FEW among the 231 who went to Scraley Road for the final game of the 2016/17 Ryman League division north season will forget what turned out to be an incredible feat of escapology for Heybridge Swifts.

Heading into their last fixture of a tough campaign - against Phoenix Sports - Swifts knew they had to win and results elsewhere had to go their way to stand any chance of them staying up.

Having to win on the final day of the season at home against Phoenix was exactly the same situation that Swifts found themselves in last year, but they managed it to fight another day in division north.

It looked a slim hope that lightning would strike twice, though, and one that got considerably slimmer as the game progressed.

Heybridge trailed 2-0 at half-time after goals from Sports' Kweku Ansah and Zak Byron, but Jody Brown's Swifts team clearly don't know when they're beaten.

A comeback of monumental proportions was started in the 49th minute when Lewis Godbold scored their first goal and home hopes were suddenly up when George Cole added a second five minutes later.

Those hopes took a setback in a rollercoaster of action on 65 minutes, though, when Heybridge had Reece Grant sent off and they knew, if they were to succeed, that they'd have to do it the hard way.

But that's precisely what they did and Godbold grabbed his second of the game before they played out the final 11 minutes of their season to take the win they so desperately wanted.

The celebrations had to remain on hold, though, as action was still going on elsewhere, but once news filtered through that Ware had lost 2-0 at VCD Athletic and would take the unwanted spot in the bottom three instead of Swifts, then jubilation could take place unhindered.

Heybridge manager Brown said: "I'm obviously overjoyed with it.

"We knew we'd got ourselves in the situation, but we feel we're a better team than the league table suggests.

"Coming into this game, we had a chance to create a great moment and I think we did.

"I think the crowd thought we were dead and buried at two-nil down at half-time and we'd been nervous in the first half, but that second half was magical.

"The boys revealed their true character in that game and I'm just so pleased for the football club."

Heybridge finished above Ware on goal difference by a single goal.

In other Ryman League division north action, new champions BRIGHTLINGSEA REGENT ended with a 2-2 draw at Cheshunt with goals from Robbie Rees and Billy Hunt.

WITHAM TOWN signed off with a 2-1 win against Waltham Abbey as Scott Kemp and Luke Mallett were on target, but MALDON & TIPTREE will head into the play-offs on the back of a 4-3 defeat at Soham Town Rangers.

The Jammers led 3-2 heading into the final few minutes after seeing Josh Pollard, Kieran Bailey and Sam Newson on target, but goals in the 85th and 88th minutes won it for Soham.