Lowestoft Town 1 Wingate & Finchley 1: Blues are held by 10 men

Lowestoft Town had to settle for a point in their first match since confirming their top flight safety - despite having an extra man for 55 minutes.

Visitors Wingate & Finchley battled bravely after losing their skipper Ahmet Rifat to a red card, with the Blues unable to break down their stubborn resistance.

There was a dramatic start to the game, with the two goals arriving in the opening eight minutes.

The Londoners took the lead from one of ther first attacks through Marc Charles-Smith but there was a swift response from the hosts as Travis Cole fired home from the penalty spot after Armani Schaar had been brought down in the box.

Wingate were reduced to 10 men on 36 minutes when Rifat was dismissed after clashing with Shaun Bammant but it was they who came closest to scoring again before the break, with Elvijs Putnins needing to produce a quality save to deny Charles-Smith his second.

After the break Harvey Hodd fired just wide and Robert Eagle was denied by a good save as honours ended even. Attendance: 353.