ALL the hard work put in by staff to get Tuesday night's game on following the weekend's arson attack was rewarded with a grandstand finish as Radcliffe Borough squeezed into the semi-finals of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy following a victory over West Didsbury and Chorlton on penalties.

Part of the club's main stand was gutted by Sunday night's fire, but volunteers worked around the clock to make the area safe.

And almost 300 people responded to a social media campaign to show their support for the club as it begins the rebuilding process.

Hopefully, many of those new fans will return after they were treated to a goalkeeping masterclass by on-loan stopper Tadhg Ryan, who saved three spot kicks as Boro won 3-1 on penalties.

It looked as if the home side would saunter into the last four without the excitement of a shootout after Jack Hindle put them 1-0 in front early in the second half.

But the visitors pegged back Boro with an equaliser from Ben Steer 10 minutes from time.

The late drama looked a million miles away during what was largely a lacklustre match, albeit played in a cracking atmosphere.

The visitors edged the early possession while powerful striker Saul Henderson proved a handful for the Boro defence.

Midfielder Timmy Raheem had the first meaningful effort on goal for Radcliffe in the 22nd minute, but but he dragged his shot wide after bursting into the box from the right.

Boro upped the tempo after the break and Hindle put them in front five minutes into the second half, connecting with Nick Kennedy's deflected cross to fire a low shot into the bottom corner.

But the visitors, who ply their trade a level below Boro in the Hallmark Security League Premier Division, did not give up, perhaps buoyed by the memory of a victory at Taurus Park earlier in the season in the Manchester Senior Cup.

And they were rewarded for their endeavour with a late leveller as Steer broke through the Radcliffe defence and found the net with a left-footed strike.

After being denied a clean sheet, young Huddersfield keeper Ryan made sure the late slip did not cost Boro dear as he went on to save three out of four penalties in the shootout.

And it was left up to Elliot Rokka to seal the victory with a delicate chip to convert the decisive penalty.

The feelgood factor at the finale was in stark contrast to the nightmare weekend at Taurus Park.

It started with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to bottom side Burscough. Elliot Nevitt supplied the hammer blow for the lowly visitors, scoring the only goal of the game 13 minutes from time.

Things went from bad to worse following Sunday's fire, but Ryan's cup heroics in front of a bumper crowd at least helped the club finish the week on a positive note.