chance to increase their lead when Barrance’s free kick was met with a free header by Gary Williams, but he aimed the ball straight at John Peacock.

Cornell volleyed just over at the start of the second half from Jones’ cross and Alexis Charalambous headed just wide from Dwain Williams’s chip after Cornell’s shot was blocked.

Raah was just wide with a low shot for Harefield soon after as was Barrance after collecting a stray Bradley Edmunds header.

However, on 73 minutes, Williams equalised for Hayes with a low drilled shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner.

Hayes nearly got a winner with just minutes remaining via Harefield defender Lee Curtin’s misdirected header from Williams’s cross, but Mark Oliver athletically dived to his left to tip the ball wide. Price also thought he’d scored in injury time, only for Gary Williams to clear his goalbound free kick with a header deep inside the six yard box.

And then Aaron Abraham stunned the home team when he robbed Peacock of the ball when the young keeper was attempting to control the ball outside his penalty area, took it around him and rolled it into the empty net.

Report by Nick Bell.