In one of the comebacks of the season in Ebac Northern League Division Two, Newcastle University overturned a two-goal deficit in the last 20 minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Essity Park on Saturday, January 6 thanks to a hat-trick from centre forward Matthew Foster.

The hosts started on the front foot, winning a corner inside the first minute that was headed clear and the return ball eventually found its way through to the visitors' keeper Thomas Dawson.

They remained in the ascendancy for the next 15 minutes but were unable to make a breakthrough.

Foster's shot looped in the air after hitting a defender and was only half-cleared to Joel Burgess who fired over the bar from just outside the box. Ben Miller then curled a 30 yard free-kick wide of the near post shortly before Miller and Burgess linked up well to set up Ben Holland who fired straight at Dawson from inside the area. The keeper then dived low to his left to save Foster's long range free-kick.

After being a virtual spectator since kick-off, home keeper Max Richardson failed to gather a deep cross into the box from the left and was challenged fairly by Ryton & Crawcrook Albion centre forward Aaron Costello who won the ball, moved it left before seeing his shot deflect off Stephen Pennington's back for a corner that ultimately came to nothing.

The visitors were forced into making a change on 20 minutes when full back Oliver Symons sustained a shoulder injury and was replaced by Liam Lowery.

A few minutes later, a counter-attack from the hosts ended with winger Jack Butler's effort from an acute angle being turned around the post by Dawson.

Another well-worked move saw full back Jay Harris and club captain Miller combine well before Miller's firm strike from 25 yards flew just over Dawson's bar.

Just before the half-hour mark, the visitors failed to take advantage of Richardson's poor clearance when a through ball into the box for Fergus Lynch hit the midfielder's heel and the chance was gone.

After struggling to get a foothold, the pendulum gradually started to swing in the visitors' favour as they enjoyed plenty of the ball in opposition territory for the first time in the game.

A long ball over the top from Lynch found Michael Baxter in space down the right-hand side of the box but the striker's cross failed to pick out a teammate, and Lynch then sent a 30-yard snap-shot narrowly wide of the near post.

They kept pressing and took the lead in the 38th minute courtesy of a quality finish from Baxter following great work near the left touchline by Costello. Attempting to play out from the back, defender Adam Redford came out second best in a shoulder-to-shoulder 50/50 challenge with Costello who advanced towards the box before feeding Baxter who took a touch, switched the ball to his left foot and coolly fired past Richardson from 12 yards - a comeback goal for the striker on his return to action after being sidelined for six weeks with a leg injury (0-1).

Breaking from half-way, the same duo linked up again down the right on 41 minutes as the home defence was sliced open. Baxter's return ball found Costello who was unlucky to see his crisp, low strike from the edge of the box rebound to safety off the inside of the near post with Richardson beaten.

Baxter and Costello had further half-chances just before the break but failed to seriously test Richardson.

Newcastle University created the best opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half when a pinpoint cross found an unmarked Foster but his header from 10 yards out flew straight into the hands of Dawson.

The visitors doubled their lead on 53 minutes through Costello who took full advantage of a New Year gift from full back Redford. Under no pressure on the University left, his attempted back pass was under-hit and nowhere near Richardson the intended target. Costello raced through to get on the loose ball in the box before taking a touch and calmly slotted it on the angle beyond Richardson's reach into the bottom corner at the back post (0-2).

That setback seemed to galvanise the hosts who brought on fresh legs including 22-year-old striker Tolu Osiyemi who scored for the University A team in Friday night's 3-2 win against Newcastle Blue Star U23s.

They almost reduced the deficit on 66 minutes when Pennington's goalbound effort was headed off the line by Lowery with Dawson beaten.

The visitors' full back Scott Oldfield then had a long range shot pushed around the post and, from the resulting corner, an unmarked Lynch blazed an effort over the bar.

The hosts deservedly pulled a goal back through Foster in the 71st minute following a quick-fire break down the right involving James Matthews, Chris Pearson and Osiyemi, with the latter turning his man in the box before feeding Foster who prodded the ball home from close range (1-2).

It was one-way traffic towards the visitors' goal at this stage and the equaliser duly arrived in the 75th minute. Pearson picked up a headed clearance from a corner on the edge of the box before driving to the byline and his low ball across the face of goal was turned in by Foster (2-2).

The visitors were now firmly on the back foot and didn't help themselves by sitting too deep as well as being wasteful in possession.

Their only worthwhile chance in the latter stages of the half came when a long ball over the top found substitute Noah Adotey. He beat his man and fed it back from the byline to winger Daniel Craggs who had a shot cleared off the line.

Normal service was soon resumed and relentless pressure from the hosts saw Foster complete his hat-trick in the 84th minute to seal a famous victory in their first home league game for three months. The ball was worked in from the left to the centre forward who whipped a right-footed shot into the far corner for his 17th goal of the season in all competitions (3-2).