The league title will indeed go to the final day of the season as both Hednesford and Hebburn Town record wins on their travels to set up a last-day shoot-out that may or may not also involve FC United of Manchester

Having recorded three successive wins to lift themselves back into contention in the past fortnight, manager Kelvin Davis once again chose to stick with the same XI that had moved level with Hebburn at the top of the table after last Saturday’s dominant 4-0 win over Morpeth Town

Cleethorpes were still harbouring play-off ambitions of their own, although the Owls required several things to go their way in the final two games to have a chance of gatecrashing the top five on the final day. Manager Craig Rouse made several defensive changes from the side that had been beaten by Hebburn last weekend as Lloyd Allison came in between the sticks ahead of regular stopper Ollie Battersby, Kwame Boateng was preferred at left-back to Connor O’Grady and James Blunden returned at centre-back as he replaced Leon Gibson-Booth; this allowed striker Liam Hughes to return to his regular role up front after a spell as an emergency centre-back

It was a beautifully bright and sunny afternoon on the North East coast, although there was a strong wind blowing across the pitch. Several hundred Hednesford supporters had made the journey up north, many in fancy dress as has become the end-of-season tradition in recent seasons for the final away game of the campaign

It proved a fairly timid opening quarter of the game from both sides on a dusty and unwatered pitch at the Linden Club. A corner kick on the right from Conway was floated into the box and towards the aerial threat of Hughes, only for Tony Breeden to claim ahead of the prolific former Worksop Town marksman

The Pitmen’s first trip into the Cleethorpes half came in the fourth minute as skipper Joe Doyle-Charles made a over forward down the left and crossed for Jake Jarvis, who got underneath the ball and headed over the crossbar from six yards out

Referee Mr Robinson was to prove an overly-fussy official throughout the afternoon, pulling the game up for nightly fouls rather than letting the game flow. A foul on Ainley by Jamie Morgan in the sixth minute handed Cleethorpes a free-kick in a dangerous area to the left of the Hednesford penalty area. Conway’s free-kick was aimed at Hughes and strike partner Josh Walker, who were both beaten to the inswinging cross by Chris Hussey’s clearing header at the far post

Omari Sterling-James - the Pitmen’s star man in recent games after a purple patch in front of goal - looked to create a chance for Montel Gibson in the tenth minute as he wriggled his way down the right and looked to pick out the striker in the centre with a cross that was claimed by Allinson

Successive corner kicks from the hosts on fifteen minutes pressed the Pitmen back into their own penalty area, with Sterling-James doing some fine defensive work at the far post to clear the danger after a cross from Boateng on the left looked to pick Walker out

It appeared that set-pieces were going to to be the main source of threat from both sides for much of the afternoon, with Hussey swinging in a free-kick from the right that dropped inside the Cleethorpes an bobbled around the penalty spot; Doyle-Charles and Sterling-James kept the move alive but not one in a white shirt could create space to get a shot away and the hosts cleared

Three minutes later, another Hussey set-piece, this time a corner kick from the left-hand side, was swung into the box and aimed at Ollie Harrison, who was beaten to the ball by the similarly-towering Blunden at the far post

Midway through a largely uninspiring first half, Cleethorpes skipper Jack Vann picked up the afternoon’s first booking from Mr Robinson for a foul on Morgan that prompted a bout of pushing and shoving from both sides. Once peace had been restored, Hussey sent over a superb free-kick that was met by the head of Gibson, who glanced his header inches wide of Allinson’s left-hand post. It would not have counted, however, as Gibson had started offside in the build-up to the free-kick being taken 

Jervis felt that he had a strong case for a penalty kick on the half-hour mark as he appeared to be felled by a clumsy challenge on him from Blunden, holding the striker with both arms to prevent him from reaching a cross from Hussey on the left. Mr Robinson took a look at the incident but gestured to the veteran to get back to his feet

Gibson was looking to be the Pitmen’s best chance of nicking a goal and went close again on thirty-four minutes, firing wide of the post with a snapshot on thirty-four minutes after a George Williams long throw on the right was flicked on by Harrison at the near post before Gibson struck his effort past Allinson’s left-hand post

Winger Max Wright - on loan to the Owls from FC Halifax Town - created a chance for himself on forty minutes as he dispossessed a dawdling Hussey to the right of the Hednesford penalty area, but his follow-up shot from eighteen yards out lacked pace and power and was an easy claim for Breeden to his left

Three minutes later, Boateng drew a foul out of Morgan on the Cleethorpes left, with Conway sending over a ball into the box that Breeden was once again first to ahead of Blunden

I had been a cagey, unspectacular spectacle of a first period, with neither side offering enough in the final third as both defences had been on top so far. The game had largely taken the form of an end-of-season exhibition game, with the Pitmen far too passive and lacking any urgency in their game with the title still on the line

The Pitmen made a strong start to the second period, with Gibson bustling his way past Blunden and forcing the centre-back into a foul on him on forty-eight minutes. Hussey’s ball into the box dropped to Gibson, who controlled the ball well and turned on a sixpence but lifted his shot high over the crossbar from sixteen yards out

Two minutes later, the influential Hussey swung in a corner kick from the left that was met by the head of Harrison at the far post, only to glance his effort wide of Allinson’s right-hand post. Close

Cleethorpes responded wth a half-chance for Vann three minutes later, with the midfielder firing wide of Breeden’s right-hand post after some good approach play down the left from Boateng to find his skipper in space on the edge of the penalty area

Walker had got no change out of Harrison all afternoon long and lofted his only chance of the afternoon high over the crossbar on fifty-eight minutes after turning and shanking his effort high over Breeden’s woodwork from twenty yards out

Morgan’s search for a first-ever Hednesford goal continued on sixty-three minutes as Hussey’s fine cross from the left picked out the run of the right-back as he ghosted into the area ahead of Boateng, but Morgan lifted his first-time effort over the crossbar from twelve yards out under pressure from the Cleethorpes number three

Walker picked up the home side’s second booking of the afternoon on sixty-four minutes as the lanky striker was rightly booked for a foul on Doyle-Charles

Midway through the second half, a Cleethorpes corner kick was cleared by the Pitmen, who broke quickly on the counter-attack as Jervis found Gibson;  he did well to hold off the attentions of Callum Foster but could only blaze over with a wild shot on the turn

Looking to change the game in their favour, the Pitmen made an attacking change on sixty-eight minutes as Dom McHale was brought on to add his mercurial quality to the game as he replaced Jermaine Hylton, who had been well marked out of the game by Dan Gallimore

The Pitmen were thankful to Morgan just a minute later as the defender denied Cleethorpes with their only real chance of the whole afternoon, clearing Callum Ainley’s goalbound shot off the line after the former Grimsby Town  midfielder had driven in a low shot at goal from the edge of the penalty area through a sea of legs

With news filtering through of a goal for Hebburn at Bamber Bridge and Hyde United having taken a shock lead at FC United, the Pitmen looked to press for what would be a crucial winner that would keep them in the hunt for a title that was inching away from them. On seventy-four minutes, Hussey delivered another superb corner kick right under the crossbar that Allinson had to parry away from goal. The visitors recycled the ball well and found McHale on the edge of the box, who twisted and turned to get the ball onto his favoured left foot but saw his low shot deflected just wide for another corner kick

Sterling-James’s resultant corner kick on the right was worked across goal and into the path of Gibson, whose powerfully struck long-range effort was blocked by Vann, who appeared to limp away from the action as he had taken the ball full on his left thigh

Davis rolled the dice once more on seventy-seven minutes as top scorer Ahkeem Rose came on for Morgan, prompting a tactical shift similar to the one that had won the game late on at FC United on Bank Holiday Monday. At the same time, Cleethorpes made their first change of the afternoon as Wright was replaced by Aaron Braithwaite in midfield

The game’s key moment fell the Pitmen’s way with ten minutes remaining as they were awarded their fourth penalty in the last five games; Gibson showed some good footwork to take the ball into the box before being clumsily brought down by Blunden a couple of yards inside the box, with Mr Robinson not showing any hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. It was that man Sterling-James who stepped up once again, firing low to Allinson’s right to slot the ball into the corner of the net and record his seventh goal in his last seven games

Looking to hang on to their slim and crucial advantage, particularly with news of a second Hebburn goal at Bamber Bridge, the away side made a defensive change of personnel on eighty-three minutes as Ryan Wynter replaced man of the match Hussey in central defence. Cleethorpes - with their play-off hopes now all-but-extinguished - brought on Zimbabwean Joey Phuthi in place of Ainley in midfield

A minute later, Vann - still holding his leg after blocking Gibson’s shot earlier - limped off and was replaced by ex-Bradford (Park Avenue) midfielder Joe Ackroyd

Hednesford were content to run the clock down and keep the ball for long periods of the final few minutes of play, with Rose and Jervis both doing well to keep the ball in the left-hand corner as the vast experience in the Hednesford ranks kicked in

Gallimore picked up a late booking from Mr Robinson for bringing down Rose with a late and clumsy challenge out on the Hednesford right that handed the visitors a free-kick and more breathing space

The hosts made a late personnel change two minutes into the five minutes of extra time added by Mr Robinson as the returning O’Grady replaced Conway on the left

With confirmation of Hyde’s win over FC United, paired with Hebburn’s 2-1 win at Bamber Bridge, the league title will be decided on the final day of the season as the Pitmen play host to mid-table Ashton United, whilst Hebburn play host to Rushall Olympic. FC United have their infamous home game with Stockton Town to play in midweek before they travel to Ilkeston Town on Saturday, although they will now have to rely on several events going their way for them to overtake the two sides above them and take the title. All roads lead to Keys Park in seven days' time and what will no doubt be a nail-biting afternoon both in South Staffordshire and on Tyneside 

Cleethorpes Town: Allison, Gallimore ▆, Boateng, Vann  © ▆ (Ackroyd 85), Blunden, Foster, Wright (Braithwaite 77),  Conway (O’Grady 90+2), Walker ▆, Hughes, Ainley (Phuthi 84)     Sub unused: Gibson-Booth

Hednesford Town: Breeden, Morgan (Rose 77), Hussey (Wynter 83), Kinsella, Harrison, Williams, Hylton (McHale 68), Doyle-Charles ©, Gibson, Sterling-James, Jervis      Subs unused: Trickett-Smith, Watson

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