See the bottom of the report for a selection of photos from Ben Pooley.
Needham Market responded to last weekend's defeat at Rushall Olympic, with a hard fought 1-1 draw at home to Anstey Nomads.
Ahead of the clash between the ninth and eighth placed teams in the Southern League Premier Central Division, Tom Rothery made 2 changes - Ryan Miles and the suspended Dan Morphew dropped out of the team that lost at Rushall Olympic last weekend, with Academy graduate Kell Fiddy (making his maiden First Team League start) and Marcel Lewis completing the starting eleven.
Arguably a fair result, Kevin Bastos (8') gave the away side the lead, which Kyle Hammond (32') cancelled out with the spoils shared.
Anstey, though, started the brighter - forcing James Bradbrook (2') to claim a long range effort dipping effort underneath his crossbar.
Needham however went close soon after, Marcel Lewis (3') weaved onto the left-hand edge of the box, only to flash a great strike just wide of the far post.
Anstey (8') broke the deadlock, Tonge drove into space down the left wing, after robbing Tevan Allen of possession, to cross low for Kevin Bastos to turn home into the bottom near corner.
The game gradually sparked into life, at the other end, great defending from Ben Hunter (10') to win back possession quickly turned defence into attack - threading Liam Pearce through on the left-hand side whose great squared ball was intercepted.
Home stopper Bradbrook (16') was alert to gather Harley Price's long ball just inside his area, as Kell Fiddy (17') was on hand to brilliantly block a shot from 6-yards out down the Needham right.
A big save from Bradbrook (20') prevented Anstey from doubling their lead, Courey Grantham raced onto the left-hand side, albeit the Needham Number One produced a big save off his line to tip a near post shot crucially just wide, into the side-netting.
Ollie Saunders (27') worked space to shoot from 20-yards out but saw his effort blocked, as Needham grew into the game as time elapsed.
Excellent football (28') from Needham forced a good save from Harley Price, Kyle Hammond beat Elliot Hartmann as Marcel Lewis threaded Luke Ingram through into space, outside the area, whose low fierce strike was well held by Price - diving low to his left.
More brilliant football from Needham (32') brought the Marketmen a rather deserved equaliser, courtesy of Kyle Hammond's third league goal of the campaign - and fourth in all competitions. After going through the gears with every passing moment, the Reds recycled possession with multiple players involved, Liam Pearce cleverly slipped the midfielder free on the left-hand side to hammer home into the bottom near corner!!
Needham, galvanised by the goal, were suddenly on the front foot and almost took the lead (38'), MOTM Liam Pearce exploited space on the right-hand edge of the box, although fired his strike narrowly wide of the bottom near corner, with Price rooted.
After the restart, which saw both teams go into the break level, Liam Pearce (53') drifted through onto the left-hand side only to square a great low ball across the face of goal narrowly wide of the bottom far corner.
Another solid tackle from Kell Fiddy (58'), prior to a good gather by Bradbrook - as Chitiza looked to latch onto the ball close to goal - denied Anstey, while a second caution for Anstey saw Wauchope enter the referee's notebook for a foul on Pearce.
Ryan Miles (65') replaced Marcel Lewis, as Needham went close (72').
Liam Pearce held the ball up in the area to tee up the arriving Ben Hunter who wrapped his shot, from just outside of the box, agonisingly just wide of the bottom left-hand corner.
Bradbrook (75') pulled off an outrageous save to claw a close range header from a corner outrageously away at his bottom left-hand corner, who made another exception near post save (76') across to his opposite post to tip it wide.
Tonge (78') was denied by a sharp near post stop from Bradbrook, sharply down at his bottom left-hand corner, as Harlyn Palmer (79') replaced goalscorer Kyle Hammond.
Luke Ingram (81') fired agonisingly wide of the bottom left-hand corner, in an end-to-end frenzied second half.
Anstey dragged a shot just wide (85'), while Bradbrook moments later saved excellently with his foot at his near, left-hand, post which Anstey squared the rebound across but tapped a golden chance wide at point blank range.
James Coton (87') was brought on for Ingram, as Ryan Miles (93') jinked into space but fired a golden chance just over.
Needham collected a point, ahead of a short trip on Tuesday night to fellow Suffolk side Bury Town.
Needham Market:- 1 James Bradbrook, 3 Tommy Smith, 4 Kyle Hammond (79' Palmer), 5 Keiran Morphew (C), 7 Luke Ingram (87' Coton), 8 Ollie Saunders, 11 Tevan Allen, 12 Liam Pearce, 16 Marcel Lewis (65' Miles), 17 Ben Hunter, 19 Kellen Fiddy. Subs: 10 Ryan Miles, 15 James Coton, 18 Harlyn Palmer.
Anstey Nomads:- 1 Harley Price, 2 Elliot Hartmann, 3 Oscar Tonge (84' A.Smith), 4 Jonty Bouch, 5 Darien Wauchope, 6 Tobias Liversidge, 7 Kevin Bastos (61' Rose), 8 Henry Bestwick (C), 9 Courey Grantham (71' Annable), 10 Tendai Chitiza, 28 Tristen Thomas (HT' Kirby-Moore). Subs: 12 Jordan Annable, 14 Harvey Kirby-Moore, 15 Ethan Smith, 16 Alfie Smith, 17 Luis Rose.
Booked: Tobias Liversidge (46'), Darien Wauchope (59').
Goals: Kyle Hammond (32') Kevin Bastos (8').
Att: 319.
Needham Market MOTM: 12 Liam Pearce.


















