Workington Reds were hard done by when Lancaster City grabbed a 94th minute equaliser at Borough Park last night.
Nico Evangelinos fired the Dolly Blues level with Workington claiming an offside when no flag had been raised.
Referee Scott Henry spent some time talking to his assistant before confirming the goal yet even Lancaster players admitted afterwards there had been an offside.
City had come up with a 95th minute winner on Saturday and this time their late goal earned them a point.
It was hard luck on Workington who were closing in on their first win of the season after a particularly vibrant and encouraging second-half performance.
Lancaster had started the sharper, but it was Workington who drew confidence from their opening goal and would have deserved to get through to a 1-0 win.
Yet it had looked ominous early on when a bright-looking Lancaster were close to taking the lead on eight minutes.
Evangelinos fired in a well-struck effort from just inside the area and Alex Mitchell produced a superb reflex save to turn it over the bar.
Mitchell had to go down again on 23 minutes to hold onto, rather more comfortably, a low drive from Charlie Bailey nut two minutes later Reds took the lead.
The initial corner had been cleared but Kai Nugen put the ball back into the box and although Cieran Casson didn’t have instant control of the next clearance he made no mistake second time with a thundering drive past James McCleneghan into the far corner.
Reds first goal of the season certainly gave them something to fight for and from that point they were the better side.
Jamie Allen had a shot on the run blocked by the outstretched leg of McCleneghan in the second half; substitute Ben Fell just failed to reach a corner at the far post and Dav Symington saw one of his rockets blocked by a defender.
At the other end Lancaster didn’t trouble Mitchell again until the five minutes of added time. The Reds keeper did well to get down and turn aside a low effort from Evangelinos and got a brave clearing punch on the corner.
But with four minutes of the five added on ticked off City got their equaliser. The offside flag didn’t come for the first ball into the box and when it came in again Evengelinos drove home the equaliser.
If Mark Fell was disappointed with that late equaliser which cost him the win, he certainly wouldn’t be disappointed with the endeavour from his side.
Steven Rigg worked tirelessly up-front while at the back Jordan Little was superb in a tightly knit defensive line.
It’s on now to a second home game against Leek Town on Saturday, newly promoted from NPL West and who got their first win last night – a 1-0 win at Basford.
Fell had a representative at that game and also on Saturday when they lost 2-0 at home to Stockton Town.
