BORO were beaten for the second game on the bounce, but it was only the brilliance of the Blue Star goalkeeper Daniel Lowson which prevented the Stainton Park men coming away from the North-east with a point.

Lowson palmed Ian Fitzpatrick’s free kick on to the post and out to safety in the dying seconds to earn high-flying Blue Star’s victory.

And it says something about how well Boro played in the second half that the Newcastle director of football Bob Morton was hailing the contribution of his defence following the game.

Boro fell behind to Paul Brayson’s 22nd goal of the season on 20 minutes, but Craig Dawson pounced on a loose ball in the hosts’ penalty area four minutes later to level.

Brayson’s strike partner David McTiernan scored a brilliant individual goal on the half hour to restore Blue Star’s lead, but Boro were always in the game.

Radcliffe’s director of football Gerry Luczka and manager Kevin Glendon were justifiably aggrieved that some of the home side’s over-physical play was not punished by the the referee as they ruffled the feathers of the Geordies with some fluent attacking football.

Boro host Garforth Town – with whom they are level on points in the league – on Saturday, kick off 3pm.