STEETON returned to winning ways on Saturday, coming from behind late on to defeat Ashton Athletic 2-1 at Marley.

Falling behind early in the contest, it appeared another afternoon of frustration in front of goal was going to be the downfall of Roy Mason’s side.

However, two goals in the space of eight minutes turned the game on its head and made sure the three points remained at home with the Chevvies.

Despite a positive start in this North West Counties Football League First Division North clash, Steeton gifted their visitors the opening goal of the match.

Harry Stead, on debut, played a short pass out to Josh Kaine, but the Chevrons skipper turned and played the ball straight to the feet of Athletic forward Josh Nicholson.

Nicholson then drove forward, took a touch inside the covering Josh Walne, before firing inside the near post to break the deadlock.

Now a goal down, Steeton needed a response but the closest they came to finding an equaliser in the first half was a free header that drifted agonisingly wide by Walne from a Jake Townsend delivery.

And if not for Stead in goal, it could have been a bigger deficit at the break.

The debutant keeper made a superb stop to prevent a certain goal from Sullivan Barker moments before Jack Smith dragged his effort across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

As temperatures continued to sizzle, Steeton turned up the heat in the second half as they looked for their way back into the arm wrestle, but while they created a number of chances, none were finding the back of the net.

Jordan Townend came close with an effort from range before Ashton squandered a glorious chance to double their lead as Smith opted to square the ball despite having an open net in front of him.

Stead made a further two outstanding saves from range to deny the visitors as well.

Looking to unlock the Athletic defence, Mason introduced Louis Fialdini and Luke Baldwin from the bench, while also moving Toby Jeffrey forward into a more attacking position.

However, it was the unlikely source of centre-back Kaine who turned the game on its head.

But first, the visitors survived the first of two penalty appeals as the referee ruled that Jez Milambo had been tackled fairly despite being lifted from the ground and off the pitch.

Kaine then came to the forefront of the afternoon’s action, as he drifted out wide to the left wing and pushing forward to the byline on an overlap.

He whipped a superb cross in towards the penalty spot where Josh McKiernon lost his marker to flick the ball with his head across the face of goal and inside the far post.

Steeton’s tails were up and they almost immediately took the lead from the restart as Jeffrey saw his strike blocked.

The second penalty appeal soon followed as an Athletic man held Fialdini back by pulling his shirt, but the referee waved the shouts away.

Fialdini in turn responded with the winning goal.

Kaine again drove forward from the back, taking the ball from Milambo on the overlap.

The centre half then produced a Cruyff turn to get around his opposite number and his delivery was met by the head of Fialdini to spark wild celebrations from all those in green and white.

Milambo entered the book in the dying moments as he earned a tactical yellow, but Steeton held on to pick up the win.