A late Kerim Alan goal - his first for the club - salvaged a draw for Cheadle Town in a game that ultimately had just about everything.

With just four minutes left on the clock Kerim was the quickest to react, smashing home from a tight angle after the Ashton 'keeper had palmed away a Ben Roberts free-kick. That goal came towards the tail end of a manic last 20 minutes...but more of that later.

Up until that point this game was panning out to be a classic "game of two halves"; Ashton Town claiming the first-half on points, Cheadle Town the second.

Ashton carved themselves enough chances to be out-of-sight by half-time. After just 8 minutes a free header was glanced wide, a close-range shot blasted over the bar on 13 minutes and another free header planted straight into O'Keefe's hands ten minutes later. They finally made their pressure tell just after the half-hour mark: after Cheadle surrendered possession in their own half and failed to clear their lines, a ball was poked through for an Ashton striker to just beat Keefo to the ball and stab home.

We were putting together some good approach play but not doing much with it, with an Arron Riley header flying just over the bar on 42 minutes being our only chance of worth of note.

Second half, different Cheadle. Now playing down the Edge Green Street slope we went right at Ashton from the off. Just five minutes into the restart we should have had a penalty and four minutes later Johnny Hussain and Arron Riley tested the 'keeper with consecutive, decent long-range efforts.

With 20 minutes to go, the match went completely bonkers.

Ashton almost delivered a sucker punch but had a goal-bound effort cleared off the line and O'Keefe excellently blocking the point-blank effort from the rebound. Then, straight down the other end, Kerim Alan was put clean through but somehow dragged his shot wide.

Paul McCormack tested the Ashton keeper with a long range effort a minute later and Kerim Alan squandered another great opportunity when put through a minute after that. Straight back up the other end, Ashton then wasted a clear chance to make it 2-0 and wrap the game up.

I haven't finished yet. Adam Roberts was then sent off for his second bookable offence, Kerim Alan put us level, Ashton had a goal disallowed, Ashton then had a man sent off, then Neil Logan got sent off, Andy Lindon put a free header just wide, then we had a goal disallowed then....oh then....Pat O'Brien had all the time in the world to definitely wrap it up but somehow put his shot over the bar from 6 yards out.

If you're thinking all that was missing was a dog on the pitch, well, we had one of those and all.

A point was the least we deserved today and really we should have won it based on the chances we created in the second half. However, I can't finish off without mentioning the fact that this was a decent match ruined by a poor referee; I'm sure any readers from Ashton Town will agree with me on that one.....

TEAM: O'Keefe, Hall, B Roberts, Logan, A Roberts, Hussain (Lindon), Riley, McCormack, Alan (Clarke), O'Brien, Willans. Subs: Lindon, Clarke