Willie Clemons netted his ninth goal of the season as he and his Stowmarket Town team-mates were held to a 2-2 draw at home by lowly Barking in the Isthmian League North on Saturday.

The Bermuda forward scored in the 32nd minute to double the home side’s advantage after in-form striker Josh Mayhew’s third-minute strike put them in pole position at Greens Meadow.

It was Clemons’s third goal in four outings and first since scoring in a 1-0 home win over Gray Athletic on March 12.

Town were seemingly in control at the half with a two-goal cushion.

However, the visitors rallied in the second half and hit back with two unanswered strikes from Kenedi Dariri and Sam Shaban to rescue a hard-earned point from the match.

Dariri sliced the deficit in half when he converted in the 59th minute, the goal arriving four minutes after Clemons’s compatriot Reggie Lambe was substituted.

Despite the setback, the hosts appeared to have done enough to seal victory until Shaban grabbed an 87th-minute equaliser to put a dent in their opponents’ title hopes.

Town remain third in the standings, eight points behind leaders Aveley and three adrift of second-placed Canvey Island, with two games in hand over the teams above them.

Paul Musgrove’s team have dropped vital points heading down the final stretch of the season and have now gone without a win in their previous three league outings.

They went into Saturday’s game with momentum having reached the Turners Hyundai Suffolk Premier Cup final for the first time in 25 years with a convincing 3-0 win away to Leiston FC three days earlier.

Lambe featured prominently in the semi-final win having been involved in the visitors’ first two goals.