A missed penalty and two home-town goals in as many minutes sent Market Drayton Town’s teenage triers to an Evo-Stick League South defeat they simply didn’t deserve.

Against all the odds, an essentially young, make-do-and-mend Drayton team hovering just above the relegation zone had third-placed Brigg Town on the ropes for much of the opening hour.

With just a little slice of luck they might have reached the 60-minute mark with a two or even three goal lead.

But then DorrylProffitt’s penalty miss and a brace of Brigg goals in as many minutes from Oliver Chappell (64) and Ryan Paczkowseki (65) ripped the prospect of victory from their grasp.

“It meant that instead of going into the last third of the game with a comfortable lead we were suddenly 4-2 down away to one of the best sides in the league and, obviously, in trouble,” reflected Drayton boss Simon Line.

“Given Brigg’s record and our relative inexperience it could have led to a hammering. But the lads showed tremendous spirit by first holding them and then fighting back magnificently.

“Matty Owen, who had come back from Shawbury to play midfield got our third — a rebound from Jason Oswell’s header — two minutes from the end. And then Jason, played through by Tom Rogers, came desperately close to scoring the equaliser. I felt the lads deserved with almost the last kick of the game.”

Brigg, fortunate to escape an early Oswell breakthrough, had started the ball rolling in this seven-goal thriller from the penalty spot, Dan Buttle blasting a 22nd minute spot shot past Andy Pryce after the keeper had won a one-on-one with a bit more muscle than the laws allow.

Oswell, who had gone close again, made amends with a fine 34th minute equaliser, being played through in a move that underlined his increasingly impressive strike partnership with Rogers.

Brigg roared back but, with young Kieran Garrett exceptional playing his first game of the season in defence, Drayton held out until Scott Hellewell edged the home side in front again just before the break.

Not the best of times to concede a goal – but Drayton skipper Duncan Swann-Horler had the ideal answer, equalising in the first minute of the second half by converting a rebound from Rogers’s shot after Rob Stevenson had made the opening with a fine run.

That made it two-apiece with Drayton, against all expectations, dominant.

They fully deserved their penalty chance – awarded when Oswell was elbowed in the face – and after Proffitt’s miss, Oswell and Rogers were both inches away from scoring before Brigg’s two-minute double brought defeat.

The big boost for Drayton was that it didn’t bring disaster too. Line said: “We came very close to equalising and left with our heads held high. We played with tremendous spirit and a lot of skill and commitment.”