They had them on the ropes, battered them with wave after wave of pressure, and somehow… Hoddesdon Town walked away with just one point against second-from-bottom Newbury Forest on a bone-chilling Tuesday night at Lowfield.

This was meant to be a routine job. A springboard toward the play-offs. But instead, under the biting April evening cold, the Lilywhites produced a masterclass in missed opportunities and defensive sloppiness, leaving the home faithful with more frostbite than joy. By the time the referee limped off injured and the linesman took the whistle in stoppage time, it was less a football match and more a fever dream.

Welcome to the theatre of Lowfield.

The sun had shone warmly all afternoon, but by kick-off the warmth was long gone – and despite Hoddesdon’s sizzling start, the temperature wasn't the only thing that dipped. Within 20 seconds of the opening whistle, Connor Bolton – Town’s sharpshooting hitman – had the ball at his feet and sent a stinger inches wide of the post. A deflection saved Newbury’s blushes, and from the resulting corner, chaos ensued. Goal-line scrambles, bodies flying, panicked clearances – it was a white-and-black onslaught from the off. And the crowd were loving it.

Bolton turned creator shortly after, delivering to Arnis Lala who saw his point-blank shot smothered heroically. It could’ve been 2-0 before fans had even unzipped their jackets. By the 20-minute mark, Hoddesdon had registered more shots than Newbury had touches in the final third. Bailey Collins had a rocket blocked on the line, Lala hoofed over with time to spare, and Cage – the eventual man of the match – saw a delicious curling effort sail into orbit.

It was attack after attack, bombardment after bombardment. Yet somehow, inexplicably, no goals.

And then – a gasp. A moment of madness. Newbury’s first real foray forward came from a speculative ball over the top. Suddenly, their number 9 was one-on-one with keeper Liam Nugent, and with Lowfield holding its breath… the ball was blazed into the night sky. An escape Houdini himself would’ve been proud of. But it was a warning shot.

Just as Hoddesdon’s nerves began to twitch, up stepped the talismanic Bolton once more. A delightful header across goal found Arnis Lala, who sorted his feet out and eventually bundled it home. The deadlock was broken. 1-0 to the home side. Relief. There were fist pumps. There were roars. But there were no guarantees.

The second period started much like the first – Hoddesdon looking dangerous, but increasingly wasteful. Carter drilled an effort low and true but found the keeper in form. Harrison Cage, dancing and darting with real flair, saw a golden chance saved at point-blank. Hoddesdon made changes – Bennison on for Cage, then Eden for Lala, the returning fan-favourite receiving a warm welcome.

But while Hoddesdon dawdled, Newbury sharpened.

Time and again, they broke the lines. Time and again, the Lilywhites looked slow to react. The Newbury number 9 began to haunt the back line like a ghost in the fog, slipping through the cracks, missing chances, threatening revenge. And then… it came.

77 minutes gone. Yet another lapse. A simple ball dissected Hoddesdon’s defence like a hot knife through butter, and number 14 took his moment with icy calm. Nugent, who had been solid all night, was left helpless as the ball nestled into the net. 1-1. And it had been coming.

From a match they should’ve had wrapped up by half-time, Hoddesdon now stood neck and neck with relegation-threatened opposition. The home fans could scarcely believe it – nor could the bench. Then the madness really kicked in.

In the 86th minute, disaster nearly struck. A long ball over the top – again – saw Newbury’s striker get the wrong side of the defence. Sterling clattered into the back of him in the box. Surely… surely a penalty? The referee, under pressure and maybe unsighted, waved it away to the fury of the visiting players and supporters. A lucky escape? Absolutely. A controversial one? No question. But that wasn’t the end of the drama.

As the game ticked into stoppage time, Hoddesdon sent one final ball into the box. Bolton lunged, got his head to it, but it drifted wide. Moments later, the referee herself went down injured – an apparent ankle issue – and had to be helped from the field. With shades of park football, the linesman took over officiating duties for the final few minutes, blowing the final whistle just as Hoddesdon were sniffing one last chance in the Newbury box.

The home crowd were stunned. Baffled. Frozen.

In the end, it was a story of waste. Hoddesdon had the chances, the territory, the possession – but they lacked the killer instinct. And against a team scrapping for survival, that’s a dangerous game to play. Arnis Lala got the goal. Connor Bolton was relentless. Bailey Collins put his body on the line. But it was Harrison Cage – inventive, industrious and full of running – who walked off with the Man of the Match award. A silver lining on a night where the clouds never quite cleared.

For Newbury, it was a battling, spirited performance – and they’ll feel they deserved all three points after a robbed penalty and a litany of late chances. Their number 9 might be kicking himself for missed sitters, but their late goal ensured they didn’t leave empty-handed.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH:
? Harrison Cage – A tireless display in the heart of midfield. Technical, tenacious, and the spark in Hoddesdon’s engine room.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE LILYWHITES?
We head to Basildon this coming Saturday. Play-off dreams are still alive – but if Hoddesdon are to have any hope of extending their season, these are the games they simply have to win. Missed chances. Defensive lapses. And no shortage of drama. Tuesday night at Lowfield had it all… except the win.

They’ll go again. But this one stings.