ROYSTON TOWN 2 (C Edwards, S Snowden) BIGGLESWADE TOWN 2 (T Hobbs, P Gatti) THE Crows extended their unbeaten run to five Spartan South Midlands League games with a third straight draw on Saturday (December 9). But it took an 89th minute penalty from

ROYSTON TOWN 2

(C Edwards, S Snowden)

BIGGLESWADE TOWN 2

(T Hobbs, P Gatti)

THE Crows extended their unbeaten run to five Spartan South Midlands League games with a third straight draw on Saturday (December 9).

But it took an 89th minute penalty from skipper Stuart Snowden to rescue the point against basement side Biggleswade as the Crows struggled again.

The consolation for boss Phil Snowden is that it was a draw his side barely deserved, but it does take them up to 15th in the 21-team Premier Division - their highest place in the table this year, albeit having played more games than all the other sides.

Biggleswade had provided the Crows with their first league win of the season when they travelled to Bedfordshire in late September, but it was the visitors who took the lead through Hobbs in the 25th minute.

The scores were not level until the 63rd minute when Carl Edwards fired home from 13 yards after a goalmouth scramble.

But the home side continued to struggle, and fell behind again with 15 minutes remaining when Gatti scored with a well-struck 25-yard effort, leaving Chris Chambers with no chance.

With time running out, Ryan Cannon beat two players down the left before being bundled over in the box, and Snowden coolly converted the spot kick to maintain his side's average of a point per game.

Dave McMurrough became the 11th Crows player to be dismissed this season a minute later when he received a second booking for time-wasting, a slightly ironic decision as his first yellow card had been for an altercation with the visiting keeper who delayed giving the ball back after Royston's first equaliser.

It was McMurrough's second red card of the season, and he is likely to miss the trip to Welwyn Garden City on December 30, and the following week's home game against Colney Heath.

Despite the disappointment of seeing another player dismissed, Crows' chairman Graham Phillips was pleased with the result.

He said: "At the end of the day it was a good point.

"We battled hard against a physical hard, and I thought we deserved the draw."

The Crows face a tough test on Saturday when they travel to Harefield United, a ground where they lost 6-0 last season.

Royston: C Chambers, P Chappel, S Brown, S Snowden, R Cannon, L Rogers, C Edwards, M Bloss, J Moule, J McMurrough, D McMurrough, Unused subs: C Geldart, K Blair.