Porter opened the door for City of Peterborough Hockey Club to rescue a point

It needed a late close-range leveller from Matt Porter to claim a point for second-placed City against Norwich City, the team immediately below them, at Bretton Gate.

The visitors had led for virtually the entire game after scoring from their only short corner of the match in the third minute. Norwich looked the better side in that opening quarter and certainly carried the greater scoring threat, but they were gradually forced back by their hosts and spent the vast majority of the second-half on the back foot.

Not that City created too many chances of note. Matt Goodey saw one first-half shot saved by the Norwich ‘keeper, but the home side didn’t win their first penalty corner until the final quarter and then they muffed it.

But eventually weight of pressure paid off. Player-coach Gareth Andrew was denied a rather obvious penalty stroke when he was stick-tackled in the act of shooting, but short corners started to arrive regularly. Captain Joe Finding forced one decent save and when another set-piece was saved superbly on the goalline by a defender Porter was on hand to scramble home the rebound.

There was even time for one final short corner after the final whistle had blown, but Norwich eventually hacked it clear before celebrating their draw, one that left them five points behind City.

City travel to old East Leagues foes Bedford for a National League game next Sunday (November 6).