Morpeth Town held to a draw by relegation rivals Marske United

Relegation rivals Morpeth Town and Marske United had to settle for a share of the points. Picture: Michael Briggs

Morpeth Town produced a spirited second-half display to earn a point with a 1-1 draw at Craik Park on Easter Monday with fellow relegation rivals Marske United.

The hosts went a goal down early on through a Sam Hodgson free kick before Ryan Donaldson levelled on the hour mark to earn a vital point in their bid to avoid the drop.

Morpeth started brightly and had the first opportunity of the afternoon after four minutes when Sam Fishburn broke clear but was denied by the keeper.

Then came the opener on 13 minutes through Sam Hodgson, the youngster sending the ball into the top corner.

Marske grew into the game and the Highwaymen struggled to regain their dominant position.

Andrew Johnson saw his effort deflected wide following a free kick by Matty Cornish before Chris Reid had a shot at the back post.

Jack Foalle replaced Tom Chiabi for the second half and had an immediate impact as he got his side on the front foot.

But the hosts would be let off the hook just after the restart after a dipping, curling effort hit the bar.

Then Connor Pye played a ball short to Foalle, who crossed it into the crowded penalty box, but the ball was cleared off the line.

The Highwaymen found a deserved leveller on 59 minutes thanks to Ryan Donaldson’s tap-in.

The midfielder finished off a move that saw Josh King find Foalle in a pocket of space in the left-back position.

The forward’s low cross found Donaldson, who rolled the ball home to level the scores.

Both sides sensed the importance of a winning goal and went after it in the closing stages.

Pye fired an effort over the upright after good build-up and a clever cut back from Matty Cornish, followed by a Ben Sayer free kick finding the unmarked Reid, who sent his diving header over the target.

On 72 minutes, Morpeth were once again saved by the woodwork as a shot bounced off the inside of the post and away, with Dan Lowson beaten.

The Highwaymen face two huge final games of the NPL Premier Division to conclude the season.

The first is a visit to already relegated Belper Town on Saturday (April 15), before they host Warrington Rylands in the final match a week later.