TWO goals in the final 16 minutes from new signings Ella Bowen and Kaye Haggett rescued Hereford Pegasus Ladies a 2-2 draw against local rivals Malvern Town.

With the top of the Midwest Counties League tightly packed Pegasus looked to be heading for their second league defeat of the season only to salvage a point and importantly stopping Malvern taking all three.

The opening 45 minutes were devoid of clear-cut goal scoring opportunities as the title rivals headed into the half-time all square after a half where neither goalkeeper was particularly overworked.

However, the second half was a more open affair as both teams looked to make the crucial breakthrough.

It was Malvern Town that finally broke the deadlock 20 minutes after the interval with a neat finish from close range following a swift counter attack.

The Hillsiders then doubled their advantage and looked on course for three vital points in their promotion bid. Within three minutes of the restart when goalkeeper Livvie Jenkins was beaten with a low shot that went in via an upright. 

The hosts knew they would have to dig deep if they were going to claim anything from the match against a well-organised Malvern Town defence.

Bowen halved the deficit in the 74th minute when her 25 yard free-kick on the left flew over the head of the visiting custodian.

Just when it appeared that Malvern Town were heading to the top of the table Haggett was on hand to drive home a loose ball with four minutes of normal time remaining after the visitors had failed to clear a low cross from their penalty area.

The result leaves Hereford Pegasus Ladies top three points above Malvern. Fellow challengers Redditch Borough missed the opportunity to claw back points after drawing 0-0 with local rivals Bromsgrove Sporting.