A stirring fightback saw Kings Langley come from two goals down with five minutes remaining to earn a potentially priceless point against Merthyr Town in their fight for Southern League Premier Division survival.

Goals from Scott Barrow and Ian Traylor looked to have earned the fifth-placed the visitors the victory at Gaywood Park. But after Lee Stobbs had halved the deficit with five minutes remaining, Kings’ desire was rewarded by a first goal for the club from Jack Pattison in the second minute of injury time.

The 2-2 draw means Paul Hobbs’ men have a three-point gap over the bottom four with four games remaining and, crucially, their goal difference is effectively worth an additional point because it is at least 15 better than all the teams below them.

The drama started as early as the third minute on Saturday when the hosts felt they were again on the receiving end of a dubious penalty award apparently for a high foot in a Mayo Balogun clearance.

Traylor, making his 300th appearance for the Martyrs, took the spot-kick and Xavi Comas made a superb full-length save to his right to leave Kings’ supporters feeling justice had been served. It was the keeper’s third penalty save of the season and ironically, the second against Merthyr.

The home side continued to have trouble getting out of their own half and when Comas erred with a cross, Gary Connolly was on hand to coolly clear the resultant Eliot Richards shot off the line.

Hurried clearances were coming straight back down Kings’ throats and the only home threat of the half came on the half hour when Lewis Toomey just failed to connect with a Steve Ward cross following a Jerry Amoo run.

The Merthyr breakthrough that had seemed inevitable finally came on 54 minutes when defender Barrow’s speculative shot bored through a crowd of players and past Comas.

Kings laboured hard, but a penchant for giving the ball away cost them dear 12 minutes from the end when Traylor intercepted Dean Hitchcock’s pass and fired in the second.

To disconsolate home fans, the trapdoor seemed to open a little bit wider and when substitute Stobbs, signed from Aylesbury on deadline day, showed remarkable anticipation to round the defence, intercept a back-pass and chip the keeper, it seemed no more than a consolation strike.

But this Langley side have no shortage of heart and with five minutes to go, suddenly believed that they could retrieve something from what had seemed a lost cause.

Merthyr’s composure was shaken for the first time as Kings, urged on by home support, threw everything at their opponents.

And a minute into time added on, the staggering happened as Balogun lofted over a left-wing cross, Toomey fell in trying to convert and Pattison prodded home the loose ball for his first goal in 121 appearances for the club to scenes of wild celebration.

Whether that goal from the popular defender proves to be the one that ensures survival, remains to be seen, as the drama plays out over the final four episodes of Kings’ maiden top-flight season.

Kings Langley: Comas; Pattison, Connolly, Johnson, Balogun; Ward (Gosling 84), Hitchcock, Cox; Amoo (Stobbs 74), Toomey, Turner (Bateman 65). Subs not used: Coldicott-Stevens and Hampton.