Wythenshawe Ams...2 Elton Vale...2

VALE found out the hard way how cruel football, or any sport for that matter, can be.

They led the league leaders 2-0 with just seven minutes remaining, only for the home side to hit back and snatch a dramatic equaliser with, virtually, the last kick of the game.

Despite holding an eight-point lead at the top of the table going into this match, Wythenshawe had failed to find the net in their last four outings and Elton changed their formation to a 3-5-2 line-up in order to frustrate them even further.

The plan worked quite well, especially in the first half, as Vale's performance had solid written all over it and Wythenshawe didn;t have a chance of any note to end their goal drought during that period with their main outlet, tricky left winger Guy Pilling, being expertly shackled by Mark Slater.

The few opportunities in the first 45 minutes fell to the visitors, but Chris Hopkins and Paul Owen blazed their half volleys over the bar from the 18-yard line.

Wythenshawe almost scored a bizarre own goal when goalkeeper Paul Turner called for and came to collect a long ball on the edge of the penalty area, only for centre back James Habershon to back head it over him. Fortunately for James, the ball rolled just wide of the unguarded goal for a corner.

Just when everyone was wondering where a goal would come from, Elton struck twice five minutes either side of the interval to grab a real stranglehold on the game.

Derek Watson's persistance paid off when he won a challenge with Turner on the edge of the penalty area, and when the ball eventually arrived back at his feet he drove it accurately low inside a post from 20 yards out.

Turner didn't come out for the second half after being injured in the tackle with Watson and the first thing his replacement, Peter Berry, had to do was pick the ball out of the net after Hopkins notched his first goal for Vale with a close-range header.

Vale were now well in control and kept the Ammies pegged back in their own half, but just couldn't get what would have been the killer third goal.

Wythenshawe aren't top of the league for nothing however and they and they came roaring back, only to miss two glaring sitters when two point-blank headers went wide of the goal.

Both chances were supplied by Pilling, who was now becoming more of a threat. Late tackles by both Slater and Steve Howson stopped him in his tracks, but also earned the Elton players yellow cards.

Pilling finally got some reward for his efforts in the 86th minute when he reached the by-line and whipped over a dangerous cross that was headed home at the back post by Steve Preston.

Vale kept their composure and, apart from reacting to a very late challenge on keeper Steve Crossley for which David Jones was fortunate only to be booked, they looked to have the three points in the bag.

Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, a long ball cleared their back line, leaving Ammies' skipper Andy Halfpenny with a clear strike on goal. He made no mistake and ensured a result that Vale would have been happy with at the outset, but were completely gutted by at the end.

ELTON VALE: Crossley 8, Slater 8, Doran 8, Dearden 7, Hopkins 7, Owen 8, Wilkes 8, Shaw 7, Armstrong 6, Watson 8, Smith 7. Substitutes: Read (for Armstrong 55 mins) 7, Howson (for Hopkins 73 mins) 6, Malius (for Smith 73 mins) 6.

Vale's reserves lost 4-0 at home to New Mills. The first team are at home to Rochdale Sacred Heart tomorrow (kick-off 2pm). The reserves have no game.