A goal two minutes from the end of the game saw Hednesford Town claim all three points from their trip to Frickley Athletic.
The Pitmen started on the front foot and almost took the lead in just the second minute when following two good tackles from Darren Campion, the ball was played into George Washbourne who saw his cross sliced into the side netting by a Frickley defender.
Vinny Mukendi then planted a header wide in the 12th minute before Jack Burton had a free header for Frickley which drifted harmlessly wide of Dan Crane’s goal.
Hednesford were indebted to Crane for keeping the scores level in the 22nd minute though as Joe Pugh raced clear, but the goalkeeper came out to block the shot behind for a corner.
A minute later the Pitmen were fortunate to escape as Crane saved an initial shot but the ball fell kindly to Luke Mangham who saw his effort somehow cleared off the line by Campion.
In the 28th minute Mangham fired an effort over the bar from the edge of the box while at the other end Hednesford captain Tom Thorley broke into the box only to see his shot deflected behind for a corner.
Danny Glover then had a long range free-kick saved in the 37th minute before Mukendi failed to get enough power on a header which was cleared away to safety.
HT: 0-0
The second half started in slow fashion, mainly due to a nasty clash of heads which took some time out of the game, although the hosts almost edged ahead in the 54th minute when Noel Burdett drove forward and his shot from the edge of the box went inches wide.
Just past the 70 minute mark a long ball down the middle of the field saw Glover race through to try and chase the ball down but just as he was about to bring it under control, the Frickley goalkeeper Joshua Diggles nicked it away from the forward and to safety.
In the 77th minute Crane was called into action again before George Washbourne cleared the ball away from in front of the goal.
A minute later there were calls from the home side for a red card as Crane challenged Pugh and although he conceded a foul just outside the box the referee deemed him not to be the last man and he received just a caution.
The decisive moment arrived in the 88th minute though when Stuart McNaught broke forward and clipped a ball into Danny Glover who finished smartly into the bottom corner of the net to earn Hednesford all three points from what was a scrappy affair.
Frickley Athletic: Diggles, Burrows, Waters (Parkinson 46), Gooda, Fielding, Valentine, Mangham, Burton, Pugh, Burdett (Fairhurst 80), Williams
Subs not used: Lawrence, Hogg, Morris
Hednesford Town: Crane, Haynes (Wright 81), Campion, McNaught, Brown, Brenan, Washbourne, Thorley, Glover, Mukendi (Clarke 70), McDermott
Subs not used: Ransome, Hutton, Nesbitt
Attendance: 292
Entertainment Rating: Two Stars
Star Man: Nat Brown
