In an arresting match down at Worsley, Unsworth came close to snatching a dramatic late point against run away league leaders Monton.

The first half saw the Greens under constant pressure with the home team pulling no punches and pinning the U's to the rope for long periods of the half. The back four were working overtime with some excellent last ditch tackles, shackling Monton to very few clear cut opportunities and when they did break through Jack pulled off several smart saves to keep the scores level. And then the unexpected. Manager Ant - boxing clever - had the team playing to catch Monton on the break and as half time approached Dom was released up the right. He took the ball forward and drove a shot in that the hapless home keeper failed to hold and the ball was in the net. At the break, Unsworth held an unlikely lead.

Second half and the hand cuffs were off as the home team came roaring out. Despite some hard work from the midfield and defence the red & white striped Amateurs attacked in wave after wave. From the left hand side the ball was brought into the box and slotted in to finally break the visitors resistance that had until then held despite the severe interrogation. A real body blow next as the first goal was quickly followed by a second, a rather more scrappy affair as Unsworth had appeared to be clearing their lines only to gift the ball back to Monton on the half way line and were punished with a real slap in the face goal as the lead evaporated into a deficit.

At this point the Greens could quite easily have buckled under the pressure but showed resilience and fought back well. On two occasions they punched through the home team defences and had one on one opportunities but couldn't quite deliver the knock out blow to bring the game back towards them. This came back to haunt them as the home team followed up the spell of Unsworth pressure with an unstoppable third goal, a rocket of a shot from outside the box to take them clear at 3.1

At this point Monton were playing some irresistible football and it's very much to Unsworth's credit that they managed to stay on their feet despite having their collective nose bloodied by the third goal. With several players unavailable the ones playing had little option but to continue despite tiredness and a growing list of knocks.

And there was still more drama to come as battered, bruised but unbowed the boys put in one last almighty effort and perhaps, fortuitously, found themselves back in the game as a cross from the right and sailed with a bit of goalkeeping assistance into the home teams goal. Three to two and Monton now had a touch if the wobbles about them as the game climaxed into a nervous last five minutes.

Unsworth took advantage of the hesitation by the home team and played some attractive football almost breaking through despite the heavy policing by the Reds back line. Then, a final minute corner and Anthony played his "Get out of jail free" card with Unsworth massing in the Monton box for the corner kick. The ball came out of the scramble but as it did so James and Matt combined smartly only for the centre back see his snap shot pass agonisingly the wrong side of the post. Almost the great escape, almost.

After the previous home horror show and 3.2 defeat to lowly Roach Dynamoes the Unsworth came away from this week's match at table topping Monton with a similar result but their pride fully restored. Monton, in their previous two matches had put six past Broughton and seventeen past Moston, not only did the U's avoid a humiliating score line but they really ran the run away league leaders close and it was so nearly one in the eye from the underdogs.