Radcliffe Borough 2 Lincoln United 2

RADCLIFFE were desperate to get this match played, but they were suffering even more after Lincoln snatched a point right at the death.

Heavy rain that didn't start falling until just before tea-time, looked to have put the game in jeopardy, and when referee Whitby arrived from Wallasey he ruled that, in his opinion, the pitch was unplayable.

However, because of Radcliffe and the League's eagerness to get the fixture out of the way, he left it to both teams to decide whether they wanted to play or not.

Having travelled since mid-afternoon from Lincoln, it was no surprise when the vistors agreed that the game should go ahead.

What was remarkable was that the pitch played remarkably well, despite the amount of surface water on it, although the conditions did contribute to one of Lincoln's late goals.

Boro started without striker Lee Kissock, who was laid low by illness, and with Simon Kelly taking an unfamiliar seat on the bench.

Kelly didn't stay there long however, as an injury to David Bean saw him enter the action as early as the 15th minute.

Two minutes later, Neill Hardy made his presence felt after missing Boro's last game with an ankle injury.

The club's leading scorer, who has been enjoying a trial with Football League neighbours Bury, saw a header cleared off the line.

That wasn't to be the last we saw of the in-form striker as it was his pass that set skipper Mark Dempsey up for a 27th minute shot that was deflected into his own net by the head of diving Lincoln defender, Ben Brown.

Eight minutes later a great ball from Eamon Kelly put Hardy in and he went round Lincoln keeper Simon Daniels, only to have his shot blocked.

Two minutes before the break he did it again, but this time dragged the ball a little too wide as he looked to apply the finishing touch, giving Daniels time to recover and save his eventual shot. So Lincoln were decidedly lucky to go in at half-time only trailing by that solitary goal. And although Boro dominated again after the break, it wasn't until the 70th minute that veteran striker Mark Carter had a shot saved by Daniels.

Two minutes later Carter made no mistake when he finished with a smart shot from the left to put Boro 2-0 up and, seemingly, well in control.

That pattern didn't alter right up to the minute when Lincoln were gifted a route back into the game. Hardy had just had a header saved by Daniels when play switched to the other end and Boro tried one back-pass too many on the heavy pitch.

The ball stuck in the mud and Lincoln substitute Danny Hargreaves nipped in to chip the ball over Boro keeper Danny Hurst.

The goal spurred Lincoln into a desperate late bid to salvage something from the game and it paid off in stoppage time as Paul Tomlinson had a header blocked on the line before Simon Bird scrambled the ball home following a goalmouth melee.

Lincoln's joy was only matched by Boro's bitterness, but they only had themselves to blame after throwing it away when so close to what should have been a comfortable victory.

RADCLIFFE BOROUGH: Hurst 6, Battersby 6, Whealing 6, G Wilson 6, Bean 6, Dempsey 6, Walker 6, E Kelly 7, Carter 7, Hardy 7, Price 6. Substitutes: S Wilson (for Dempsey, 45 mins) 6, S Kelly (for Bean, 15 mins) 6, Collins (for E Kelly, 60 mins) 5. Referee: Mr D Whitby (Wallasey). Attendance: 103.