Steeton 1 Littletown 1

STEETON had to wait until the 90th minute to grab a share of the points that was the least their dominance deserved.

Following the great cup win over Lepton, Michael Rhodes and Tim Hird returned to the side with Steve Pearson and Joe Mason both unavailable.

The visitors got off to a great start when Kyle Fox upended Joe Jagger on the edge of the box and he dusted himself down and fired home an unstoppable free-kick that Wayne Mahomet had no chance with.

The home side came more into the game as Lee Thompson’s lob over the advancing keeper went just the wrong side of the post.

At the other end Sam Rooke did well to get a block in as Jagger bore down on goal again. Andy Holden fired a free-kick over after Andy Briggs had been felled on the edge of the box.

The second half saw Steeton start in a more positive mood and had a much better shape about them. They penned Littletown in their own half for long periods. Briggs had a shot saved and Tim Hird dragged a long-range effort just wide.

Alistair Morgan made a break down the left and his cross just eluded Declan Consoli at the far post. Steeton then made a couple of changes as they looked to get things going. Elliot Scott came on for his debut and Casey Dowthwaite was also introduced.

Dowthwaite’s first touch was a deft header that teed up Lee Reilly, but his effort lacked the required power and was cleared off the line.

A goalmouth scramble then resulted in Thompson blasting over and it looked as if it wasn’t going to be Steeton’s day. That looked even more so when Holden found himself one-on-one but fired the ball into the keeper’s hands.

With ten minutes remaining Steeton threw caution to the wind and threw on 16-year-old Ben Clarkson. He almost had an immediate impact as he got in front of his marker at a corner but his header was superbly saved by the keeper.

As injury-time loomed Steeton won another corner and, from the loose ball, Michael Rhodes volleyed home from the edge of the six-yard box for a richly-deserved point.

Things almost got better in stoppage time when Sam Rooke burst into the box but a last-minute challenge denied him.

Steeton manager Roy Mason was pleased with the second half showing but critical of the first 45 minutes.

He said: “I felt we lost our discipline in the first half and we didn’t follow the game plan. Too many players were waiting for others to make things happen rather than force the issue and take responsibility themselves.

"On another day we would have won the game quite convincingly as the chances we created would normally be enough to win a game.

"It was pleasing that the substitute changes we made were all positive and the three lads who came on gave us a bit more energy."

Steeton travel to Tyersal on Saturday (2.30pm).

Steeton: Mahomet, Rhodes, Morgan (Scott), K Fox, Rooke, Hird (Clarkson), Holden, Thompson, Reilly, Briggs (Dowthwaite), Consoli,