Aidan Rutledge climbed off the bench to score a brilliant late equaliser on his debut as Moors claimed a last gasp point at Marine on Tuesday night.
The front man only officially arrived on loan from Gateshead earlier in the day, but his drilled left-foot finish flashed past the keeper in injury-time to earn Graeme Lee’s men a share of the spoils on Merseyside.
Marine will feel hard done by to not have claimed all three points after the hosts recovered from Isaac Fletcher’s early opener to look set for victory with time running out.
Lee’s men started a scrappy encounter on the front foot and forced a pair of early corners, though it was the home side who almost snatched the lead when Brad James had to get down smartly to save Calum Agius’ powerful drive.
However, Moors slowly began to take control, and it was little surprise when they forged in front on 16 minutes. Fletcher picked up possession and drove into the Marine box before smashing a great finish across keeper Matty Corran and into the top corner of the net – his 10th National League North goal of the campaign.
After that, Moors were comfortable if not spectacular and should really have taken their lead into the break only to switch off two minutes before half time and concede. Harvey Gregson ran into space on the left of the box and his ball across was met by James Brown who fired home a sweet finish to level things.
Indeed, the hosts could even have gone in front before the interval after applying more pressure and Kristi Montgomery’s low strike from the edge of the box flashed just the wrong side of the post.
Marine began the second half in similar fashion and were in front on 49 minutes. Leigh Whelan’s deep free-kick from the right was headed back across goal and Agius dived into force it over the line from close range.
Lee rang the changes in an attempt to wrestle back the initiative as Finley Shrimpton, Junior Mondal and Rutledge were all introduced just after the hour-mark.
The alterations did help provide a greater attacking spark, but Marine still carried a threat and the dangerous Fin Sinclair-Smith could have added a third goal but fired too high.
There was a big chance for Mondal on 81 minutes when a defensive lapse let the substitute in behind, but he couldn’t find the finish to beat Corran who stood tall to block the shot.
It looked as though that might have been Moors’ chance gone but in the first minute of six added on, Rutledge grappled for the ball on the edge of the area and when it fell kindly on to his left foot, he drilled it beyond Corran to make it 2-2.
Full Time: Marine 2 Moors 2
Marine: Corran, Whelan (Thomas 80), Gregson, Lusiama (Holmes 88), Montgomery, Atcheson, Agius (Robinson 73), Sinclair-Smith (Butler 88), Wardle, Mattock (Waters 73), Brown.
Booked: Agius (45), Lusiama (72)
Moors: James, Dyson, Ledger, Beals, Staunton, Dolan (Shrimpton 61), Ross, Allan (Mondal 62), Ramshaw, Fletcher, Harris (Rutledge 65).
Subs not used: Luck, McKeown.
Booked: Dyson (72), Beals (79)
Referee: Joe Moss
Attendance: 913
