A 93rd minute equaliser from Jack Bray-Evans rescued a point for Falmouth Town as they drew 2-2 to Wellington at Bickland Park.

In their first game back in the Western League since the 1982/83 season Town found themselves a goal down on 20 minutes when Tom Stone swept home from an inswinging delivery from Eli Collins

Town replied after the break through Bray-Evans with a flicked header into the far corner in the 63rd minute, but within a minute they were behind again when Miles Quick toe poked a finish into the far right corner.

The visitors were reduced to ten men when Collins was sent off for a second yellow, then nine men when Joe Chamberlain was sin binned.

Though the latter returned for stoppage time he could no nothing to stop Bray-Evans firing into the back of the net after being teed up by makeshift centre forward James Ward.

On an overcast afternoon at Bickland Park Town kicked the game off for what was their first game in this division for 39 years.

The hosts were just about were the better of the two sides in the opening exchanges without properly threatening the Somerset side’s goal. Jack Bowyer and Tim Nixon played a neat one-two to set the winger away, but the number 11’s touch let him down as the visiting keeper was out quickly to smother with five minutes played.

The visitors could have been ahead on 16 minutes. A corner was met by Lewis Smith inside the six yard box, but he could only glance wide of the mark under little pressure.

Falmouth's Alex Wharton then rattled the post with a cross with Town’s next attack as they threatened to go ahead.

But it was the visitors who were celebrating with 20 minutes played. Town could only half clear a corner, and the following delivery was well met by Tom Stone who was unmarked from the edge of the box to convert into the bottom right corner.

On the 25 minute mark Falmouth's Jack Webber, who has returned to the club following his university studies, took aim fro 25 yards in search of a response, but his strike whistled just wide of the desired target.

In the 29th minute Wellington thought they had a second of the match when Miles Quick was in the right place to tap home at the far post from a low Jamie Nicholson cross, but the forward was adjudged to be offside.

Town made an unusually early substitute with Charlie Edney replacing Jack Bowyer on the half hour in a bid to shuffle things around, the move did have a positive impact and Wellington owed a lot to their keeper for keeping them in front in the 37th minute.

A corner caused havoc in the box as it pin balled about the area. Eventually Tom Annear swiped an effort at goal which Wharton flicked on but the Rob Hall reacted well to deny the forward with an outstretched hand.

Keepers at both ends were being made to work as Falmouth's Ryan Barnes then produced a stunning save to deny Nicholson in the 43rd minute. The tricky winger had evaded two Falmouth defenders before ball rolling his way round another but his eventual shot was well smothered by Barnes as the sides went in at 1-0 to Wellington.

One of Town's new signings Kayden Gordon-Dunn was making his league debut and the versatile defender had to be at the top of his game to keep the score at just one as the second period got underway. A superb cross-field ball set Joe Chamberlain away. The winger beat goalkeeper Barnes to the ball to roll his effort goalbound. The shot would have been heading in if it weren't for the quick thinking, and legs of Gordon-Dunn who got back just in time to clear.

With 56 minutes played Town introduced Luke Barner for Tom Moxham signalling their attacking intent to get something from the match while Eli Collins of Wellington picked up a booking for a foul on Wharton.

Town continued to up the ante and eventually got their leveller through Bray-Evans just after the hour mark. A Nixon corner was met by JBE at the front post and the forward used the pace already on the cross just to flick a header on and past a crowd of bodies into the far corner to have Falmouth back in the game.

So it was game on and momentum on Town's side. Or so you would think as within a minute of the equaliser Wellington were ahead again with the very next attack. The ball was fed to Quick on the left and the forward cheekily nutmegged Gordon-Dunn before poking an improvised toe punt that bobbled into the far corner to silence the jubilant F-Troop in the 65th minute.

Instead of seeing the game out though Wellington were then reduced to ten men when Collins was shown a second yellow card. However it did look to be a case of mistaken identity after Collins wasn't involved an incident which saw Edney felled in the 73rd minute. The referee stuck to his guns though, despite the protestations from the away side and the away side were a man down for the remaining minutes.

Despite this the visitors were nearly gifted a third goal with 14 minutes left when Ward and Barnes had a lapse of communication which nearly gave the ball to the visiting attacker but fortunately for the hosts Town were able to clear.

Following this Wellington were then put down to nine men when Chamberlain was sin binned for dissent, only enhancing Falmouth's hopes of getting back into the game.

As expected Falmouth threw everything including the kitchen sink at it in hope of a vital goal. Ward leapt highest at the back post in the 83rd minute but saw his towering effort ricochet off the crossbar.

In the 86th minute they thought they had their goal when Tom Annear, who made his 150th appearance for the club, whipped a free-kick to the front post which was spilled by the keeper. The ball fell on the goalline before being hacked away by the desperate Wellington defence.

Town thought it was in. The F-Troop thought it had crossed the line. But crucially the linesman and the man in the middle waved play on.

Oli Pickup was introduced for the injured Wharton as the game ticked into stoppage time and the visitors returned to ten players following the end of the sin bin. Bray-Evans had a low drive at goal which drilled its way wide of the mark.

But in the 93rd minute Town hurled one last foray forward and this time it paid off. A long diagonal ball was met fantastically well by target man Ward who nodded the ball perfectly into the path of Bray-Evans who was on hand to bury home with just seconds remaining of stoppage time.

Delight for Town. Heartbreak for Wellington, who's 127 mile trip home will feel even longer conceding so late on.

For Town an away to East Cornwall side Millbrook is next on the agenda. Kick off at Jenkins Park is at 7:45pm on Tuesday, August 2.

Lineups:

Falmouth Town: R. Barnes, K. Gordon-Dunn, J. Ward, T. Annear, T. Moxham, J. Webber, A. Calleja-Stayne, A. Wharton, T. Nixon, J. Bowyer. J. Bray-Evans.

Subs: K. Davies, O. Pickup, L. Barner, C. Edney

Wellington: R. Hall, M. Cornish, J. Quick, S. Phillips, S. Towler, T. Stone, J. Nicholson, E. Collins, M. Quick, L. Smith, J. Chamberlain.

Subs: A. Pope, C. Ormerod