Ponteland United Women and South Shields share the points after two very late goals

Games between the two sides are normally close, competitive affairs, often turning on fine margins, this one was one of the classics.

Despite the fact that the middle of February approaches, both sides entered the game with a shortage of league games under their belt, the hosts having played just six league games and the visitors nine.

Ponteland were rocked with news before the game that keeper Deryn Hutchinson had been involved in a car crash en route to the game and, unsurprisingly, was unavailable. Connie Harron would be the makeshift keeper for the day.

Ponteland started the game on the front foot, the loss of Lucy Pettit after 10 minutes to an early injury not disrupting their flow at all.

Isla Maggs nearly broke the deadlock on 15 minutes as she burst into the box from the left and hit a powerful shot over the visiting keeper, but unfortunately it smacked against the crossbar and away to safety.

Just 10 minutes later Maggs hit the woodwork again, Kylie Holmes had pressured a defender into giving the ball away inside the visitors’ box, when it broke to Maggs she went on a mazy dribble to the edge of the six-yard box where she got a shot away under pressure only to see the ball strike the foot of the left hand post.

Harron was largely untroubled in the home goal, although she was called into action to turn one shot from distance over the bar.

Ponteland's new signing, Chloe Adams, on her home debut, came closest to scoring in the first half on 40 minutes when another Maggs effort was blocked by a desperate lunge from a defender and the ball broke to Adams near the penalty spot, she lifted her shot over keeper Anna Yeakey only to see Desiree Rodriguez head the ball off the line and over the bar.

Ponteland started the second half strongly, Maggs hitting the woodwork for a third time only five minutes in when she lobbed Yeakey and the ball skimmed the top of the bar.

Shields rattled Harron’s crossbar with a long-range effort before Ponteland deservedly took the lead around the 60 minute mark, Adams beating the offside trap and as Yeakey closed her down, she slipped a neat right foot finish past her and into the goal.

Despite both sides playing some good football, the game then started getting a bit feisty, with fouls occurring regularly from both sides.

Shields got a deserved equaliser on 83 mintes when a free kick was launched into the home penalty area and although Harron got a punch on it the ball fell nicely for Julie Raffel to score.

Early into stoppage time a red card for Shields’ Annece Legg was followed by one of the Shields coaching staff also getting a red card.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Holmes did brilliantly down the left wing, dispossessing and then beating a defender before putting an inch perfect cross onto the head of Katie Monagahan. She outjumped both a defender and the keeper and guided her header expertly into the visitors’ goal, Ponteland 2-1 up with only seconds to go.

In the dying seconds of the game, Shields forced a corner on their left, Kelsi Hoot took it with her right foot and with great skill she bent the ball into the far corner of the goal directly from the corner, there was no time to restart the game, honours even.

A great game for the neutral, best wishes to Hutchinson following her accident.

Ponteland are at home to Wallsend on Sunday.