Cheadle Town 3-3 Darwen

In a contest that had everything bar the kitchen sink, Cheadle were robbed of a home win with the last kick of the match.

As well as finding themselves with just one point instead of three, Cheadle finished the match with three red cards. The first unfortunate soul was Brad Brokenbrow who didn't take too kindly to an obvious Cheadle throw-in not being awarded (which it was because I was right in front of it at the time!) and thus collected his second yellow. Johnny Hussain was the second to go for also collecting his second yellow and Ben Roberts joined the threesome after the final whistle had actually gone!

That apart, this was a pulsating contest. Cheadle should have been out of sight within the first quarter of an hour but had to settle for just the one goal for their efforts in this opening period: Johnny Hussain gathering the ball and threading it through to Carl Buchanan who delicately lobbed the oncoming 'keeper.

On either side of this 10th minute goal were the chances that Cheadle should have put away. Arron Riley planted a free header wide in the opening minute, Ben Roberts' side-footed just wide after going on a solo run a minute after Carl's opener and Arron blasted wide on the quarter-hour mark.

The final five minutes of the first-half was witness to Cheadle going from "coasting" to "square one". Carl Buchanan slotted home for his second of the match after being put through by Andy Lindon on the 40th minute but then saw his double wiped out. A free-kick from the Darwen let was side-footed home at the near post on 43 minutes with an almost carbon-copy goal for their equaliser on the stroke of half-time. In between their two goals an Arron Riley header was cleared off the line.

With their tails up, Darwen dominated the early stages of the second half and had their opportunities to put this match to rest. Various crosses from the wings were finding Darwen forwards who were - luckily for Cheadle - rather wasteful; the worst offender was the player who scooped over the crossbar from a yard out on the 78th minute when it looked easier to score.

Roundabout that point Cheadle were starting to find their way again, with Carl Buchanan leading the charge. His mazy run and shot that cannoned off the crossbar on the 73rd minute seemed to jolt Cheadle back into life.

With ten minutes remaining, Cheadle were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box which Ben Roberts dispatched with a curling left-footer for his first goal of the season (pictured above). And that should have been it....

...but it wasn't. Whether it will haunt Carl Buchanan for the rest of his life is another matter, but when he rounded the 'keeper in the last minute of normal time and side-netted his chance of giving himself the hat-trick he thoroughly deserved, Cheadle's chance of wrapping up the match went with it. Deep into injury time and with Cheadle now down to nine men, Darwen blasted home a free-kick with what turned out to be the last kick of the match.

If I've said it once, I've said it until I'm blue in the face: there's never a dull moment watching us lot....

Photos from the day can be seen by clicking here

TEAM: Moores, Clarke, B Roberts, Logan, Fellows, Cotterill, Riley, Hussain, Lindon, Buchanan, Brokenbrow. Subs: Bennett