CHORLEY left it late to rescue a point but it was one they fully deserved after making much of the running in the UniBond First Division match.

A superb strike by David Eatock had given the Magpies a first-half lead before two soft goals put Matlock ahead at the interval.

And though Chorley bounced back in a stirring second-half display, they had to wait until the fifth minute of added time to level from the penalty spot.

In a bright Magpies' opening, Eatock and Lee Wilkinson created several chances. Eatock's first-time volley flashed over the bar and then Wilkinson, from Eatock's clever through ball, lifted his shot just too high as the keeper came out.

Wilkinson was the provider on 31 minutes when his smart through pass beat the offside trap and allowed Eatock to curl a brilliant shot past Kevin Tye in the Matlock goal.

The lead lasted only six minutes, a long throw-in somehow eluding a posse of Chorley defenders for Phil Brown to loop a header beyond Mark Molyneaux.

Two minutes later, Matlock were in front, Brown heading a left-wing cross back across the face of the area for Gareth Williams to slide the ball into the net.

As the Magpies hit back strongly after the break, Tye had to fist clear from a dangerous Dean Butterworth cross and the home defence were relieved to scramble the ball off the line as Wilkinson tried to force it in from a corner.

But there was a scare at the other end when Molyneaux did well to keep out a point-blank effort from Steve Taylor.

Chorley substitute Billy McCartney missed a good chance from another corner, powering his header over the bar, and time was running out for the Magpies when fellow-substitute Andy Mason was bowled over as he burst into the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Mason stepped up to score with a fearsome shot to extend Chorley's unbeaten away sequence to three games.

MATLOCK TOWN...2

CHORLEY...2