NICK Clayton-Phillips scored an injury-time equaliser as Alvechurch rescued a point in a thrilling 4-4 draw away at Stratford Town.

Clayton-Phillips came off the bench to score a late leveller in an eight-goal epic at the Arden Garages Stadium.

Church led through Miracle Okafor’s early goal only for quickfire strikes from Kobe Hall and Paul McCone to turn the game in Stratford’s favour.

The visitors equalised just past the half-hour mark as Danny Newton sent the teams in level at the break.

However, the Bards took command of the game when Adam Jasper and Dan Lafferty scored twice in the space of three minutes after the interval.

Newton’s second of the game kept Church in the contest before Clayton-Phillips finished from close range at the death.

The result means Alvechurch sit eighth in the Southern League Premier Central table, just five points behind rivals Bromsgrove Sporting in third.

Church made the perfect start when a ball ran through to Okafor who coolly lifted a shot over Bards goalkeeper Jake Weaver and into the net with the game two minutes old.

However, Stratford equalised on 19 minutes when Church failed to deal with a ball into the box from the right and Hall’s low shot from inside the box took a deflection on its way into the net.

And the Bards turned the game on its head on 25 minutes when the officials deemed McCone’s back-post header from a corner from the right to cross the line before a Church defender could clear the ball.

But Alvechurch equalised on 35 minutes when Weaver spilled a cross from the left and Newton pounced to turn the loose ball into the net.

Stratford reclaimed the lead after the break on 55 minutes as Jasper fired into the roof of the net after the ball bounced around in the penalty area.

And the Bards stunned Church with a fourth goal three minutes later when a cross from the left took Redman Evans out of the game and Lafferty headed into an empty net.

Alvechurch responded on 65 minutes as Newton scored his second of the game after Okafor and Clayton-Phillips kept the ball alive in the box.

And Church snatched a point two minutes into injury time when a cross from the left created panic in the Stratford box and the ball broke to Clayton-Phillips at the back post who finished from close range.

Alvechurch are next in action against Anstey Nomads on Tuesday, October 27 with kick-off at 7.45pm at Lye Meadow.

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