Both goals came in the second half as Bognor looked set to win the game but a late 84th minute equaliser saw a share of the points.
A late change to the line up saw Craig Robson pull up in the warm up and replaced by Kieran Douglas in the starting line up. With Joe Briffa taking over from Douglas on the bench before kick off.
Inside the first two minutes Cheshunt had the ball in the net but Nnamdi Nwachukwu’s goal didn’t stand as he was offside.
Then Calvin Davies chipped the ball out wide for Alfie Bridgman to get a cross in, but this was hacked clear.
Nwachukwu ran inside from the left after a swift counter attack but his right footed strike flew high over the bar on 6 minutes.
Davies made a good interception and won the ball in Cheshunt’s half but his low cross in was again gathered by Woody Williamson.
Then Bognor had a chance as Dan Gifford burst through and decided to pass out wide to Lucas Pattenden instead of shooting. Pattenden got the cross in which was battled for in the air by Gifford but the ball fell to Tommy-Lee Higgs with his back to goal. However, his flicked chance flew high over the crossbar on 12 minutes.
Higgs did well to pass inside to Gifford who in turn knocked it onto the right and Pattenden did well to cut inside and pass square to Ben Anderson but his short advance and fierce effort was always rising over the bar.
Then Cheshunt bizarrely won a corner after a shot by Jamie Reynolds appeared to be deflected by the head of Nwachukwu out of play.
In a worrying moment for Bognor, Pattenden pulled up off the ball and had to be replaced by Jasper Mather on 21 minutes.
Gifford did well to win possession to pass it out wide for Bridgman who was switched to the right. Bridgman cut inside before unleashing a left-footed strike and forcing Williamson into a parried save.
Gifford won the ball with a great tackle. He passed it off to Higgs who made a little run into the area before firing it hard at goal. It was pushed out again by the goalkeeper as Bognor were playing well and creating chances.
It got worse as the injury ciunt increased. Anderson went off injured after a challenge on Isiah Noel-Williams. The Rocks midfielder also went into the book on 30 minutes before coming off for Joe Rabbetts who was also struggling with tonsillitis.
Kieran Douglas appeared to go through the back of Nwachukwu and the referee missed the challenge and so play continued until the Cheshunt striker received treatment.
On 39 minutes it was Ryan Hall who gathered a high hanging corner kick by Antonis Vasiliou from the right.
Marcel Elva-Fontaine got a nice cross in from the right and it was flicked on by a defender right into the path of Vasiliou in the box. His strike was pushed away well by Hall inside stoppage time of the first half.
Bognor had a good chance deep into the added on time. Gifford laid the ball off for Higgs who fired it at goal but it was a good save from Williamson that dnied him. Then Mather on the rebound was blocked by a defender.
Just after this Mather squared it to Davies who hit it right footed and wide just before the half time whistle went.
HT 0-0
Dejon Noel-Williams had to come on to replace the dangerous Nwachukwu on 46 minutes after seconds of the second half kicking off. Eventually D. Noel-Williams was allowed on after a lengthy delay with a problem with his hand.
Bognor deservedly took the lead though soon after. Bognor got the ball in from the right by Bridgman and it was nodded down by Higgs on the back post and Mather was unmarked before belting it in on the rise on 49 minutes.
Bognor should have scored again seconds later as Higgs latched onto a ball won in the air by Gifford. Higgs hit it on the volley and agonisingly wide of the right post.
Douglas had to receive treatment for a dislodged tooth after a blow to the head and had to receive treatment, which held up for play for a while. He eventually had to be replaced by Dan Smith on 57 minutes.
A straight red was rightly shown to Jamie Reynolds as his bad challenge on 64 minutes saw him have his studs up on Rabbetts in the centre circle.
Bognor should have been two goals up as Mather’s chance was saved and then Matt Burgess struck wide on the follow up.
Davies’s freekick was punched away and then Spencer Spurway fired it wide of the goal on the bounce on 68 minutes after the rebound.
Mather struck wide of the left post and Smith was solid at the back, heading everything out of defence for Bognor.
Soon after, Burgess went into the book for a challenge on Noel-Williams. Taylor Miles went into the book for a poor challenge on Higgs soon after.
The resulting freekick by Davies was good and curled into the area. It was headed up high and then the ball was knocked down into the path of Mather who hit it on the rise but sliced it wide on 78 minutes.
Then Mather looked to have been shoved to the ground in the box but the referee ignored the claims on 79 minutes.
Burgess did well to win possession in the opponents half before running on and shooting low but Williamson was equal to it, diverting it away bravely.
Bridgman, who was playing better on the right, cut inside and looked destined to score but fired it low and wide of the left post in yet another great chance.
Cheshunt got their equaliser on 84 minutes. A freekick was given away by Spurway. It was taken by Vasiliou and the curled forward ball saw Hall appear to gather it and looked to have been fouled in the air, but the ball fell loose and it was Dejon Noel-Williams who slammed the ball into the unguarded net.
Rabbetts had another strike wide, the 20th chance on goal, as Rocks were all over the visitors in the latter stages.
Then Chevron McLean got shown a yellow card as 3 minutes were left of stoppage time. He fouled Davies on the touchline and reacted frustratingly. Goalkeeper, Williamson also got a yellow card for time wasting on a goal kick.
Bognor battled for the second right to the very end but were held to a point at the MKM Arena. They next welcome Wingate & Finchley to Nyewood Lane on Tuesday 13th February with kick off at 7:45pm.
FT 1-1
Rocks: Hall, Whyte, Davies, Burgess, Spurway, Douglas (Smith 57), Pattenden (Mather 21), Anderson (Rabbetts 30), Higgs, Gifford, Bridgman
Sub not used: Olaniyan, Briffa
