Latest recruit Jack Waddle had to settle for a place on the bench as The Ambers looked to kick start their season against a Goole side who had started the campaign well but faltered over recent weeks.
The Ambers suffered a heavy blow in just the 6th minute when a well contested 50/50 challenge led to Harry Mitchell leaving the field with a serious looking injury, Alfie Dodsworth making an earlier than expected appearance from the bench.
A series of half chances came and went at both ends as the game ebbed and flowed. Marley Grant had a good opportunistic strike off target for The Ambers before Brown clipped an effort over for the visitors, and Waide Fairhurst perhaps chose the wrong option after he broke away and shot wide.
Payne showed some good strength down the right for Goole but Darius Smith managed to block Waud’s effort at the expense of a corner, before Alfie Eagle headed away from danger. Both teams were now stifling each other and there was a general lack of real quality until Grant cleverly slipped in Dodsworth, but Fielding did well to react to the midfielders chipped effort and the chance was gone.
Leon Howarth then tested the visiting keeper with a low drive that was dealt with comfortably, before Fielding came out to deny the charging Grant who did well to stay on his feet but just couldn’t get his shot away. The Ambers were now in control of the game and the last action of the half saw Fielding in action again, making a low save from Eagle’s free kick.
The Vikings started the second half more positively and Greasely and Waud should have done better from good chances before Ben Townsend stood up well to deny the dangerous Payne who had raced away into the box.
Josh Dacre, having an excellent game at the back, showed good pace to win the ball back from Waud who reacted with a bad foul that earned him a yellow card and he was immediately substituted by the Goole Manager. His replacement Schofield looked very bright from the off and showed some good close control before firing off target.
The visitors were starting to turn the screw now in their best spell of the game, but in a rare attack, Bailey Hobson, another top performer on the day, raced forward to set up sub Jonny Pugh but his effort was blocked, and from Pugh’s corner kick, Alex Varley rose highest but his header was inches over.
Action quickly switched to the other end of the pitch and Townsend performed heroics to keep out a fantastic effort from Schofield that had goal written all over it, but finished the other side of the post thanks to the keeper’s flying intervention.
As the game drifted towards the inevitable goal less conclusion, the three points were gift wrapped for the visitors when a mix up in the Ambers penalty area ended with the ball in the back of the net off the head of Smith, and with 92 minutes on the clock, that appeared to be that.
Not so, with this young team and their never say die attitude, as two minutes later, Dodsworth’s free kick caused panic in the Goole box and Hobson was on hand to blast home a well deserved equaliser with what turned out to be virtually the last kick of the game.
The point lifts The Ambers one place to 18th ahead of two difficult but winnable away trips to West Yorkshire.