Squires Gate 1, Charnock Richard 1, plus North West Counties round-up

Despite taking an early lead, they were pegged back with three minutes of normal time remaining and nine minutes of added time failed to yield a winner.

Charnock started the match brightly with Brad Carsley’s low shot finding Mike Hale’s grasp in the opening 45 seconds.

Nickeas, returning after a hamstring injury, looked hungry on the left wing, flashing a shot past Hale’s right hand post and Lewis Haydock combined with his brother Marcus’ cross, with the former heading to goal but Hale caught at the back post.

The opening goal came from a well worked move on the left. Nickeas found Matthew Westwell with a short ball, and his cross found Jordan Darr who swivelled in the box to send the ball past Hale into the bottom right hand corner.

The home side picked up the pace and started to create chances of their own.

Spencer Bibby heading away a free kick from Riley, and Sope Awe’s cross was met by Saad Mekkaoui-Abouzaid but Bibby was there to clear again.

Westwell linked up with Darr again down the middle, but the latter shot wide.

The second half started in the same fashion the first half ended, with a Darr cross headed down by Carsley to find Lewis Haydock but his attempt was cleared.

Callum Jakovlevs pulled off some fine saves from Jack Iley, as pinball in the Squires Gate box saw Charnock failing to turn the ball home.

Jakovlevs parried Boyd’s effort away as Iley broke from a poor Charnock corner and Jacob Riding’s effort was drilled across goal.

The equaliser came late in the day and from a free kick which was headed past Jakovlevs by ‘Gate captain Josh Westwood.

It cued a frantic last 10 minutes of the game with both goals peppered by shots as the two sides looked for a winner. Closest of which came from Darr as his headed

attempt was tipped over the crossbar by Hale.

Elsewhere in the NWC Premier Division, Burscough swept aside Longridge Town 3-0. Garstang beat Holker Old Boys 3-2 in the First Division North.