Prime headed to Hawkenbury with trepidation as more than half of their squad were injured or unavailable and they only scraped 11 players together with the late addition of Matt Westcott as an emergency signing. It was still a patched up side with Jamie Sykes nursing a pulled thigh in goal and player/boss Ashley Goldsmith strapping up his troublesome knee.

Sander made his first appearance for 10 weeks in an unaccustomed left-back role behind Nowak - who made his first start for Prime down the left-wing. New-boy Westcott joined Abu and Fleming in midfield.

The game kicked off in heavy rain with Prime kicking down the Hawkenbury slope. Prime started brightly with wingers Fleming and Nowak getting some early joy against both full-backs. Westcott and Abu linked up well in midfield and, despite being outnumbered in the centre of the park, they were more than holding their own.

Prime took the lead after 15 minutes when Abu played the ball into Goldsmith who held the ball up before feeding Fleming 25 yards out on the corner of the box. The winger unleashed an arrow of a shot with his left-foot which was in as soon as he hit it - sailing into the top corner and leaving the keeper helpless.

The goal was just the tonic that Prime needed as it gave the depleted side something to hold on to - but they nearly did more than that 10 minutes later when Nowak surged down the left and put over an inviting cross which the onrushing Fleming met on the volley. Unfortunately his goal-bound effort hit Ferguson - but the danger was not over as the striker managed to get onto the loose ball - but after his first effort was blocked, he rolled the ball agonisingly wide on the rebound.

Hawkenbury were passing the ball around well but Prime were in resilient mood and the "twin-towers" of Cary and Walker cleared everything and Hawkenbury's wingers were getting no change whatsoever out of the dependable Mazurkiewicz and an inspired Sander who was putting in arguably his best defensive performance for The Numbers.

Despite their hard work, Sykes still needed to show off his supreme handling on a tricky pitch - although Hawkenbury failed to create any golden opportunities.

With Prime needing to get some respite, Goldsmith and Ferguson were battling hard to hold the ball up, but after a typically combative half, the player/boss went into the book for a sliding tackle on Hawkenbury's midfielder.

At the other end, after a corner was half-cleared, Abu's curler cannoned back off the crossbar, but at the break Prime were content with their lead.

Prime knew that things would be even harder in the second-half as they played up the hill and Hawkenbury had a bench loaded with substitutes to inject fresh impetus. At least for Prime they now had a linesman after Chairman Goulding kindly turned up straight from work to brave the elements.

The Hawks were quicker out of the blocks and Sykes had to make a fine save when their striker hit a shot from the edge of the box.

But Prime continued to be a threat and Fleming was seeing plenty of the ball down the right - mainly thanks to a fine supply line from the excellent Mazurkiewicz.

The home side were still in the ascendancy, but Prime were still competing well with Abu and Westcott's silky touches to the fore.

Prime created a half-chance just before the hour. Goldsmith made an interception down the left and then made the most of a failed half-shout for handball to burst forward and skin the embarrassed Hawks right back before crossing for Ferguson. The ball broke back to Nowak whose shot went over the bar.

Hawkenbury forced a succession of corners, and eventually it seemed as if their pressure had paid off when Nowak was adjudged to have tripped their striker in the box and the ref pointed to the spot.

But Prime keepers had already saved the last 2 penalties conceded and this was to be no different as Sykes hurled himself to his right to push a well-hit penalty wide and out for a corner.

But Hawkenbury kept piling forward and they finally beat Sykes when their striker wriggled in from the by-line and beat 3 Prime defenders, before ramming a shot in at the near post.

There were 15 minutes to go and after 2 narrow losses to The Hawks already this season, it would have been easy for Prime to crumble - but they did anything but.

There was a renewed vigour about the visitors and Westcott and Abu were getting forward with more regularity and Fleming fizzed another effort over the bar.

Prime had a golden opportunity to win it when Nowak wriggled past his marker in the box, but the home keeper did well to push his dinked effort out for a corner.

Hawkenbury threatened to nick it in the last few minutes as they caught Prime on the break from a corner, but after a cross found one of 2 unmarked players at the back post, Prime were relieved to see him drag his shot wide of the target.

The final whistle sounded soon after and Prime were happy with a deserved point. The home side had at least 60% of the play, but all 11 blue-shirted players put in a fantastic shift and deserved to go home with some reward.

The performance of the whole 11 will make it difficult to make many changes for the trip to face Roselands Reserves next Saturday.