RADCLIFFE BOROUGH 3 CHORLEY 2

By STEVE BOTT

MARK DEMPSEY can truly be crowned Radcliffe Borough's ton-up king after this thrilling victory.

Dempsey made his 100th appearance in a Boro shirt when he came on as a 66th minute substitute for Eamon Kelly -- and he had even more reason to celebrate 15 minutes later when he pulled Boro level at 2-2 from the penalty spot.

The game took an even more dramatic turn four minutes from the end when Simon Carden snatched victory from the jaws of what, at one time, appeared to be certain defeat for Boro.

Chorley centre back Steve Hook made a terrible hash of a goal kick on the left-hand side of the six-yard box. He kicked the ball straight out to Carden, some 30 yards out to the right of the danger area.

Supported by two other Boro players, Carden ran at the advancing, but hopelessly exposed Hook before jinking to his right and firing in a shot off the hapless defender's leg that left Chorley keeper Simon Marsh rooted to the spot.

It was the first time Boro had beaten Chorley in at least 17 years and the game seemed to be following the same pattern after Chorley took the lead two minutes into the second half.

Dave Collins put Boro ahead after just five minutes, only for them to conceded a sloppy goal two minutes before the break when Matt Swailes equalised.

Things went from bad to worse when David Bean was adjudged to have brought down Danny Hills in the penalty box two minutes into the second half and Hills picked himself up, dusted himself down and blasted the spot kick past Stuart Campbell in the Boro goal.

Chorley were well on top at this tage and looked likely to increase their lead. But Boro held out and hit back in devastating fashion with those two goals in a five-minute spell in the last nine minutes.

First Dempsey grabbed his glory goal after Ian Leather was penalised for handball as he challenged Ian Lunt for a ball in the box.

Then came Carden's clincher that sent the home fans in an encouraging 200-plus crowd into raptures.

Boro boss Kevin Glendon said later: "I was really pleased. We showed a lot of character and played some of our best football of the season so far.

"I thought we were magnificent in the first half, then we gave a sloppy goal away just before half-time. Then they got a penalty, which I didn't think was a penalty to be fair, but it was a fantastic way to end the game the way we played and won it."

Emergency keeper Campbell played again, but stomach bug victim Danny Hurst is expected to be fit for tonight's trip to Witton Albion.

"My thanks go out to the manager of Highfield for letting us have Stuart for that short spell. He has done really well for us," added Glendon.

RADCLIFFE BOROUGH: Campbell 6; Battersby 6, Whealing 6, S Kelly 6, Bean 6 , Wilson 7, Lunt 7, Carden 7, E Kelly 6, Collins 6, Price 6. Substitutes: Dempsey (for E Kelly, 66 minutes) 7, Headley (for Collins, 69) 6. Not used: Callaghan.