Ten-man Ely City produced dramatic late heroics to secure a 2-2 draw against March Town United, forcing an FA Cup replay.
The Robins looked dead and buried after a highly controversial first-half sending off, but a superb 96th-minute strike from Sam Townshend rescued a valuable point and kept their FA Cup hopes alive.

The match began evenly, but it was Ely who broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. Alex Brown's excellent cross from the right was whipped beautifully towards the far post, where Jack Friend showed great composure to nip in and touch the ball home.

The Robins' early dominance was short-lived, however. In the 19th minute, Ben Newton made a brilliant double save, blocking the initial shot with his legs. Unfortunately, the rebound fell to a March forward who was adjudged to be in an offside position, and his subsequent goal was disallowed. March continued to exert pressure, but Ely defended resolutely, with Joe Brannan dominant in the air and Harrison Donnelly and Josh Collins making crucial interceptions.

Then came the turning point of the match just before halftime. In the 43rd minute, Collins was fouled and seemingly wrestled to the ground. In the ensuing melee, a hugely puzzling decision from the referee saw Brannan dismissed for a second yellow card, despite him not being involved in the incident. This decision proved costly as from the resulting free kick, the ball was switched out, and Allen ghosted in to side-foot home an equalizer in the 45th minute.

HT: Ely City 1 - 1 March Town United

The dismissal and subsequent equalizer galvanized March, and they wasted no time taking the lead in the second half. Just two minutes after the restart, Allen doubled his tally, turning home a loose ball inside the box. Ely now faced an uphill battle, down to ten men and trailing 1-2.

However, the Robins refused to give up and fought back admirably. Friend almost found an equaliser in the 52nd minute, but his shot was deflected against the post. March still posed a threat, and Newton made a great save to deny Allen a hat-trick in the 53rd minute. gave Ely some fresh impetus.

As the match entered the final stages, Ely continued to press for an equalizer. Sub Jordan Atkin, a late substitute, went close on two occasions, while Baxter picked up a booking for a tackle in midfield.

In the 90th minute, it looked like Ely's hopes had been dashed when a penalty shout for a handball against March was waved away, and then a foul was given against Atkin after minimal contact. But deep into stoppage time, with 96 minutes on the clock, Townshend picked up the ball in space 20 yards out and unleashed a superb strike into the far corner, sparking scenes of wild celebration amongst the Ely players and supporters.

The final whistle confirmed a dramatic 2-2 draw, and both sides will now do it all again in a replay at March Town United on Tuesday night.

FT: Ely City 2 - 2 March Town United

Team; Ben Newton, Harrison Donnelly (Jev Cook 60), Jamie Baxter, Alfie Rogers, Joe Brannan, Josh Collins, Alex Brown (Jordan Atkin 77), Charlie Root (Fin Logan 67) Jack Friend (Charlie Sutcliffe 77), Sam Townshend, Luke Brown (Dom Hunt 60).

Unused: Harrison Butt

POTM: Jamie Baxter.