HARTPURY FC marked their first home outing of 2026 with a dramatic six-goal encounter, coming from behind twice to draw 3-3 with play-off hopefuls Shaftesbury AFC at the 4ED Hartpury Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Acorns went into the Southern League Division One South fixture buoyed by a 1-0 win at Exmouth Town and aiming to extend their strong home run, but they faced a stern test against a Shaftesbury side sitting fifth in the table and in the midst of an impressive run of form.

The visitors, nicknamed the Rockies, had lost just once in their previous 13 matches and arrived in Gloucestershire full of confidence.

That confidence showed early on. After Hartpury went close inside the opening minute through Noah Coates, Shaftesbury struck twice in the first 20 minutes, with Tobias Holmes and Harvey Bradbury both finishing from close range to put the visitors firmly in control.

Hartpury responded with real character. Louis Manning pulled a goal back midway through the half after beating two defenders, before Nathan Jenkins levelled matters with a powerful strike from distance just minutes later. Shaftesbury, however, regained the lead almost immediately as Bradbury converted from the penalty spot, sending the Rockies into the break 3-2 ahead.

The Acorns came out strongly after half-time and their pressure told on 55 minutes. Coates controlled a Sol Kent cross before swivelling to fire a fine volley into the bottom corner to make it 3-3.

Both sides pushed for a winner in a frantic closing spell, which also saw a member of the Shaftesbury coaching staff dismissed, but neither could find a decisive goal.

Reflecting on the draw, Jacob Towns said: “Most teams would’ve crumbled being behind at home, but we’ve got characters in this group who take responsibility.”

The result extends Hartpury’s unbeaten home run to six matches.