Without a game the previous weekend due to the Mail Cup game being postponed, the lads were well fired up for this highly important League fixture. The home side, having beaten fellow challengers Ship Inn the previous week, hold championship aspirations of their own, so the spirit in the changing rooms was boistrous, but also a bit edgy.

The manager was missing only Reay and Mann from the squad, so a team of Green, Hocking, Melson, Painter, Reynolds; Griffith, Ditchfield, Thomas, Caswell; Musgrave and Johnson was picked, with Brazier himself partnering Miller, Brighton, Howell, Sandbach and Hollinger on the line. The game ebbed and flowed for the first twenty minutes, with both teams having chances.

Then Johnson got into the action. A through ball of beauty was threaded by Thomas and Johnson latched onto it, before beating the keeper from 10 yards for 1-0. Hopes that this lead could be built upon were dashed when a crisp shot from the edge of the box drew the home side level. Ten minutes later Blues captain Steve 'The Hose' Painter painfully spannered the ball into his own onion bag for 2-1. 

The ISA immediately went up the other end and Scott Ditchfield (who along with Johnson must be the best 2 players in section D?) beat three men before forcing a great save out of the goalkeeper. Up steps Musgrave to smash in the rebound. 2-2 at half time, and a great game.

The second half carried on in the same vein. The Tattenhall centre forward went clear to put his side ahead at 3-2, before a lunge on Johnson earned the Blues a penalty. Enter Kevin Thomas, who drilled the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net for 3-3. Tense does not come into it.

A fine move involving Musgrave and Johnson then produced what, it was hoped, was the winner. A clever ball from Musgrave releasing Johnson, whose precision finish under the home keeper agonisingly crept in to the delight of the visiting line. 4-3 with eight minutes to go. Cue the award of a contentious corner. Over the heads of everyone on the near post, it took Dave Melson to win the point for the 'Hall with a headed own goal.

There was still time for Ditchfield to graze the bar with a 16 yard lob in the last minute, but 4-4 it was to remain. A fair result with hindsight, and one that will serve the visitors better than the home side, but you cant help but feel that really it should have been 2 points. Never mind, our unbeaten run now stretches back to September, and we have a week off League duties next week, giving the Ship the chance to go top. Good luck to them. Keep it warm till the end of the season boys!