- Reds fight back from 2-0 in final 10 minutes
- Agyei and Uwakwe on target in comeback
- Three games unbeaten for The Railwaymen
Two goals in the last seven minutes earned Crewe Alexandra a battling 2-2 draw at Harrogate Town on Saturday.
Strikes from Jack Muldoon and Kazeem Olaigbe left The Railwaymen trailing going into the closing stages at EnviroVent Stadium.
But Lee Bell’s men stayed in the game, and Dan Agyei notched his ninth of the season from the penalty spot on 83 minutes.
And Tariq Uwakwe equalised on 89 minutes to send the 590 travelling fans into raptures.
The result means Crewe move up to 17th in League Two, and are three games unbeaten.
Manager Bell named the same starting side that beat Hartlepool last time out. Sean Robertson was amongst the subs after serving his suspension.
Harrogate, who had lost three of the previous four home games and started the afternoon seven points behind the Alex, forced keeper Dave Richards into a smart double save on 11 minutes.
He pushed away an Anthony O’Connor header and then was up quickly to block a follow-up effort from Luke Armstrong.
On 20 minutes Callum Ainley was inches from getting a touch on Elliott Nevitt’s deflected shot, and it span away for a corner.
Harrogate enjoyed slightly more territory in the first half, and went close to forcing the ball home from set-piece situations on a couple of occasions.
At the other end, Agyei turned neatly in the box but saw his shot deflected out for a corner.
On 33 minutes, Harrogate took the lead. Olaigbe knocked down to Muldoon who bounced a shot home first time from the edge of the box.
Nevitt saw a shot from close range hit the inside of the post with keeper Mark Oxley beaten, and Ainley’s follow-up shot was blocked, as Crewe looked for a leveller before the break.
Nevitt lifted a strike just off target after collecting a cross from Rio Adebisi soon after the restart, but it wasn’t long before the hosts doubled their advantage.
Crewe did not do enough to clear a corner and Olaigbe smashed it home from eight yards out.
Bell switched to a back four on the hour, and made several changes to try to affect a reaction.
The Alex played more football but struggled to create clear openings. Sub Lachlan Brook cut inside and saw a strike blocked by a defender.
Just as hope was fading, Agyei earned and confidently dispatched a penalty after being brought down by O’Connor.
And it was all square when Uwakwe controlled a cross from the right and forced the ball over the line with a right-footed shot.
Brook volleyed over as Crewe tried to find a winner in the six minutes of added time, but it ended 2-2.
Harrogate (4-4-2): Oxley; Sims (Burrell, 74), O’Connor, Eastman, Foulds; Pattison (Grant, 88), Falkingham, Sutton, Olaigbe; Muldoon (Folarin, 88), Armstrong.
Subs not used: Jameson, Thomson, McArdle, Daly.
Booked: None.
Crewe (3-5-2): Richards; O’Riordan (Robertson, 59), Offord, McDonald; Adebisi, Finnigan, Thomas (Brook, 63), Ainley (Uwakwe, 77), Tabiner; Agyei, Nevitt.
Subs not used: Beadle, Sass-Davies, Griffiths, Sambou.
Booked: Adebisi, Finnigan
Referee: Lewis Smith.
Attendance: 2, 607 (590).