Northern Alliance Under-19 League: Eccleshill 2 Steeton 2

On a bitterly cold Monday night, the referee said the pitch was fit to play despite the concerns of a few people.

Steeton took control of the first 20 minutes, winning the physical battle and creating a few chances but without success. Against the run of play, Eccleshill grabbed the first goal.

This rallied Steeton and a great run from Toby Jeffrey saw him whip the ball into the box for Ben Clarkson to get a foot onto it to level things up.

Five minutes later there was a similar move, with Jeffrey again crossing into the box for Clarkson to challenge the keeper. The deflection fell in the striker's favour and he tapped it in to make it 2-1 at half-time.

As the second half progressed it seemed that Steeton hadn't left the changing room, with the 45-day break since their last game beginning to show.

This let Eccleshill into the game and they started to create a few chances. Some comfortable saves by George Tidwell and great sweeping by Darragh Davy Burke kept the home side at bay.

But Eccleshill's equaliser came from a clearance header which fell to a midfielder, who struck a great volley into the top corner.

Steeton tried to get the winner with some good play by Will Kaye and Freddie Binns but with no luck.

The lads are continuing to improve, with three of the under-19 players featuring for the first team in Saturday's win over Route One Rovers.