Darwen 1 Warrington Town 1

A LAST-MINUTE equaliser from player-boss Steve Wilkes put a huge dent in Warrington's promotion plans and sparked angry scenes at The Anchor.

With just seconds remaining Paul Curley's free kick struck the Warrington bar and in a frantic scramble Wilkes fired home after his initial shot had been blocked. A linesman's flag threatened to rule the effort out but the referee over-ruled the decision despite furious protests from visiting players and coaching staff.

Town themselves had taken the lead in controversial circumstances just five minutes from time. The influential Paul Kelly burst into the box after and went down under a challenge from Wilkes despite there being little contact, leaving dangerman Damian Whitehead to tuck away the penalty.

Earlier, both sides had chances to seize the initiative in an even first half, keeper Lee Purvis making several great saves.

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