RAMSBOTTOM United continued their FA Trophy adventure with a 2-2 draw at Evo-Stik South League side Yaxley.

After falling behind early on, the Rams looked to have won the tie but the Cuckoos’ equaliser with 20 minutes to go means they will play again on Tuesday night.

Rammy’s three-hour journey to Cambridgeshire was perhaps a factor in the hosts starting Tuesday night’s match strongly and they were inches away from opening the scoring in the first minute, a fierce drive whistling past Sam Ashton’s post.

However, on the quarter-hour mark they took the lead.

An incisive through ball sent Yaxley’s leading scorer Matt Sparrow through one on one with Ashton and he netted the first goal against the Rams in 462 minutes of football.

Rammy’s first shot on target came with half an hour played, Ruben Jerome testing home stopper Ollie Sutton from outside the area.

With half time approaching Sutton mishandled a Tom Kennedy cross and Nic Evangelinos sent the ball goalwards, only to be denied by a defender’s last-ditch block.

Ramsbottom began to take control of the tussle as Nialle Rodney and Kyle Jacobs linked up well down the right wing, Jerome almost drawing them level but clipping the outside of the post.

But just before the hour mark Jerome did net his fourth goal in four games, side-footing home after excellent work from Rodney.

And five minutes later an incisive breakaway led to the visitors’ second goal.

Rodney ran at the retreating Yaxley defence before passing to Anthony Donaldson whose clever flick found Evangelinos to slip the ball past Sutton and notch his third goal in three outings.

But, no sooner had the Rams taken the lead than Yaxley sent a free kick into the visitors’ box and, as the defence struggled to clear, the ball fell kindly for Tom Waumsley whose clinical finish from 10 yards levelled up the match at 2-2.

The Rams were putting in an excellent second-half showing with the hard working midfield duo of Eddie Moran and Jamie Rother putting in their usual high levels of commitment as the visitors continued to pose a goal threat.

They almost regained the lead on 73 minutes when a Kennedy free kick found the head of Luke Thompson.

His header across the face of goal found Rodney six yards out but he sent his header straight at Sutton, who gratefully gathered the ball.

The draw means the two teams will reconvene for a replay at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night with the winners going to Pickering Town in the next round of the competition.

On Saturday Rammy are back on the road as they travel to Colwyn Bay for an Evo-Stik West fixture.

Kick off is 3pm.