Paul Bowyer, normally a dour backstop in the depths of Drayton's defence, hammered home a close range half chance on the hour as bodies and boots flew in the home side's six yard box to earn this UniBond League South draw for Drayton.

Bose had plugged away manfully at centre forward for an hour against a pretty solid looking Leek back four with only bruises to show for his efforts.

But when Martyn Davies caused consternation in the Leek defence by tangling with goalkeeper Steve Hodgson, Bose suddenly found the legs to sprint free from a glue-pot pitch and cancel out Paul Rutter's somewhat lucky 19th minute opener for the home side.

It brought Town a point forged by steely determination and a skilled change of tactics. 

"We got it wrong in the first half," admitted Town manager Andy Pryce afterwards. "We made plans expecting them to play in a certain way - but they didn't, and that created difficulties.

"At half time, we changed things and that left them chasing the game. I couldn't have asked more from the lads; they adapted brilliantly and had Leek on the back foot for most of the second half."

Drayton's turnaround also enlivened a match which, until then, had left 251 paying customers wondering whether they'd really missed much during the big freeze.

Understandably, both sides looked very rusty  for the first hour or so and Leek's chances came largely by luck rather than judgement.

Take their goal. Rutter's first shot, triggered as he cut in from the left, was beaten away but the ball bounced kindly into his path as he continued his run across goal and he gleefully rifled it home.

Boyer's equaliser was from the same bracket - for all his determination, Leek should really have got the ball away.

But both sets of players deserve a great deal of credit for their commitment and keeping up the pace in the second half, particularly in the closing stages.

Instead of settling for a point, both sides went at it hammer and tongs, with players often overstepping the mark to their own detriment. 

Referee James Thornhill ended up with a stack of names in his book, as defenders and midfield men misjudged tackles on a slippery surface in their over-eagerness to gain possession.

The strikers suffered too, snatching at or horrendously skying chances which, in a week or so, with more real match time under their belts, they will surely be putting away comfortably.

In the end, it was thoroughly entertaining derby duel; the  result was about right and the commitment of the players and fans of both clubs brilliantly demonstrated why, warts and all,  non-league football has so much to offer.