Scarborough Athletic denied all three points by last-gasp leveller for Nantwich

Scarborough Athletic departed Nantwich Town on Saturday with a battling 1-1 draw, though they will have been filled with frustration as the hosts levelled in the final few minutes.
Boro reportBoro report
Boro report

Boosted by a handful of returning faces, Boro made two changes due to injuries, with Dave Merris and James Cadman both taking their place in the starting 11.

And, despite the lengthy journey west, it was Boro who took the early lead when Luke Lofts took advantage of some poor home defending and drilled past a statuesque Will Jaaskelainen.

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After that boiling point, the game soon settled to a simmer, though Tommy Taylor twice had to charge from his line to extinguish any danger.

Nantwich spent the rest of the opening period relying on the pace of wideman Joe Mwasile and firing in efforts from distance, all of which shuddered the hoardings behind the goal.

Boro looked to hit on the counter and they did look to have found more joy just before the half-time whistle, but James Walshaw was flagged offside just second before beating Jaaskelainen.

Parity was almost restored just seconds into the new half when Nantwich full-back Jamie Morgan streaked clear, but fluffed his lines with a sliced strike that sailed wide of goal.

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Despite having little to do in the first 45 minutes, Taylor showed he was on his toes when he produced an amazing one-handed save after Joe Malkin hooked an over-head kick at goal.

Boro continued to hang on as Nantwich continued to fill the box and threaten with well-delivered crosses.

Boss Steve Kittrick looked to combat this by bringing on the experienced head of Kev Burgess and switching to a 3-5-2.

And this change reaped immediate rewards as Burgess make a superb saving tackle on Morgan, who was poised to pull the trigger just yards from the Boro goal.

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With Boro firmly under the cosh, Nantwich upped their search for equilibrium by throwing on striker Ricardo Fuller, a player who boasts a large number of Premier League goals on his CV.

This pressure eventually told with three minutes remaining when a soft free-kick was conceded on the edge of the box.

Matt Bell stepped up, lifted the ball over the wall and into the top corner, giving Taylor no chance.

After this blow, there was a late boost for Boro, as Joel Stair was given a straight red card for a very naughty challenge on Wayne Brooksby.

But the whistle was blown seconds later and the points were shared.