*

Lucas Dakin popped up in stoppage time to secure the point at Clay Cross, who have just seen changes at the top in ownership and management and are also awaiting the outcome of an FA investigation into alleged homophobic comments made to a player by a Skegness player in a recent encounter.

“It was another game unbeaten, but another game without a win,” said Skegness director of football Chris Rawlinson.

“But we are back at home for the next two and looking forward to seeing if we can turn some of these draws into wins come Saturday.

“Clay Cross is a difficult place to go and with their owner renewing his interest in the club before the game, they had a bit of a lift from that.

“It is a large pitch with a slope, which causes an issue. And going 1-0 down in five minutes, we hadn't really dealt with what they were trying to do.

“They had lots of strength up top and bodies around their big No.9.

“But after about 15 minutes, by when they could have gone 2-0 up, we dealt with it really well and missed a couple of great chances.

“In the second half going down the slope, there was only one side in it.

“We go into countless positions. We had 25 crosses but, ultimately, we were not good enough in the final third with our deliveries from those balls.

“It all then got a bit heated and panicky as you don't want to lose another game. So to pop up with a 92nd minute equaliser and get out of there was a great thing to do.”

Skegness arrived at the NYR Ground having gone seven league games without a win

But last week's impressive display away at St Neots in the UCL Cup had provided further evidence of their potential, and there was also a welcome sight as popular defender Bailey Dilley returned to the Skegness fold following a spell working in the USA. Named among the substitutes, he was introduced late in the second half.

The hosts made the perfect start, taking the lead inside the opening five minutes through the much travelled Greg Smith.

The biggest talking point of the afternoon came during the second half, when the match was brought to a halt after the generator supplying power to the ground's floodlights failed to start.

With daylight fading, there were genuine concerns that the fixture could be abandoned, with both sets of players and supporters left waiting to discover whether the game could continue.

After an interruption of about 10 minutes, the generator eventually managed to stay running, providing just enough power to illuminate four of the ground's six floodlight towers.

With sufficient lighting deemed available, the referee allowed the contest to resume.

Despite the disruption, both sides continued to search for a decisive goal as the closing stages approached.

And just when it looked as though Clay Cross would hold on for all three points, Skegness finally found their breakthrough.

Lucas Dakin popped up in the 90th minute, recorded as 90+2, to send the travelling Lilywhites into celebrations.

With the momentum now seemingly with Skegness, both teams pushed forward in search of a winner during the closing moments.

However, the final stages brought further controversy.

Despite the approximately 10 minute delay caused by the floodlight failure, the referee indicated just seven minutes of additional time.

Even more puzzling for those watching, the final whistle was blown after only four minutes of the indicated additional time had been played, with both sides still actively searching for a winning goal.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​