Windscale extended their unbeaten run in Wearside League competitions to ten games with a 3-3 draw at Shotton Colliery.
The game was played on an artificial pitch, which was fortunate as it was played in monsoon conditions.
There was a dramatic start with Windscale taking the lead in the 2nd minute through Lewis Jolly but not to be outdone, Shotton equalised three minutes later with a goal from Craig Foster.
Both teams deserved credit for playing some good football despite the atrocious weather.
The visitors were creating the better opportunities and a Reece Fretwell 30-yard effort was held by Niall Frampton, the Shotton keeper.
Ian Studholme in the Windscale goal was called into action on a couple of occasions making commendable stops to prevent Shotton from scoring.
Windscale thought they had taken the lead approaching the half hour mark when they had the ball in the net but the goal was chalked off by the intervention of the assistant referee’s flag being raised for offside.
Neither team were able to add to their tally and the half time whistle arrived with the score locked at 1-1.
Shotton started the second period the better and Windscale were again indebted to Studholme in the 49th minute making a save when a certain goal looked to be the outcome from a Shotton raid.
It was the visitors who came nearest to adding to their total when a volley from Sam Thompson missed the target by the narrowest of margins. However, Thompson was not to be outdone, when in the 57 minute a header from Kieran Fraser struck the post and he was on hand to knock in the rebound, for 2-1 to the Atoms.
With 20 minutes remaining, Shotton brought the scores level when Tom Goundrey grabbed himself a goal. It was the home team who then took the lead for the first time in the match, when a shot from Peter Crawford was deflected into the bottom corner for Shotton’s third goal.
It would have been an injustice to Windscale if this had decided the outcome. However, it was Thompson again, who in the 75th minute volleyed the ball past a stranded Frampton in the Shotton goal to bring the scores level for a third time, giving Windscale a well-deserved point.
Following an indifferent start to the campaign Windscale have got their act together and are going well.
