Southampton-based Neil Davis is knocking on the door of a first-team recall after playing a late starring role in Havant & Waterlooville's great escape act against Moor Green on Saturday.

The gifted midfielder has been in and out of favour during a patchy season for the Hawks, but there was no doubting his desire to make the number eight shirt his own again in Saturday's dramatic 3-3 Dr Martens Premier Division draw at Westleigh Park.

With H&W 3-1 down and struggling against the punchy and pacy Moors, they gambled with a double substitution on 70 minutes.

Off came midfielder Timmy Hambley and struggling defender Alec Masson and on went the fresh legs of Davis and experienced rear gunner Shaun Gale.

It was to prove an inspired switch. Just two minutes later, Davis picked out fellow Southampton lad James Taylor with a deep free-kick which the England semi-professional international headed home for his 14th goal of the season.

The congratulatory hugs were barely over when the hungry Hawks homed in for an equaliser - Luke Middleton getting the final touch amid a goalmouth scramble after 'keeper Adam Rachael had failed to hold Bobby Howe's belter.

Even co-manager Mick Jenkins was honest enough to admit the Hawks had played their get- out-of-jail-free card against a Moors side who, hand on heart, should have gone home with a win.

They might still have done so when two-goal dangerman Nathan Lamey broke through again in the 82nd minute, but super-sub Davis denied him with a tenacious saving tackle to preserve Hawks a point.

Jenkins said: "When he's on his game, Neil is a fabulous asset. He's very fit and athletic and his contribution was so important today.

"When you've got fresh legs and enthusiasm like that coming into the game, it's bound to cause the opposition problems.

"Neil's such a quiet, unassuming lad - sometimes you don't even know he's there. But he's got something about him and he really let his feet do the talking today."

Unfortunately for Davis, he was one of the players sacrificed after a poor start to the season in which Hawks looked a shadow of the side that finished a high-flying third last term.

Performances have been much improved of late, but not until Saturday's nail-biting finale did the Westleigh Park boys look capable of extending their unbeaten league run to six matches.

Sorely missing the giant presence of injured co-manager Liam Daish in defence, they fell behind to a 16th-minute glancing header from Lamey and were totally exposed for pace when Jae Martin easily shrugged off Masson to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute.

Hawks' 50th-minute reply had another Southampton architect with ex-Dell boy Dean Blake providing the corner for Christian Hanson to head home.

H&W 'keeper Aaron Kerr blocked well with his legs from Martin to keep out an instant reply, but the Moors were not be denied ten minutes later as Martin's shot crashed down off the woodwork for Lamey to restore their two-goal advantage.

It spoke volumes for Hawks' fighting spirit that they managed to claw back, but Jenkins confessed: "At the start of the game, I'd have said this would have been two points lost, but having seen what happened, it was a point gained. You don't expect to go 3-1 down but, credit to the lads, they got us out of jail and got a point which, possibly, we didn't deserve.

"But I'll settle for that. It keeps our unbeaten run going and that's one defeat in eight now in the league."