Late second-half goals from Liam Ridehalgh and Ollie Banks saw Tranmere Rovers come back from two goals down to earn a spirited 2-2 home draw against Peterborough United at Prenton Park on Tuesday night.
Peterborough scored two quickfire goals shortly after half-time, with Mo Eisa and Ivan Toney on target for the in-form promotion-hopefuls.
Ridehalgh’s diving header pulled one back for TRFC with 25 minutes left to play.
And Tranmere’s never-say-die attitude saw them equalise through Banks, who struck a 30-yard volley on 70 minutes to haul Rovers level and earn a resilient point.
Manager Micky Mellon made three changes from the defeat at Oxford United on Saturday as he brought in George Ray, Kieron Morris and Banks into the starting line-up.
Rovers started brightly under the floodlights on the Wirral, with Paul Mullin, Banks and Darren Potter seeing shots blocked from in and around the penalty area.
Up the other end on 19 minutes, Tranmere captain Scott Davies, who was making his 200th appearance for the Club, came to his side’s rescue when he denied Toney with a sprawling stop from 10-yards in a one-on-one situation.
Mellon’s hosts later enjoyed a spell of pressure, with left-back Ridehalgh delivering a dangerous cross into the six-yard box with Christy Pym was forced to hold on to with Stefan Payne and Mullin waiting to pounce.
Mullin was proving to be a thorn in the side of Darren Ferguson’s visiting Posh, and when played in by Morris eight-yards out, the Liverpudlian’s low shot was thwarted by Mark Beevers’ sliding challenge.
Peterborough threatened just after the half-hour when Marcus Maddison threaded through Toney down the right, who flashed a fierce drive which was straight at Davies.
The opening half finished positively for Tranmere, with Payne rising highest to meet Banks’ cross from the right only to glance his header over Pym’s crossbar.
Midfielder Maddison tried his luck from range with a left-footed shot from outside the box, forcing Davies into a routine low stop.
After the break, Tranmere started on top, as Mullin and Banks both had attempts deflected away.
But Rovers would concede two goals in two minutes to face a mountain to climb.
Firstly, Peterborough broke following a fast breakaway after 54 minutes, when Josh Knight fed Eisa to slam right-footed across goal into the bottom left-corner past Davies’ dive.
The Cambridgeshire outfit added a second through Toney with 56 minutes on the clock. Joe Ward crossed from the left for Toney to slam right-footed into the bottom right-corner inside the six-yard box.
But Tranmere were back in the contest after 65 minutes when Ridehalgh powered in a diving header past Pym and into the top right-corner from Potter’s cross from the right.
And Tranmere equalised in emphatic fashion five minutes later, when a set-piece was headed out to Banks 30-yards out, the midfielder brought the ball down and thumped right-footed through a sea of crowded players to find Pym’s bottom left-corner.
Now pushing for a late winner, Mullin stung the palms of Pym with a powerful left-footed drive from 20-yards.
Six minutes of added time didn’t provide a decisive third goal for Rovers as Tranmere earned a well-deserved share of the spoils.
Tranmere return to Prenton Park on Saturday afternoon as they host Burton Albion in Sky Bet League One, 3pm kick-off.
TRFC: Davies ©, Nelson, Ray, Monthe, Ridehalgh, Morris, Potter,(Jennings 90) Perkins, Banks, Mullin, Payne (Blackett-Taylor 81)
Subs not used: Pilling, Hepburn-Murphy, Ponticelli, Gilmour, Borthwick-Jackson
Attendance: 5243 with 229 away fans