GREAT Harwood Town let slip a great chance of progressing through to the semi-finals of the North West Counties Second Division Trophy.

They led bottom-of-the-league Oldham Town 2-0 at the Whitebank Stadium through two first goals. But they allowed the strugglers to claw one back around the hour mark and went out on penalties after neither side could force a winner in extra time.

Paul Mashiter at last opened his Harwood account in the second minute, latching onto a ball over the top and working himself an opening before firing home.

Two minutes from the interval John Eastham's ninth goal of the season looked to have sealed the tie, Eastham reacting quickest to stab home after a spill by the Oldham keeper. But Harwood were left to rue spurning a host of second-half chances to increase the margin.

The home side reduced the arrears through Curley on 58 minutes, first to the ball after Bobby Harris had tipped a shot onto the crossbar.

Then in the 90th minute Muir latched onto a through ball to race clear of the Harwood defence and slot past Harris as he rushed out. Chris Heslop was the unlucky man whose penalty was saved in the shoot-out after a goalless further 30 minutes of extra-time.