IBRAHIM Olateju’s late goal earned Malvern Town a point in a 1-1 draw away at Willand Rovers as the Hillsiders ended their seven-match losing run in all competitions.
Olateju marked his Hillsiders debut with the equaliser on 85 minutes after Harvey Dorothy put Willand ahead at the Stan Robinson Stadium.
However, despite the draw the result sees Malvern drop into the relegation zone with the Hillsiders 21st in the Southern League Division One South.
Malvern goalkeeper Alexandar Kovacevic made an early save to deny Dorothy before the latter shot wide from a tight angle after taking the ball past Kovacevic.
And Kovacevic made another smart stop to keep out Owen Howe’s effort just past the half-hour mark.
A Malvern defender then superbly cleared Ryan Guppy’s header off the line as the teams went into the break goalless.
However, Willand eventually broke the deadlock on 70 minutes when Dorothy chipped the ball over the onrushing Kovacevic after he latched onto a ball in-behind the Malvern defence.
And the home side almost doubled their lead soon after as Kovacevic parried River Allen’s stinging free-kick.
The visitors rescued a point against the run of play with five minutes left to play when Olateju tapped the ball into an empty net from close range.
Kovacevic made one final save at the death to ensure Town came away with a point as the Malvern stopper sprung into action to deny substitute Finley Rooke from inside the box.
Malvern are next in action against Bristol Manor Farm on Tuesday, October 15 with kick-off at 7.45pm at the HDAnywhere Community Stadium.
