AFC Portchester had to settle for a point from their midweek trip to Egham Town.
They led at the interval but were reduced to ten men in the second half and the home side staged a fight back which nearly saw them get all three points late on.
However, this point meant the Royals have now broken their London curse at Step 4 – their five previous trips to the capital all ended in defeat.
Portchester went so close to opening the scoring on 19 minutes when Zack Willett’s ball from the right went across the box to Lee Wort and his shot was heading in until a defender managed to get enough of a deflection on it to turn it around the post.
Two minutes later at the other end Ben Peden picked up the ball 30 yards out and hit a shot which keeper Cameron Scott had to turn around the post.
The visitors went close again on 28 minutes when Josh Clack picked up the ball when it was played down the left hand side of the box. He flicked his shot past keeper Michael Edegbe but a defender managed to get back in time to knock the ball away before it crossed the line.
Portchester took the lead on the half hour mark from a corner on the right. Jack Lee timed his run to the edge of the six yard box to perfection and his downward header crossed the line before a defender could hack it away from goal.
Egham went close to equalising in first half stoppage time when a long throw in from the right fell to Connagh Wilks inside the penalty area and his shot flew just over the crossbar.
The Royals almost doubled their lead in the opening minute of the second half when a cross from the left was cleared only to the edge of the box and Spencer Spurway fired off a shot on goal which Edegbe turned away when he threw himself to his left.
The home side were back on level terms on 51 minutes when Excellence Muhemba went down under a challenge as he was making his way into the penalty area and Jordi Ebanda smashed home the penalty.
The visitors continued to have the better of the chances and on 63 minutes Charlie Williamson’s cross from the right drifted towards the goal and only just dropped wide of the far post.
Two minutes later a free kick played up into the box picked out Archie Willcox but his header went narrowly over the crossbar.
Portchester had to take a more cautious approach in the final quarter of the game when Calvin Davies was shown his second yellow card.
However, there was only one more chance of any note in and it fell to the home side in the final minute.
A long throw in from the right was knocked on and the ball found its way to Ebanda, who was unmarked inside the six yard box but he somehow screwed his shot back across goal and wide of the far post.
