In one of the few games to beat the weather on Saturday, Prudhoe YC Seniors came out second best in a hard fought Ebac Northern League Division Two encounter at Essity Park against an in-form Thornaby side.

The Teessiders made two changes from their 3-1 home win on Boxing Bay over Yarm & Eaglescliffe with Kris Summers in at centre half for Jack Proctor who dropped to the bench and David Mitchell replacing Connor Gant in midfield, while the hosts welcomed back Sam Dibb-Fuller following his recent transfer from Whickham.

Prudhoe YC Seniors were on the back foot inside the first minute with central defender Jordan Plunkett forced to concede a corner on the right. Charlie Hindson's delivery into the six-yard box was headed behind for a second corner on the left but this was taken short before being cleared upfield.

Thornaby's experienced keeper Ronan Makepeace was off his line quickly on four minutes to dive on a long ball over the top just ahead of the onrushing striker and moments later they took the lead through the diminutive Dale Milburn.

From a drop-ball just outside the right corner of the Prudhoe box, Hindson's quick thinking saw him square it to Milburn in space and the winger hit a screamer from 20 yards that curled inside the near post beyond Matty Cassap's reach for his fourth goal in the last five games and 11th of the season in all competitions (0-1).

The hosts rallied after going behind and Makepeace was called into action again after a well worked move started inside their own half involving club captain Kieran Russel, Matt Law and Sam Dibb-Fuller ended with Dibb-Fuller's long range effort being bundled behind by the keeper after it had bounced just in front of him. The resulting corner was headed behind and a second delivery came to nothing.

The visitors were next to threaten when Milburn spread the play wide left to full back Dom Joynes who beat his man and burst forward in space but chose to fire wildly on goal instead of crossing when he had plenty of support in the box.

The hosts were forced to make a change on 18 minutes when the injured Law was replaced by Will Morris, and a couple of minutes later they had loud appeals for a penalty waved away after evergreen centre forward Craig Fairley, 41 last week, went down in the box under a strong challenge from a defender.

Sam Dibb-Fuller then curled in a free-kick from 25 yards that was turned around the post by Makepeace diving low to his left. The resulting corner was taken short before being chipped to the back post where Russel rose highest but guided a free header wide of the far post when he should have hit the target.

Dibb-Fuller fired another long range effort straight at Makepeace shortly before he levelled things up with a quality finish on the half-hour mark.

A long crossfield pass from right to left picked out the pacy winger who controlled it well before beating full back Anthony Verity and cut inside. He turned Milburn in the box and then drilled it low beyond the diving Makepeace into the bottom corner of the net (1-1).

The game then swung from end to end like a good old-fashioned cup tie.

The visitors had a shot deflected for a corner that was headed clear and, on the counter-attack, Prudhoe substitute Morris flicked on to Ben Dibb-Fuller who turned his man in the box and had a low angled shot saved by Makepeace.

The hosts were dealt another blow on 34 minutes when Russel limped off and Brad Rogers took his place in defence.

Thornaby's experienced striker Phil Caley twice came close to putting his side back in front in quick succession. A free-kick was cleared to him 25 yards out and his sweetly struck half-volley flew just over the bar. Moments later, 18-year-old centre forward Ryan Wright made a great run down the right to the byline before feeding Caley who sent a first-time curling effort inches over Cassap's bar.

As half-time approached, Sam Dibb-Fuller switched play from left to right with a pinpoint crossfield pass to full back Darren Graham who cut inside before firing over on the angle and, in their next attack, Graham's low ball from the right fizzed across the face of goal without getting a touch, while a Thornaby counter-attack ended with Milburn having a shot blocked in the box and James Rowe's follow-up effort from 25 yards failed to trouble Cassap.

Prudhoe YC Seniors dominated the early stages of the second half as they looked to end a long winless run. Graham's firm strike from outside the box was fumbled by Makepeace before being safely gathered at the second attempt just before Fairley got there, and a weaker effort from Morris was fired straight at Makepeace who made a routine save.

They came again down the left through Rogers who fed Sam Dibb-Fuller and the winger's low shot was fumbled by Makepeace at the expense of a corner which came to nothing.

The hosts' defence wasn't troubled by crosses into the box from either flank on the sporadic occasions the visitors ventured forward with some poor deliveries not helping their cause.

Morris, Graham and Brad Lowes then linked up well down the Prudhoe right with Graham's final ball from the byline being curled first-time by Lowes beyond the far post.

Out of nothing and against the run of play, Thornaby took the lead for the second time in the 64th minute. They launched an attack down the right from which Milburn's exquisite reverse pass released Caley in the box and the 32-year-old striker had time to take a touch before blasting the ball past Cassap (1-2).

The hosts almost equalised straight away from a corner through central defender Plunkett. Unmarked at the back post, his firm header hit the crossbar before being cleared from a crowded six-yard box.

At the other end, Milburn's dipping cross from the right was punched clear by Cassap at full stretch.

Prudhoe were soon back on the front foot, dominating possession and territory throughout the final 20 minutes but failed to seriously test Makepeace despite getting in some promising positions.

A through ball played from inside the Prudhoe half found Ben Dibb-Fuller in the clear but after driving into the box he was dispossessed by Max Booth's well-timed last ditch tackle with only Makepeace to beat.

They came again down the right through Lowes who unselfishly squared it along the edge of the box for Sam Dibb-Fuller in space but he failed to make a connection, and moments later Ben Dibb-Fuller's curling free-kick was sliced behind by Verity with the resulting corner wasted.

The hosts continued to press in the five additional minutes of stoppage time in search of an equaliser they probably deserved on the strength of their second half performance. Their final opportunity disappeared when an angled ball from the left side of the box bobbled in front of Graham who was under pressure from a defender and sliced his effort wide of the near post.

This was a fifth league win in a row for Thornaby who remain in contention for a promotion play-off spot at the half-way stage of the season, while the lack of a cutting edge up front since the departure of top-scorer Kyle Cockburn has seen Prudhoe YC Seniors drop down to 13th in the table after picking up only  three points from the last eight games.