The first 20 minutes or so was dominated by the Nailers who passed the ball about well, but a Cameron Johnson free kick and a Troke volley was all they had to show for it.

In the 19th minute Kevin Bastos pulled the ball back from the bye line and several shots were blocked, however Grantham immediately broke away and came close to scoring.

The game had already started to become scrappy when the Nailers took the lead on 25 minutes. Johnson’s sheer determination won him a difficult shot on goal and his angled drive went in just inside the far post.

The Gingerbreads slowly gained a foothold in the game and after Danny South had just put a header wide, the hosts applied the first spell of sustained pressure by winning a series of corners kicks.

The Nailers had a great opportunity to turn the screw on the stroke of half time after good work from Cadman resulted in a tempting cross to the far post where Troke headed the ball the wrong side of the woodwork.

The Nailers made an uncertain start to the second half and after Bradley Munns free kick was gathered by Jonathan Hedge, the hosts took advantage of indecision in the Belper six-yard area and Akeel Francis nipped in to score from close range.

Belper struggled to find any rhythm for long spells after the equaliser, although shortly afterwards Bastos sent a 65th minute free kick high over the top, then James worked himself into a good position but shot disappointingly wide.

Cadman fired wide on 78 minutes, and although the Nailers worked their way into good attacking positions their final balls lacked quality.

Heads dropped in the 80th minute when a misunderstanding between Hedge and skipper Phil Watt allowed Rodrigo Goncalves the opportunity to run 30 yards to put the ball into the empty net.

With very little going in Belper’s favour it looked like a second successive league defeat was on the cards, but for those spectators who had left early they missed a dramatic 8 minutes of added time which totally transformed the game.

With a sense of urgency instilled in the Belper players, an onslaught on the Grantham goal ensued. Then in the 4th minute of added time, the come back started when Bastos headed home after South had helped on a free kick.

Then with time running out and not settling for a point the Nailers were relentless in their pressure, and in the 98th minute Watt volleyed in a close-range effort in amongst a packed 6-yard area to send players and supporters into raptures.

A grandstand finish will be the enduring memory of this trip to Grantham although some aspects of their performance weren't perhaps quite up to the standards we have seen so far this season.

Grantham Town: Hall, Christie, Solomon, Tessler, Muggleton, Munns, Goncalves, Boyang, Smith, Wood (Elkossi 66), Francis. Unused subs: Bahrey, Robbemond, Flynn.

Belper Town: Hedge, Rhodes, Algar, Dunn, South, Watt, James, Warren (Bessadi 78), Troke, Johnson (Cadman 42), Bastos. Unused subs: Martin, Austin, Gregory.

Referee: M Gupta

Att: 303