Steeton defensively awful but draw with AFC Blackpool

On the back of a 93rd minute winner against Garstang and a 94th minute equaliser against Bacup in the two games prior, it was this time a 90th minute leveller to secure a point.

That meant, despite having surrendering a two-goal lead earlier in the game, manager Roy Mason was upbeat as his side continued their turnaround in form since the Droylsden defeat a fortnight previous.

It also marked the third consecutive North West Counties Football League First Division North game in which Josh Coe was the scorer of the injury time goal, as he continued his recent run of super sub appearances.

Josh Coe grabs the ball out of the net after his late equaliser, but there was no time left for a winner. (Image: Ian Meachin.)

On another pulsating afternoon at Marley, the Chevvies drew first blood inside the opening two minutes.

A quick free kick was flicked wide to the left channel by Josh Debenham.

Alex Stewart took control and drove forward down the wing before cutting in to the area and coolly placing the ball inside the near post to break the deadlock.

Continuing to push forward, the men in green were causing their opposition all sorts of problems at the back.

And they doubled their lead through a moment of individual brilliance by the captain, Arley Barnes.

Making an overlapping run down the right channel, Barnes saw his initial delivery blocked.

The ball fell back onto his right foot and he showed his experience to notice a gap inside the post to execute a lovely, angled volley into the back of the net.

Moments later it should have been three after Barnes again exploited the overlap, but two heroic blocks denied first Stewart and then Jacob Smith.

The game though completely flipped on its head, with the Chevrons proving the creators of their own downfall by gifting Blackpool all three of their goals.

The first came in the 25th minute, an attempted clearance from Dan Illingworth wrongfooted team-mate Alfie Gibbon and allowed Luke Noble in behind to smash the ball beneath debutant keeper Harvey Kelly.

Still holding on to a one-goal lead heading into the break, the opening 15 minutes of the second half proved calamitous for the home side.

Just seconds after the restart, Illingworth’s header back towards Kelly was cut out by Luke Hepple, who put the ball to the right of the onrushing keeper to level up the scores.

And the goal to give the Mechanics the lead left Mason furious on the sidelines.

A miscommunication at the back between Kelly and his defence left the ball free in the box, allowing Nick Hepple to follow his brother's lead, as he took possession and put the ball into an empty net.

Now chasing the game, Steeton began to create chances once more, but found themselves frustrated as Blackpool keeper Josh Wood made a string of outstanding saves to keep his side's lead intact.

The visitors also had a chance to kill the game off with five minutes left on the clock but were denied by a heroic block.

Then, in the final minute of normal time, parity and a point were restored.

On the back of some flowing football to work the ball forward, Harvey Green saw his strike denied by a Blackpool defender.

But the referee ruled the block was with the hand and pointed to the spot.

And in a carbon copy of last Tuesday, Coe stepped up to fire the penalty into the bottom corner for his side.