Bacup Borough 5 Oldham Town 4 (abandoned after 115 minutes) THE home side were poised for a NWCL Second Division trophy semi-final spot, leading 5-4 with just five minutes of extra time left ... but they were thwarted by a floodlight failure.

Now they face a tricky replay at Oldham tomorrow (kick-off 7.45pm) as the FA rule states if the extra period is not completed, the result reverts to the 90 minutes scoreline.

"We are devastated," said Bacup secretary Frank Manning. It was ours and we thought we were through."

Bacup manager Malcolm Holt introduced two new signings, Karl Stanley and Mark Isherwood, into the attack to try and put some scoring power into the team, and what a difference it made as the pair came up trumps.

The game was end to end and Oldham opened the scoring in the eighth minute through Richard Brown, then Karl Stanley equalised in the 28 minute with a cross that hit the post and went in. Four minutes after the restart, Mark Nickson put Oldham 2-1 up and Bacup equalised in the 83rd-minute through Mark Bentley who stabbed through a ruck of players following a corner.

In the 86th-minute Karl Stanley broke away on the left and beat the keeper with a rasping shot, but from the restart one of the Bacup defenders handled in the box and Richard Brown converted the penalty with just three minutes remaining.

The game went into extra-time and in the 94th-minute Mark Isherwood put Bacup ahead from the spot after an Oldham defender had handled in the box.

But Oldham were again levelled after 98 minutes when Dave Martin scored with a low shot.

With time running out. it looked very much like a replay was on the cards until winger Stanley beat the Oldham defence and put Bacup back in the driving seat with ten minutes to go ... but the floodlight failure means they have to do it all again.

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