Over 2,000 watched at Moor Lane as Salford City conceded a last minute goal to draw 2-2 with Halifax.
Kevin Roberts, who had given Salford the lead through an own goal earlier in the second half, was the hero for the Shaymen with a cool finish in the 93rd minute.
It means that Salford lose top spot in the Vanarama National League North to AFC Fylde who beat Curzon Ashton 4-1.
The result means Halifax hold onto ninth spot, and will be happy to have not slipped into the bottom half of the table.
Controversy struck in the opening minutes, as Salford’s Steve O’Halloran received the first yellow card of the game after Josh McDonald went down like he was shot from his challenge.
Both teams spent the first half hour getting a feel for each other’s style of play, as Salford and Halifax lined up in 4-3-3 with defensive midfielders, meaning star strikers Mike Phenix and Tom Denton were marked out the game by each other’s defences.
Denton was forced to drop deeper in order to hook up the midfield and start attacking moves.
Despite the striker’s 6ft 7in stature he had an almost non-existent aerial presence in the first half forcing Halifax to play the ball along the ground.
So it was ironic that the first time Halifax actually made a decent header it beat Jay Lynch and ended up in the back of the net.
After a teasing ball by Kevin Roberts, Scott Garner was left unmarked as The Ammies defence focused on the Denton, allowing the midfielder to fire the ball in at the near post.
While Salford did have a good chance a minute later through Matt Warburton, they struggled to make the pressure count.
Feelings then turned to concern after Michael Nottingham went down in agony after a 50/50 ball against a Shayman defender forcing a stop in play.
Fortunately though the defender recovered after treatment and returned to the pitch for the closing seconds.
Referee Aaron Jackson maintained his strict discipline on the game, awarding two fouls in the opening five minutes of the second half with Simon Grand booked, but he missed Richard Peniket’s handball close to the box, opting to award the Ammies a throw instead.
The Ammies then received a penalty after an audacious attempt at goalkeeping from Halifax’s centre half, a chance Sam Walker wouldn’t miss as Salford equalised five minutes from the hour mark.
Salford were then given an advantage in numbers after no-nonsense centre half Hone picked up his second yellow of the game for a dangerous challenge on King that deserved to see the Halifax defender receive his marching orders.
The hosts made the extra numbers pay, after a teasing cross from King resulted in a sloppy own goal by Roberts.
In his defense the forward had been shoehorned into centre half, but when he dived to clear the cross mistimed it so badly the ball went in exactly the opposite direction it intended.
With less than 10 minutes to go, Jim Harvey rolled the dice bringing on Jordan Sinnott in an attempt to pressurize the Salford defence into conceding a late equaliser.
The Shaymen left it very late, but Roberts overturned his earlier mistake with a looping shot that went over Jay Lynch, much to the delight of the forward and the away supporters who returned to Yorkshire the happier of both supporters.
Salford City (4-3-3): Lynch, Nottingham, O’Halloran, Burton, Grand (capt), Priestley, King (Poole ‘82), Walker, Phenix (Worley ‘88), Warburton (Wellens ‘54), Hulme.
Subs Not Used: Johnston, Allen.
Booked: O’Halloran ‘4, Grand ‘49
FC Halifax Town: Drench, Moyo, Wilde, King (capt) (Sinnott ‘83), Hone, Garner, McDonald, Hibbs, Denton, Roberts, Peniket (Kosylo ‘76).
Subs Not Used: Nicholson, Hughes, Burrow.
Booked: Hone ‘6, Moyo ‘62
Sent off: Hone ‘68 (second yellow card)
Referee: Aaron Jackson (Liverpool)
Attendence: 2,049
Main image: @JonnieSkinny, Moor Lane, Salford
