An injury-time goal left WITHAM TOWN nursing their wounds as Bury Town pegged them back in an eight-goal thriller in Ryman League division north.

Witham are still searching for their first win of the season as, once again, conceding late goals was a problem for Garry Kimble’s team.

It proved a thorn in their side for much of last season’s battle against relegation from the premier division and it was Bury’s Craig Nurse who inflicted the crushing blow on this occasion.

The game started with the Suffolk hosts making a flying start as strikes from Remi Garrett and Bradley Barber gave them a 2-0 lead after 16 minutes.

However, Witham skipper Lewis Godbold got one back two minutes later with a sweet strike across the home goal and only a linesman’s flag denied them an equaliser three minutes later.

It did come after the break, though, as Witham took control of the game.

Bury keeper Nick Punter couldn’t hold on to John Watson’s sharp strike in the 51st minute and Scott Kemp was on hand to tap in the rebound for his first Witham goal.

Substitute Ryan Charles put the visitors ahead two minutes later and a goal from Eamon Payne in the 81st minute appeared to have wrapped up Witham’s first win of the season.

However, they were kept waiting as David Lampshire narrowed the deficit and a corner in the 94th minute saw Nurse thunder home a header in a dramatic ending at Ram Meadow.

Elsewhere, there was a first clean sheet of the campaign for MALDON & TIPTREE as they won 2-0 at Haringey Borough.

Goals from Femi Akinwande and Darren McQueen had seen Maldon win at Witham in the Robert Dyas League Cup in midweek and the duo were on target once again for the Jammers to secure their second away win of the season.

However, there were defeats for both HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS and BRIGHTLINGSEA REGENT.

Swifts lost as strikes late in the first half from Ryan Crisp and Luke Tuttle gave Dereham Town a 2-0 lead at half-time at Scraley Road and the visitors held on to their advantage after the break.

A goal just before half-time proved costly for Brightlingsea as well as they lost 1-0 at Thurrock.

Lewis Clark put the hosts ahead in the 42nd minute and James Webster’s team were unable to find an equaliser after the break, however, Thurrock ended the game with ten men after Joe Christou was sent off in the 79th minute for a second yellow card.