FC Isle of Man and Chadderton played out a thrilling 2-2 draw on Saturday evening in the pair’s opening match of the North West Counties Premier Division season.

The game at the Bowl in front of a crowd of 743 began with the visitors from Oldham launched a long-range effort that drifted wide of the hosts’ goal.

It was FC Isle of Man though who struck the game’s first blow in the 10th minute.

A corner broke to Sam Baines and although his initial shot was blocked, Ste Whitley was perfectly positioned to bend the ball low into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the box.

Chadderton then immediately put the Ravens under pressure, but the home side held firm.

In the 18th minute Adam Killey made a spectacular save to deny Lewis-Simon Byrne from point-blank range before the Ravens’ keeper made another crucial stop only two minutes later.

Under the cosh and against the run of play, FC Isle of Man doubled their lead in the 32nd minute.

Kyle Watson’s powerful strike from a free-kick was parried, but Charlie Higgins was alert and on hand to tap in the rebound from close range, putting FC Isle of Man 2-0 up.

The visitors responded in the first minute of added time at the end of the half. Matthew Crothers whipped in a cross from the left, which found Muis Bibire Bello who headed past Killey to make it 2-1.

The second half began with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances.

Lewis-Simon Byrne came close for Chadderton in the 63rd minute, when his curling effort just grazed the top of Killey’s net. The Ravens continued to defend stoutly, with Kyle Watson and Baines making crucial interceptions as their sides dropped deeper.

As the match approached its climax, Chadderton piled on the pressure.

Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when a corner resulted in a penalty for handball against Alex Maitland.

Crothers stepped up and confidently slotted the ball into the net, levelling the score at 2-2.

In the 94th minute, Jacob Crook was tackled in the box. Vigorous appeals for a penalty were waved away by the referee, who instead awarded a corner, despite the ball not actually going out of play after the incident.

The match ended in a hard-fought draw, but FC Isle of Man’s performance demonstrated their potential and tenacity, earning them a well-deserved point against a strong Chadderton side that narrowly missed out on promotion last season.

The BHW Print Group Man of the Match award went to midfielder Kyle Watson, who was instrumental for Paul Jones’s home side.

FC Isle of Man travel to Irlam on Tuesday evening for their second match of the season. The game kicks off at 7.45 pm.

DEAN TURTON