BRACKNELL Town are proving specialists when it comes to drawing games with last Saturday's 3-3 stalemate against table-topping Marlow being the fifth in their last six South Central Division matches, writes Dave Wright.

With the other fixture having been lost, it also means the Robins have not won in half-a-dozen Bostik League games.

But with most of the top teams being evenly matched, they remain in second place, three points behind Marlow after 16 games. However, the leading pair have both played three more matches than Hayes & Yeading, who are in third place on 29 points.

Having also shared six goals with title-favourites Hayes just a week earlier, Town are certainly matching the strongest-looking opposition in their division.

With their pace and power, they constantly look dangerous going forward and there has hardly been a side who have seemed comfortable defending against them this season.

Only Hayes have found the back more times in the division this season, their 49 goals being six more than Bracknell.

Marlow came to Larges Lane having only conceded seven goals in the league with keeper Simon Grant having won the division's Safe Hands award for November. Saturday, however, certainly was not a day for him to celebrate.

However, there can be no denying Town need to tighten up on their defending as they have been conceding a few too many soft goals in recent games.

They have now let in 21 goals, just three less than the Marlow and Hayes totals added together.

On Saturday they had Liam Eagle making his debut at centre-back following his transfer from Southern League Premier South club Hartley Wintney.

He played alongside Carl Davies, who was not expected to play following five bookings, but escaped a ban as the league's cut-off date for the totting-up system was at the end of November.

Davies also gave away the penalty which enabled Marlow to equalise through Kameron English in the 28th minute, the goal cancelling out Joe Grant's superb 13th-minute opener for the hosts, his chance having been set up by Seb Bowerman with a long cross from the left to beyond the far post.

It took Grant's goal tally to 11, currently the joint highest in the division.

In front of a crowd of just under 300, the Robins looked much the better side in the first half, playing some delightful and skilful football with their slick passing movements outshining Marlow's long-ball game.

Mark Bartley's Blues, however, improved in the second half and rocked Town by opening up a 3-1 lead.

When the home defence failed to clear a corner properly, James Clark fired through a crowded goalmouth from the edge of the area to give Marlow the lead on 50 minutes and 20 minutes later Isaac Osei-Tutu, given too much time and space by the home defence, increased the visitors' lead.

And Town's unbeaten home league record was looking in danger of coming to an end.

But once again, the players showed great character, rolled up their sleeves, and immediately launched their recovery with goals in the space of 10 minutes.

Adam Cornell charged down goalie Grant's attempted clearance to score Town's second and, following a defence-splitting ball from Joel Jacobs, Liam Ferdinand fired home a brilliant third from just inside the area to bring the scores level with 10 minutes remaining. It also took his league goal tally into double figures.

Although home keeper Mark Scott had pulled off an excellent save, Town looked the more likely score to grab a fourth goal with Sean Moore's effort pushed wide for a corner by the keeper and Ferdinand curling a shot just inches wide following good work by winger Grant.

Town, whose last home league win was against Hertford on November 3, are away to 12th-placed Ware next Saturday.

Having defeated Felixstowe & Walton 3-1 last Tuesday with second-half goals from Davies, Ferdinand and man-of-the-match Moore, Bracknell will host Premier Division side Folkestone Invicta in the quarter-finals of the league's Velocity Trophy, with the tie scheduled for Tuesday, January 15 at Larges Lane.