Alfreton Town are seconds away from two straight wins

Having beaten Kettering Town 2-0 on Saturday, Dayle Southwell’s first-half goal looked to have been enough to see off hosts Chester FC on Tuesday night.

But substitute Anthony Dudley levelled things up in the 94th minute to ensure a share of the points.

Four days earlier, Matt Rhead and Southwell scored either side of the break as the Reds convincingly dispatched Kettering Town on Saturday.

Top scorer Rhead, 38, put the hosts ahead early on when his volley from Bailey Hobson’s cross squeezed under Kettering’s loanee goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes.

Billy Heath’s men were unlucky not to have doubled the lead minutes later through Jordan Thewlis, who crashed a venomous effort off the post from a narrow angle.

The visitors’ best chance to level the game came five minutes before half-time, when forward Sam Bennett rolled Gary Stohrer’s cut back agonisingly wide of George Willis’ far post.

There was a heated beginning to the second half with the game threatening to boil over, however lacking chances until the Reds were awarded a penalty for a foul on Southwell with twenty minutes to go.

Southwell, 29, coolly converted the spot-kick to register his fourth league goal of the season and first in the competition since the reverse fixture in August 2022.

Left-back Danny Preston almost added a third in the dying embers with a Paolo Di Canio-esque scissor kick from the edge of the area, but his strike sailed above the bar.

On Tuesday, Kurt Willoughby forced Reds keeper George Willis into an early save, before Bailey Hobson’s fierce effort was blocked by Chester defender.

Willoughby again went close with a header, with Dwayne Wiley almost netting straight away at the other end but his own headed effort was gathered by Chester keeper Harry Tyrer.

Chester had to clear an effort off the line as half-time approached, but Southwell would get the opener on 39 minutes with a neat finish.

Josh Clackstone then had to be on hand to clear Charlie Caton’s header off the line in superb fashion to deny the hosts before the break.

Jordan Thewlis forced Tyrer into a good save early in the second-half, before chances dried up until Connor Branson saw a shot saved in the 88th minute.

That would prove key, as Dudley popped up in stoppage time to level the scores and deny Alfreton all three points on the road.

Alfreton have now stretched their unbeaten run to seven games, keeping five consecutive clean sheets in the process.

The Reds have climbed to 11th place in the table and are five points off the play-off positions with games in hand on those above them.

Two home games now follow over the next week, with fourth-from-bottom Boston United visiting the Impact Arena on Saturday and then Curzon Ashton, who lie 16th, arriving in Derbyshire on Tuesday night.