IT’S PARITY FOR HAWKS AGAIN AS CITY REPLY

HAVANT & Waterlooville gained a well-earned point against title favourites Salford in the battle of the champions in National League South and North.

Alfie Pavey fired the Hawks in front on two minutes only for bigmoney striker Adam Rooney to pull the Ammies level 13 minutes to subject Havant to a third successive home draw.

Salford’s Danny Lloyd was fortunate to escape a red card from referee Paul Howard after pushing Alfie Rutherford in the neck, but Hawks boss Lee Bradbury was still satisfied with a point.

“We are slowly getting used to this league,” he remarked.

“In the first half we had no flow but in the second half we were much better.

“The key incident was that Dan Lloyd should have been sent off and if the ref had done his job correctly we may have nicked it.”

After a rather slow opening it was Havant who showed first – the lively Nicke Kabamba forcing a save from keeper Chris Neil after being set up by Pavey.

Indeed, it was they who broke the deadlock on 23 minutes. The irrepressible Wes Fogden beat Scott Wiseman and burst into the penalty area.

His fierce cross was saved by Neil and after the keeper parried Bradley Tarbuck’s follow-up, Pavey was on hand to crash the loose ball home.

Kabamba then went close to doubling his side’s advantage with a header that hit the Salford post with Neil beaten. But nine minutes before the interval the Ammies were level when a corner was headed back into the box and Rooney was quickest to reach with a deflective shot – his fifth goal in six games. Pavey paved the way for youngster Alfie Rutherford at the break and the sub was swiftly into action as he burst on to a clever Theo Lewis pass, but his low drive was cleared away at the last second. It was Salford, however, who enjoyed the better of the second half with Havant keeper Ryan Young having to be sharp to beat away a shot from Ibou Touray, while the impressive Carl Piergianni saw a fierce header nodded off the line by Lewis. Lloyd’s clash with Rutherford gave the Ammies a second wind and always resulted in a winner when his free-kick was beaten away by Young. Sub Dan Strugnell almost won it for Havant with a stoppage-time header, but Ammies boss Graham Alexander felt a draw was fair, adding: “The game was very bitty, it had no flow to it. “As a result we could never get any tempo going, but overall I didn’t think we did enough to win the game, but I don’t think they did so either.”