BILLINGE showed incredible character to come back from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Maine Road Reserves on Saturday.

To be fair they just weren't at the races for the first hour of the game but in the last third they were superb and could have grabbed all three points at the end.

Maine Road - playing their first game under a new manager - were fired up, wanted it more and were ahead on seven minutes when they got around the back of The Storks defence, crossed the ball for Michael Woolley to force the ball home from close range.

The only bright spark for Billinge in the first-half was Will Clapham who - along with Kian Green - tormented the left-hand side of the home side's defence.

Unfortunately, they were unable to create much other than a couple of corners and a Clapham effort that went over the bar.

The second-half started in a similar fashion and on 54 minutes a Leyton White finish doubled the lead for Road.

Ironically, the catalyst for the change in fortunes came in the 72nd minute with Billinge reduced to ten men.

Clapham was again scythed down - this time from behind by Louis Taylor - and while Russell Hoyte gave a free-kick he failed to produce a card, sin-binned Billinge's Ben Hamlett for compiling, cautioned The Storks bench and asked for a supporter to leave the ground.

Down to ten men for ten minutes Billinge were galvanised and halved the deficit a minute later.

Taylor committed another foul - this time getting a yellow card for it - 35 yards out.

Olly Filson put in a beautifully weighted free-kick that found the onrushing Kian Green who headed home for his eighth goal in eight games.

Billinge then took the game to the home side and were level on 84 minutes.

Hamlett - back on the pitch - combined brilliantly with Sam Jones, the ball was crossed in and Cameron Lee got in front of the Maine Road keeper Alfie Martine, took the ball around him and knocked the ball into the goal to the delight of the Billinge contingent.

The final ten minutes was all Storks: Martine pulled off a brilliant save to deny Hamlett, did the same to keep out a Green effort and then Billinge couldn't quite get the ball to Jack Sutton who was ideally-placed to knock the ball into and open net.

As it was the final whistle went and the clubs shared the points with Billinge manager Dave Morris saying: "It was another big lesson for our young side and we know we cannot start a game like that again.

"I thought we would crumble after the sin-binning but credit to the players - they were superb and their hard work and spirit enabled us to take a point from the game and we take that last half-an-hour performance into our next match."

The supporters SCS Tech Ltd man-of-the-match award went to Will Clapham who was was excellent throughout - but especially so in the first period - while the man-of-the-match award sponsored by The Fieldway Group went to Olly Filson for another assured display in defence where he never put a foot wrong along with an assist for the first goal.

This Saturday The Storks are at home to Golborne Sports - in the JA Walton Challenge Cup - with a 2pm kick-off at Barrows Farm.