STEETON will be wondering if their goalkeeper shirt is cursed after Fletcher Paley became the latest to get injured in their 1-1 draw at home to Daisy Hill on Saturday.

Paley, making his return to the Chevrons after a period away from the game, looked as though he had never been away in a confident performance between the sticks that saw him beaten only by a moment of magic from Thomas Brown shortly after the interval.

But despite a nasty collision with a visiting forward seeing the keeper carried from the pitch with 15 minutes remaining, full-back Max Fenton was a suitable stand-in, with Andy Briggs’ first-half strike enough to see the hosts claim a much-needed point in the NWCFL First Division North.

Steeton fired their first warning shot when Luke Baldwin’s free-kick struck the upright in the third minute, and that set the tone for a one-sided opening 15 minutes.

Toby Jeffrey and Ben Darkins also saw efforts go wide of the post and be palmed away by Morgan Newns respectively, but the hosts could not find an early breakthrough.

Bruno De Almeida Severino latched onto Newns’ goal-kick before firing into the side netting as Daisy Hill began to find their feet in the wet and windy conditions, but it was the hosts who would take the lead with 28 minutes on the clock after a flowing team move.

Receiving the ball down the right, Jeffrey delivered a defence-splitting pass to Briggs on the edge of the box, with the prolific forward evading Lee Hill’s tackle to fire a low strike across goal and in off the far post.

Kayle Price came close to doubling Steeton’s lead after beating Newns to a loose ball minutes later, but the wind spared the visitors’ blushes as the weather began to get the better of both sides.

The Chevrons started the second half as they had the first, and if not for a bad connection from Briggs, would have extended their advantage from a well-worked free-kick from the kick-off.

But it was instead the visitors who would find an unlikely equaliser in the 53rd minute against the run of play.

Given time and space to run forward, Brown unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike that curled past Paley and into the top left corner to level the scores.

Steeton looked to reply immediately and almost got their noses back in front with a stunner of their own when Price let fly from 30 yards, but Newns was equal to it with an outstanding diving save to his left.

Daisy Hill could count themselves lucky to finish the match with all their players still on the field after Mo Farhan Subhani was cleaned out by a two-footed tackle with 20 minutes to go, and more bad luck befell the hosts soon after when Paley was caught late and left unable to continue.

Defender Fenton volunteered his services between the sticks for the final quarter of an hour and had little to do, with Briggs’ disallowed strike the closest either team came to a winner.

The Chevrons will be hoping their goalkeeper troubles are resolved when they face local rivals Ilkley Town at Marley on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), in their first-ever match dedicated to mental health in conjunction with It’s Worth Talking About.

Steeton are just four points above the drop zone heading into that game, with Ilkley only two points clear.