Redcar were six minutes away from a famous victory over league leaders Ponteland - but were rocked by a last-gasp sucker punch at Mackinlay Park.
Despite leading for virtually all of the match, Redcar ended up on the losing side after a dramatic late score earned Ponteland a 16-15 win on Teesside.
The Seasiders went into the game having won all 10 of their league matches on home soil this campaign, a run that has seen them emerge as genuine promotion contenders in Durham and North Two.
That imperious home form looked set to claim another victim as Redcar led from as early as the third minute.
But losing centre Brian Foreman to the sin bin late on, Ponteland scored the game’s decisive try in the 74th minute to crush 14-man Redcar.
The result extends Ponteland’s winning run to 20 consecutive league games, and virtually secures them the championship crown.
But for third-placed Redcar it was a bitter pill to swallow as their unbeaten home record came crashing down.
“We were devastated - we thought we had done enough,” said Redcar head coach Richie Young.
“On the balance of play we probably should’ve enjoyed a convincing win but some poor execution and decision-making cost us a couple of tries.
“They’ve got a real weapon in their driving maul and we coped with it well for the most part, but that’s ultimately what won them the game.”
Redcar's Richie Young
Starting the day four points behind rivals Acklam in the second promotion spot, Redcar knew they had little room for error.
But despite their defeat, they remain in contention for promotion after Acklam suffered a shock 22-19 defeat at Hartlepool.
“If anything, hearing the Acklam result made it worse,” Young added.
“To be so close to beating Ponteland - the ‘unbeatable team’ - on the same day that Acklam lost, it was a missed opportunity for us.
“But we’ll now regroup, get our heads together and see what we can achieve in the last six games of the season.”
It was an afternoon of real frustration for in-form Acklam, who travelled to Hartlepool on the back of three straight wins.
Playing the first half against the wind, Acklam struggled to get out of their own half against a Pools side enjoying home advantage.
When they did break into the opposition half, it was a case of missed opportunities as Acklam failed to score, despite six consecutive scrums on the Hartlepool five-metre line.
The hosts cruised into an early 14-0 lead, and Acklam’s slow start was made even worse after Andy Dunn was shown a yellow card on 25 minutes.
The Teessiders did hit back with a try of their own during that period, but against the wind Acklam trailed 22-5 at the break.
Acklam regrouped and started brightly in the second half with substitute Chris Walker bagging two tries before the hour mark.
With the visitors in the ascendancy, Hartlepool tried to slow the game down - receiving three yellow cards in an ill-tempered second half.
But Acklam couldn’t make their numerical advantage count, and slipped to a frustrating defeat.
That result means Acklam remain four points clear of Redcar in the promotion race ahead of next weekend’s round of games. Redcar travel to North Shields, while Acklam host Whitley Bay Rockliff.
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