Jamie Cook scored a late equaliser as North Leigh fought back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a derserved 2-2 draw from their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West trip to Shortwood on Saturday.

With the game going into the final stages and trailing 2-1, it looked like Mark Gee’s team would be going home emptyhanded.

But Cook, who was introduced as a half-time substitute, struck to bag a share of the spoils.

The result saw the Millers stretch their unbeaten run to three matches.

Despite dominating the first half with the wind at their backs, North Leigh found themselves trailing at the break to their mid-table hosts.

Unsurprisingly, it was the visitors who went closest to breaking the deadlock early on.

Kieran Sanders was fouled ten yards outside the area and Michael Hopkins saw his resulting free-kick superbly tipped away by Tom King in the home goal.

On 19 minutes, King made a super stop from Elliott OsborneRicketts’ well-struck shot, before making another stunning save eight minutes later.

A right-footed hard and low shot from Sanders appeared to be heading for the far corner, only for the stopper to claw the effort away for a corner with his fingertips.

Just before half-time, Shortwood took the lead against the run of play when Josh Egan fired in following a poor clearance.

North Leigh brought on Cook for the injured Zak Westlake at the break.

But ten minutes into the second half, Shortwood doubled their advantage when Lewis Sommers headed past keeper Matt Bullman.

North Leigh intensified their effort.

After 59 minutes, Callum McNish powered forward and fired home a super shot from the edge of the area past King.

The visitors kept throwing men forward, and McNish was unlucky with a lob that finished on top of the net.

Gee brought on Aaron Woodley and it was his dinked cross in the final minute that led to the equaliser.

Woodley got to the bye-line and crossed for fellow substitute Cook to beat King with a close-range header.

North Leigh: Bulman, Else, Hopkins, Hole, Westlake (Cook HT), Gunn, Bowles, Osborne-Ricketts, Williams (Woodley 83), Sanders, McNish.

Attendance: 55.

Meanwhile, North Leigh face Banbury United in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup final on Thursday, May 7 at the Kassam Stadium.