STEETON fell at the first hurdle in the relaunched NWCFL First Division Challenge Cup with a heartbreaking loss to local rivals Ilkley Town.

The game, switched to Marley following flooding at Ilkley’s home ground, appeared to be ending with Roy Mason’s side grinding out a 1-0 victory.

However, the visitors scored a 93rd minute equaliser before knocking the Chevrons out on penalties.

In what is becoming a story of Steeton’s season, a dominant first half performance that saw plenty of chances created was not turned into a flurry of goals.

Early chances for Mo Farhan Subhani and debutant Jordan Townend were blocked, with Andy Briggs seeing his header from a Ben Darkins cross drift agonisingly wide.

Briggs did get his goal soon after, the 20th of a productive season for the long-serving striker, as he flicked the ball home on the back of superb work from Kayle Price to get down the Ilkley right side and put a cross into the area.

The home side kept coming at their opponents, but a second goal narrowly evaded them, as the ball came off an Ilkley leg from a Marshall Getty delivery to prevent it reaching both Price and Subhani as they raced into the area.

A Price header went narrowly wide before Getty saw a strike just before half-time hit the side netting.

The second half saw Ilkley come back into the game and eventually claim their well-deserved equaliser at the death.

However, this was only after Callum Buttle nearly marked his Steeton debut with a freak goal, as the wind caught his cross and forced a great save from Town goalkeeper Thomas Bramley.

The equaliser in truth should have come a lot sooner, as the visitors first forced a superb save from Cameron Perron after finding a free header inside the area.

From the resulting corner, the wind again got involved to carry the ball over Perron.

With the ball dipping under the bar, an Ilkley head incredibly managed to turn the delivery over the bar for a goal kick, when it was going into the net without that touch.

Steeton tried to run the clock down as the game entered injury time, but that tactic proved to be in vain as Town found the leveller.

As they worked the ball into the box, Kevin Gonzalez was denied by first an unbelievable low save from Perron, before seeing his subsequent efforts thwarted by two superb last-ditch blocks from Subhani and Jerry White.

But the bounce of the ball fell Ilkley’s way, and substitute Charlie George fired home to take the game to penalties.

From there, Ilkley’s debutant keeper Bramley proved the hero of the hour, as he saved from both Briggs and Cain Tailford to seal his side’s progression into the second round.