Workington Town Women had to dig deep to overturn a two goal deficit and grab a draw at Haslingden.
This was their third away trip on the spin and the 2-2 draw delivered their first point of the season.
Holidays and private commitments meant that they travelled light with only 14 players available to make the journey down the M6 with the starting 11 showing four changes from their previous outing.
Town started off brightly and crafted the first look at goal in the 8th minute.
Neat work between Bea Barber and Sarah Smith in the middle of the park resulted in the latter releasing Nat Broad in behind the home back line.
Broad cut in from the left and struck for goal only to be denied by a superb save from home keeper Melissa Sahin before the ball rebounded to Cassie Donald backing up who forced a second Sahin save.
A couple of half chances from distance followed before Haslingden took the lead.
Cassie Donald had been sin-binned for 10 minutes and Town were seconds away from seeing this period out when the home side was awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal.
The ensuing strike was parried by Laura Miller and with five home players waiting to pounce the resulting goal was inevitable.
The remaining play leading up to the break was shared equally between both sides with good chances being few and far between.
Haslingden doubled their lead just after half time when their lively right winger Madison Purdy was played in behind before driving at goal and firing a near post strike past Miller.
This shook Town into action and from that point they took the game to Haslingden with real intent.
Barber led this charge from the front and was pretty much influential in all of the visitors’ attacks. Sixteen-year-old Olivia Beattie was introduced into the action and made a telling contribution on her debut, as too did Ella O’Nions with her telling impact coming in the dying seconds.
Beattie linked well with Barber before she rifled her strike into the net. Sadly celebrations were short lived as she had been adjudged to have been in an off side position.
The score remained unchanged but the pressure was mounting and starting to tell. Further attempts followed with Barber and Donald being the main protagonists.
Town eventually got on the scoresheet in the 65th minute when Linzi Donaldson intercepted a through ball on the half way line.
Spotting Smith in space, Donaldson drilled a ball into her feet before the striker spun and ran in on goal and showing great composure to open up her body and fire the ball into the net.
Town had the upper hand from this point onwards and Haslingden were hanging on.
The visitors had to wait until the 89th minute before their endeavours were rewarded.
A Donaldson clearance pumped forward was flicked on by Donald before a Barber flick helped to turn it round the corner and into O’Nions’ stride.
The youngster rode the first challenge before recovering to selflessly and intelligently find Broad backing up from the right and she struck the ball home with calmness and poise.
Bea Barber was rightly selected as Town’s Player of the Game for the telling impact she had on the game and the energy and threat she had up front throughout.
After the game, assistant manager Paul Morgan said: ”The fight that the lasses showed today was brilliant. To react that way having falling two goals behind was a real display of the togetherness that this new squad is building.
“There’s been seven new faces arrive at the club, eight if you include mine, so it will take time to gel together fully, but this past eight days has accelerated this process and we all are extremely excited to see what we can achieve over this season.”
Vice captain Laura Miller added: “The new lasses have come into the set-up and have hit the ground running.
“Young Olivia made her debut today and her impact was noticeable straight away. This past week has been very pleasing for us despite us only picking up a single draw from the first three games.
“The performances have built through each game and I don’t see any reason why this won’t continue going forward.”
Town kick off their home campaign this Wednesday when they face Morecambe at the Fibrus Stadium with kick off at 7.30 pm.
