Bolton Wanderers Women gained another valuable point on Sunday afternoon as they moved within one win of the title following a 1-1 draw with Accrington Stanley.
Madison Hardman's early strike was cancelled out by Freya Smith's tidy finish inside the opening 10 minutes of the game in a rematch of the Challenge Cup Final just three days earlier.
It was a game full of endeavour and effort, with both sides coming into the game still carrying aspirations of winning the Division One North - with the visitors knowing a first defeat for Wanderers would put them firmly in the driving seat in the fight for promotion.
But despite the number of tired bodies for both sides in the midst of a double game week, the Whites held firm to gain a point that leaves their fate firmly in their own hands with just one game to go.
That game takes place at the Toughsheet Community Stadium next weekend when taking on Preston North End on Sunday 20th April [buy tickets here - £3 Adults, U18s free].
For the clash with Stanley, Myles Smith made one change from the side that played on Thursday with Millie Smith coming into the starting side to replace Emme Shone. Former Stanley midfielder Ocean Flanagan, along with the returning Flo Rigby, were the other changes from the victorious cup final squad.
Both went on the hunt for the ascendency from the first whistle, and it was Wanderers who grabbed it inside five minutes.
Eboni Bradshaw did brilliantly to take the ball away from Jazz Attwood and surge down the right-hand side. Her cross was delivered with pinpoint precision, and Hardman was on hand to apply a composed first-time finish to give Bolton a dream start.
But much to Wanderers frustration, their lead didn't last long as Smith's looped finish at the far post after the cross went through a number of bodies, left Annabelle White with no chance and found the top corner.
The hosts looked to regain the initiative immediately, and some slick interplay between Faye Knox, Neishai Gordon and Bradshaw nearly restored the advantage, only for Elliott in the visitors' goal to make a crucial save from Gordon’s effort.
Minutes later, and Wanderers came even closer to re-taking the lead as first, Knox tried her luck with a clever chipped attempt that forced Elliott into another stop, before Eleanor Seals unleashed a thunderous strike from 25 yards that rattled the crossbar and came down towards the goal-line, but somehow stayed out.
Chances continued to flow, with Bradshaw’s mazy run down the right evading two Stanley defenders before getting her shot away, but Elliott was safe behind the effort.
Eboni then turned provider and created a huge opportunity as she found Charlotte Tyers at the far post with a header but Elliott was offering firm resistance in the Stanley goal, and made another good save as the sides heading in level at the break.
A half-time substitution saw Flanagan replace Millie Smith against her former club as Wanderers evaded early danger when Millie Dooley came charging onto a looping cross and met it nicely with a powerful header, but her range was slightly off and went over the crossbar.
A reminder given at one end meant Wanderers then went on the front foot looking for the elusive goal, with Hardman's bouncing effort firstly saved by Elliott before Seals went close with a left-footed strike that was set nicely to her by Tyers but flew just wide.
Rigby was brought into the action on the hour, and would offer guile and energy in midfield for Wanderers, with Grace Grundy introduced at the top end of the field in the hope of building on her cup final goal in midweek.
But as expected, Stanley were a tough side to break and as the game headed into the final 15 minutes, it was the home side doing all the pushing.
Knox, now operating on the right after swapping flanks with Bradshaw, whipped in a superb ball from the right that Gordon latched onto, only for a deflection to send it narrowly wide. From the resulting corner, a goalmouth scramble had hearts in mouths, but Elliott gathered.
Moments later, Knox was at it again, with her low cross reaching Rigby, who teed up Seals once more—but Elliott stood tall to keep it level.
Wanderers continued to push until the final whistle, with Grundy seeing a late effort saved, but couldn’t find a decisive breakthrough to seal promotion on the day.
With another point to their name, Myles Smith's side head into next week with destiny in their own hands, and hoping to see a huge crowd at the Toughsheet to roar them home against Preston North End.
Wanderers: White (GK), Clarke, Holt ©, Smith, A. Williams, Seals, M. Smith, Knox, Gordon, Tyers, Hardman.
Subs: Barnes, Baldwin, Grundy, Rigby, Flanagan
Accrington: Elliott (GK), Edmondson, Atwood, Bailey, Jones, Tennant, Smith, Lavelle, Hindley, Dooley, Dooley,
Subs: Walker, Rice, Purdy, Adamson, Dunn
Report by Katherine Byrne. Pictures by Jake Horrocks.