KAYLE Price’s second-half brace helped Steeton come from a goal down to record a crucial 2-1 win at AFC Blackpool on Saturday and secure their NWCFL First Division North status for another season.

The Chevrons made the worst possible start when captain Jerry White headed into his own net with just 34 seconds on the clock, but after surviving an onslaught during the opening quarter of an hour, they began to find their feet and grew into the game.

Price fired the equaliser under Dan Hall within minutes of the restart, setting the tone for Steeton to deliver a composed second-half performance, before the young striker capitalised on a goalkeeping error at the death to wrap up a fantastic three points for the men in green.

For the second consecutive week, Roy Mason was left needing to make a late change to the starting eleven when Cain Tailford was injured in the warm-up, with teenage forward Ethan Hudson-Parker handed his debut after joining from Guiseley’s academy.

However, any chance of a rare clean sheet for the visitors evaporated inside the game’s first minute.

From the kick-off, a long ball was sent forward from the Blackpool defence, with a mix-up between White and the backpedalling Cam Perron gifting the hosts the simplest of goals to open the scoring.

The early goal shocked the Chevrons’ defence, with further mistakes at the back seeing both Ryan Winder and Ben Duffield shoot narrowly wide, before Perron was out quickly to clear a teasing Jacob Gregory cross.

Blackpool continued to dominate the opening exchanges, but Steeton began to find their feet, Price forcing Hall into a smart stop down the right, while Hudson-Parker almost met a through ball into the box.

Duffield couldn’t divert a header on target to extend the Mechanics’ lead as the half wore to a close but it was the visitors who had the best opportunity to level the scores in added time.

After being played in on the edge of the box, Toby Jeffrey saw his strike come back off the underside of the crossbar and bounce off the line, but Price could only fire the rebound agonisingly wide of the post.

Steeton started the second half with the same intensity that they had finished the first, and they had their reward just four minutes later.

Price latched onto a long ball from the back before driving down the right-wing and crashing an angled drive under Hall for his 26th goal of a prolific season.

With 58 minutes gone, Blackpool introduced Billy McKenna and John-Jo Morris, the latter scoring twice in the reverse fixture in August, into the attack, with the pair linking up to force Perron into a fantastic diving save shortly after.

However, the hosts still looked the more likely to score, Hudson-Parker and Luke Baldwin seeing efforts saved by Hall before a crucial block denied Jeffrey from range.

Baldwin’s low free-kick almost deceived the Blackpool stopper with 10 minutes remaining before Jack Lynn saw his goal-bound effort blocked by Ryan McLean, while at the other end, a dangerous set-piece was cleared for a Steeton goal kick.

But the Chevrons refused to give up hope against their playoff-chasing opponents, with Price completing the turnaround in the final few minutes.

Jeffrey sent a long ball forward from midfield towards the Mechanics’ goalkeeper, but he missed his kick, allowing the onrushing Price to collect the ball before finishing into an empty net.

Hearts were in mouths when the hosts were awarded a dangerous free-kick in the dying seconds, but the wall did its job, and Steeton were rewarded with the points that in truth, their efforts deserved.

That result confirms the visitors’ place in the NWCFL for a fifth successive season, ahead of the visit of Chadderton to Marley on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).