An injury time equaliser for AFC Sudbury prevented Aylesbury’s progress in the FA Trophy meaning the sides will replay after a 2-2 draw at King’s Marsh Stadium.

At half time the Ducks were in serious danger of a third cup exit in a week due to an insipid 45-minute performance, but a vast improvement saw Tyriq Hunte score twice as the game turned on its head before the late drama.

Having rested most of his team in the BigFreeBet.com cup at Marlow in midweek, Glyn Creaser returned to the team that had performed well at Folkestone Invicta in the FA Cup a week earlier, with Sonny French left on the bench – where he was joined by new signing Ben Seaton.

The home side were quick out of the blocks – well familiar with the characteristics of their artificial 3G pitch that had some of the Ducks team struggling to adapt.

Winger Ollie Dunlop was a regular threat in the opening exchanges, and he should have given his side a third minute lead when a scuffed shot fell his way 6-yards from goal, but he somehow scooped the gift over the bar.

The yellows broke the deadlock with just twelve minutes gone when Sam Clarke found space on the right wing before picking out Callum Watson in the box who headed into the bottom corner from deep in the box. 1-0 Sudbury

Sudbury kept up the pressure and Jack Sillitoe was nearly left red faced when his clearance was returned straight back towards goal by centre half Tyler French but flying just wide of the vacant net.

A deep free kick was then planted wide by the head of Clarke – the Sudbury captain and Sillitoe of Aylesbury being the only two players to have featured when the sides had last met some seven years earlier.

A minute later and debutant Jamie Eaton-Collins robbed Greg Williams before hitting an early shot that caught Sillitoe floundering and smacked against the base of the post, although the Aylesbury keeper did well to deny Dunlop from the rebound.

As was the case for most of the first half, United were barely getting a kick, and the hosts came again when Watson played in Eaton-Collins whose shot was fired in across goal and wide.

The Ducks finally mustered an effort on goal after 38 minutes albeit a tame long ranger from Ollie Hogg which was straight at Paul Walker, and although Ryan Kinnane doubled the shot tally with an off-target half volley soon afterwards, it was a massively forgettable half from Aylesbury’s point of view.

Half-time: AFC Sudbury 1-0 Aylesbury

Presumably read the riot act during the interval, the Ducks were very early back onto the field for the second half, and immediately upped their game. Lea Coulter sent a ball in from the right to Tyriq Hunte who managed to get a shot away that came back off the post.

Coulter himself was then suddenly in behind the home defence but unable to get his shot past the experienced figure of Paul Walker in goal who saved well.

Sudbury threatened for the first time of the second half with a quick counter attack that ended with the ball cleared only as far as Watson, but he could only produce a poor effort well over the bar.

Aylesbury introduced Sonny French in place of Ollie Stanbridge, but he had to bide his time as United remained under serious pressure.

Jake Clowsley collected a loose ball before bending in a shot that had to be turned wide by Sillitoe, and from the resulting corner Clarke’s shot was charged down by Greg Williams with Sudbury having a strong penalty shout for handball waved away.

Clarke then skied a shot having been teed up by Dunlop as another chance went begging for the home team.

They were made to rue the catalogue of misses when Aylesbury levelled the match on 63 minutes. Hunte showed his quality in front of goal once more when French played a fine through ball, allowing the striker to shrug off the last defender before clinically dispatching the ball past Walker. 1-1

With a little over fifteen minutes remaining, the yellows should have re-established their lead. Sillitoe was off his line quickly to make a smothering save to halt Dunlop, but Sam Mills looked odds on to score having collected the rebound, only to place his shot over the empty goal.

Substitute Jake Turner skewed an effort badly off target, but Sudbury were still creating problems with a number of set pieces having to be defended strongly by the Ducks.

It was somewhat against the run of play when Sonny French was fed by Hogg but shot wide, and even more so when the Ducks went ahead. The hard working Harry Jones got the better of his man on the right flank before picking out Hunte who turned and shot under Walker into the net. 2-1 Aylesbury

United were just two minutes of normal time away from a win that their second half performance might just about have merited, but Sudbury weren’t about to roll over and salvaged the draw they too deserved right at the death.

It was a superbly taken goal by Dunlop, who crashed home a fierce half volley having been teed up by a ball in from the left. 2-2

The result means the sides will do it all again in Chesham in a Wednesday night replay. Aylesbury would have been grateful for the opportunity given their first half performance, but if they demonstrate the same levels of spirit and application as in the second half then they have every chance of progression.