CONSETT earned a good point at the Meadow Park home of third-placed RCA after coming back from an early two-goal deficit. Manager Kenny Lindoe made one change to the side which beat Guisborough seven days earlier, with Dale Burrell coming in for Gavin Ross. RCA were missing their leading scorer, Mark Davison, which meant a start for former Consett striker Glen Robson, but their other ex-Steelman, Andrew Cuthbertson, was unavailable through work commitments.

The home side were out of the traps quickly, and could have been a goal up inside the first minute. Goalkeeper Peter Jameson made a double save from giant striker Andy Jennings and his striker partner Robson, with Ryan Bell completing the clearance. Jennings was proving a real handful, and his knockdown provided the next chance for David Wells, but Jameson was again equal to the task, spreading himself well and saving with his feet.

Dale Burrell pulls a goal back for Consett

The respite was only temporary though, and on 12 minutes RCA took the lead. Jennings was again the provider, crossing to the far post for Joseph Walton to finish from six yards as Consett tried to play offside.

Anthony Lund nets the equaliser

On 15 minutes things got even worse, as David Scorer was adjudged to have brought down Jennings in the area. The linesman’s flag across his chest confirmed Consett’s worse fears, and after skipper Carl Piecha almost talked his way into the referee’s notebook for his protestations, up stepped old boy Robson to take the penalty. He put it straight down the middle as Jameson dived to his right, and though the young goalkeeper got a hand to the ball, he couldn’t keep it out.

Consett had shown little as an attacking force up to this point, other than two Harrison Davies free-kicks from 25 yards which didn’t seriously trouble home keeper Neal Atkinson. But Michael Mackay should have perhaps done better with a first-time effort from 20 yards which he put wide. The visitors gradually played their way back into the game, however, and on 26 minutes Burrell reduced the arrears. He picked up the ball from a short free-kick given for a foul on the lively David Molloy, and fired home into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

The goal galvanised Consett, and it took an excellent challenge by centre-half Carl Beasley to stop Mackay capitalising on an excellent Davies cross. Davies then chose to cross when set free down the left by Piecha, when a shot might have been a better option. Atkinson then pulled off a fine save from Mackay, after he was set up by Davies, and at this stage the visitors were very much in the ascendancy.

Four minutes before half-time, they got the reward their positive response to going behind deserved when they got the equaliser. Burrell started the move, winning the ball in midfield with a great tackle. He drove forward to the edge of the box and slipped the ball inside to Anthony Lund, who finished from 10 yards for his first goal of the season.

Half time: RCA 2-2 Consett

The half-time whistle went with the score at 2-2, and the game delicately poised. The first chance of the second half fell to RCA, with Jameson just getting a hand to midfielder Tom Berj’s low, hard cross across the face of goal. Lund was then within inches of getting on the end of a similar cross from Davies at the other end as the game to-ed and fro-ed.

RCA midfielder Brian Close brought another good save from Jameson, and then his goalkeeper pulled off an even better one from Mackay, whose shot from 12 yards after he was picked out by a suspiciously-offside-looking Matty Slocombe looked a goal all the way.

Atkinson claims a Harrison Davies cross

Beasley got a boot to Slocombe’s front-post cross before Mackay could sweep the ball home, and Jameson was again Consett’s saviour with another double save, sticking out a hand to thwart sub Gary Shields after he got free through the middle, and then using his legs to keep out Berj’s follow-up.

Glen Robson puts RCA two up from the spot

Scorer headed wide at the back-post from a Davies corner, and then Berj put a free header wide as RCA went straight down the other end looking for a winner. In added time, Burrell put a firm 20-yarder straight at Atkinson, and Jameson again kept out Berj as both sides sought a winner.

When the referee blew the final whistle it finished honours-even, which seemed a fair result, though Consett would have been happier with the point than title hopefuls RCA.

Full time: RCA 2-2 Consett

GARY WELFORD