STEETON claimed their first point of the 2021/22 North West Counties First Division North season in a pulsating 3-3 draw against newcomers South Liverpool at a rainy Marley Stadium on Saturday.

Alex Preston’s long-range strike gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half time, before Luke Gorman and an Oliver Hough stunner saw the visitors hit back at the start of an action-packed second half.

Substitute Andy Briggs and Kayle Price then restored the Chevrons’ lead with ten minutes remaining, but Jack Ward’s last-gasp equaliser ensured the spoils were shared.

The visitors started well, coming close to taking the lead inside three minutes after attempting to catch George Bristol off his line with a lob from 45 yards, only for the ball to bounce narrowly wide.

Steeton then began to settle into the game and with a quarter of an hour gone, they thought they had taken the lead.

Ben Wignall found space between the two centre halves to latch onto Price’s cross, but his header hit the post.

The game then began to open up, with both sides creating chances but lacking quality in the final third.

In the end, it was the Chevrons who broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.

Jake Townsend’s shot cannoned off a defender before falling at the feet of Preston on the edge of the box, the midfielder arrowing a pinpoint finish across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

The visitors came out of the blocks firing in the second half and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 48th minute, a misplaced pass allowing Gorman in behind the Steeton defence to coolly finish past Bristol.

The hosts came inches away from retaking the lead from the restart, Townsend and Baldwin combining to set up Wignall, who fired agonisingly wide of the far post.

Steeton continued to pile pressure on the South Liverpool goal but found themselves vulnerable to the counter, and against the run of play, the visitors found themselves in front.

A ball down the line found Hough, who turned Callan Parker-Wells before rifling an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

The introduction of Tyler Marsh and Briggs with 15 minutes remaining saw Steeton change to a 3-4-3 formation and begin to dominate.

After winning a free-kick 25 yards out, Wignall’s flick-on found Briggs at the far post, the substitute levelling the scores at 2-2 with his first touch.

Minutes later, the hosts restored their lead. Townsend forced the South Liverpool midfield into a mistake before carrying the ball downfield, with Price finding himself free on the penalty spot to power a header past Fairbrother.

The Chevrons had two excellent chances to put the game to bed, Price denied by some outstanding defending from Andrew Lloyd before substitute McKenzie Borek headed narrowly over the bar.

South Liverpool began to throw everything at the match in search of an equaliser, with Mo Farhan Subhani, Jerry White, and Bristol equal to anything that came their way.

But it was late heartbreak for the hosts, a long ball forward catching out the Steeton defence and allowing substitute Ward to score in the third minute of injury time to ensure the game ended level.

The Chevrons are next in action against high-flying Golcar United at Marley on Saturday (3pm kick-off).