AN amazing afternoon's entertainment saw Chorley throw away a four-goal lead in a mad five-minute whirl before pinching a winner in stoppage time at the end of an enthralling UniBond First Division match.

In fact there were two bursts of rapid-fire goalscoring, one in each half.

Between the 28th and 35th minute the Magpies cruised into a three-nil lead orchestrated by man-of-the-match Darren Emmett.

The former Trafford hit-man launched the goal rush with a cracking low drive from a free kick just outside the box and then floated in a teasing cross which Andy Mason smartly anticipated to head in at the near post.

It was from Emmett's quality free kick two minutes later that Ian Barker rose above the defence and thundered a header past the startled David Mathieson into the roof of the net for Chorley's third.

Little had been seen of Gretna in attack, though Simon Marsh did make one crucial save to block Matt Henney's angled low shot.

However, the visitors began the second half strongly and Mason was fortunately well positioned on the Chorley line to head out from Henney.

But when on 67 minutes Emmett made it four for the Magpies with an old-fashioned daisy-cutter from wide on the left, which flashed into the far corner, Gretna looked sunk.

But the Magpies' fans were left rubbing their eyes in sheer disbelief as Gretna promptly hit four in the next five minutes.

For the first, Henney beat Marsh with a floated ball from the right, then substitute Kane Young found the net with the aid of a deflection which wrong-footed the Chorley keeper.

Number three came after Henney raced through the flimsy central-defensive cover to ram home and more indecisive defending from the re-start allowed Mark Dobie incredibly to steer home an equaliser.

From then on the Scotsmen's tails were really up and the odds were on Gretna to bag a winner, which only a wonder save by Marsh from his own full-back Paul Varley's misplaced header prevented.

But with the final seconds ticking away, Emmett's incisive crossfield pass began a flowing Magpies' move which culminated in Mason catching Paul Fleming's cross on his chest and executing the perfect bicycle-kick to register his 28th goal of the season.

New boss Mark Molyneaux was pleased with the three points but not with the way Chorley almost threw the game away.

"Our defending was a joke in that five-minute spell. We are short on fitness and short on discipline," he said.

"There's a lot of hard work to be done but it will be, and our fans will see a big difference next season."

CHORLEY... 5

GRETNA...4