LUKE Alden’s injury-time penalty threw Okehampton Argyle a lifeline on Saturday as they drew 1-1 with Buckland Athletic in the FA Cup Preliminary Round, writes Josh Goodman.

The Peninsula League side’s equaliser came as the final action of an enthralling battle which Buckland had led for nearly an hour after a Josh Grant goal shortly before half-time. Alden’s penalty set up a replay – Okehampton’s second in as many rounds against Western League opposition – which will be played at Simmons Park on Tuesday night.

Buckland survived a fright on 25 minutes. With the visiting Argyle the better side until this point, they came agonisingly close to converting their start into a lead when Luke Reynolds found a pocket of space just beyond the box and pulled the trigger, forcing Bucks goalkeeper Andy Collings into an acrobatic fingertip save.

But it would be Okehampton that would blink first, fewer than 10 minutes before the half-time interval. A corner delivery was helped on to ex-Argyle defender Myles James, whose first shot was blocked and second was only kept out by a superb reaction save from Jimmy Weeks. Grant was the first to emerge from the goal-line melee, poking home the rebound from close range for his second goal in as many games.

The Bucks had their tails up until the break. The ever-dangerous Ryan Bush came inches from doubling the advantage just two minutes after the breakthrough when he met a sublime Owen Stockton cross on the stretch, just to see the ball strike the wrong side of the post and roll out to safety.

Pressure was back on the Bucks after the restart. Okehampton plundered the home goal with multiple efforts going narrowly wide or high and one cleared off the line. Buckland were riding their luck at times.

Buckland cracked right at the death. A teasing cross was floated into the box and Ben Bickle was clumsily grounded, leaving referee Matthew Petherbridge no option but to point to the spot. Alden stepped up and thundered home the equaliser.