Bracknell started brightly, with Jack Mazzone proving a constant threat. He spurned an early chance, firing over the bar, before opening the scoring midway through the half. Giovanni McGregor led a swift counter-attack and picked out Mazzone on the left side of the box, who powered his finish past goalkeeper Cairney.

Moments later, Mazzone again found space in the area but lifted his effort over. Just before the break, Kennedy’s cross found him once more, but the striker failed to hit the target. Bracknell dominated the half, while Hungerford’s only effort came in stoppage time – Fabio Lopes’ tame long-range strike easily saved by Zaki Oualah.

In the second half Hungerford looked more positive after tactical changes, but Bracknell continued to create the better chances. George Knight’s header was blocked on the line by Matt Berry-Hargreaves, and Joe Grant missed a golden opportunity with Cairney stranded.
As the game drifted towards its conclusion, Hungerford searched for one chance to punish Bracknell’s wastefulness.

Ten minutes of injury time brought chaos. In the 90th minute, Louis McGrory’s cross was forced goalward by Jordan Rose, and after Oualah’s initial save, Harry Williams reacted quickest to bundle the ball home for the equaliser.

Debutant Cole Fleming then broke clear and appeared to be fouled from behind in the box, but strong penalty appeals were waved away by the referee. In the dying moments, Jordan Esprit’s close-range strike was brilliantly saved by Cairney, preserving the draw.

All in all it was a game of missed chances for Bracknell, and late resilience from Hungerford.

Team: Cairney, McGrory, Medford-Smith, Berry-Hargreaves (Messenger), Rose, Hooper, Lopes, Bancroft (Tyler), Shepherd (Smith), Austin (Fleming), McDonagh (Williams)
Star Man : Matt Berry-Hargreaves