Notts County fought back from two goals down to grab a point in the final minutes of today's pulsating encounter with promotion chasing Milton Keynes Dons.
Defender and Man of the Match Stephen Hunt headed home after good work from Junior Mendes and Jason Lee to earn the deserved point after Lloyd Dyer and Dean Lewington had put the Dons clear, and Jay Smith had replied from the penalty spot.
Only the woodwork denied Notts all three points, with Ian Ross' drive hitting the post at 2-1 and Mendes' thunderbolt hitting the bar deep into stoppage time. Saul Deeney saved Notts with a last minute stop denying Aaron Wilbraham.
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Notts started brighter, and Mendes got the ball rolling in terms of hitting the goal frame, striking the left hand post after cutting in from the wing and unleashing a low drive. Had it not talk a slight deflection, it would surely have gone in.
From the resulting corner visiting goalkeeper Adolfo Baines-Pilart fumbled Ross' centre and Mike Edwards, again employed in an unfavourable central midfield position, hooked the ball towards goal but it failed to trouble the target.
Notts continued to do much of the pressing, and after another Ross corner Jason Lee shot towards goal from the penalty spot after Baines-Pilart had again failed to gather, only to see a host of Dons defenders hoist from the line.
The scare seemed to spark Martin Allen's side into life and a succession of corners threatened to open up Notts' flawed zonal-marking system.
Hunt managed to head from the line from one, whilst Deeney did well to claim another under pressure from former Notts man, and six foot plus Dons Captain, Clive Platt.
Sure enough, the upping of the tempo produced by the Dons resulted in the game's opening goal. It came from a quick counter-attack after Notts had wasted a free-kick in a good position. Rather than cross it into the box from the right-hand edge of the penalty area, Ross passed it down the line to Mendes who was quickly closed down. The ball was eventually centred, but too deep for the men in the box, forcing Andy Parkinson to chase it down. Under pressure he weakly passed it back to Austin McCann who was always second best in a challenge with Izale McLeod. McLeod raced into the Notts half, and with just David Pipe to beat and the advancing Dyer with him, he put Dyer through, and he calmly slid the ball past the onrushing Deeney.
Notts manager Thompson took this opportunity to show his face on the dugout, after previously occupying a position in the directors box.
The home side were clearly frustrated by the counter-attack, and began to lose their confidence in the game. Paul Butler headed over from another corner, before being given the first caution of the afternoon for a clear foul.
The Dons, backed by a vociferous following in the Kop Stand, soon added a second, this time from a dead ball after half an hour.
A seemingly innocuous challenge on the edge of the area was penalised by referee Paul Melin, and left-back Lewington eyed up the set-piece. Despite extensive positioning of his wall, Deeney was still beaten, with the aid of a wicked deflection off the wall seeing Lewington's strike nestle in the back of the net.
This appeared to be enough for some Notts supporters in the Jimmy Sirrel stand, who began to pour from their seats. Whether it was for an early half-time break, or they actually left the stadium is unknown, but the dismay of the fans was clearly evident.
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They would have missed Notts clawing their way back into what was beginning to look like a lost cause.
Firstly a good move resulted in Edwards releasing Lee in the area, and his shot was deflected out for a corner, before Lee was again involved winning a penalty. A long ball towards Notts' leading goalscorer saw Sean O' Hanlon haul him towards the ground, and Mr Melin had no hesitation in pointing to the spot to the dismay of Martin Allen in the away dugout.
With Dudfield absent and Dan Martin on the bench, those two the only players to have taken penalties for Notts so far this season, both having missed one, there appeared some confusion as to who would take it.
McCann had been quoted in the programme as saying he may be in line to take one, but it was Smith who eventually placed the ball on the spot.
After what seemed an age, the referee finally blew his whistle and Smith, undeterred, delicately placed the ball in the bottom left corner, sending Baines-Pilart the wrong way.
It was a welcome boost just before the break, but Notts were still falling short of the desired performance.
It was envisaged they would come out all guns blazing from the half-time interval, but instead it was the MK Dons who threatened first.
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Allen's side, typically, began to time waste, falling down under innocuous challenges on many separate occasions. This further frustrated the Notts support, management and players alike, but added to an increasingly passionate atmosphere.
The 4,030 fans were enjoying a tussle, quite like the reverse fixture at the National Hockey Stadium that ended with Alan White and Matt Somner dismissed and the Dons claiming a 3-2 win.
However, Notts appeared for a long time second best, though there best move of the game did create a glorious opportunity for Smith to add to his first half goal.
Ross exchanged passes with Edwards down the right side before drilling a low ball into the advancing Smith, who could only shoot over from inside the area when unmarked.
Another chance was soon created for Smith but he shot wide when again well positioned.
Thompson introduced his first substitute of the afternoon, replacing the ineffective Parkinson for Tcham N'Toya, who hasn't figured for the Magpies for several games.
With the visitors continuing to time waste and appearing more concerned with holding out for a 2-1 win, N'Toya's introduction seemed to further Notts' chances of a now deserved point.
His winding run from the right hand side produced a good move that Mendes eventually wasted.
Then came the grandstand finish. Ian Ross finally moved into his actual position, central midfield, and began to push towards goal. He hit a loose ball from outside the area, and it whistled towards Baines-Pilart's goal, striking both the goalkeeper and his post.
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Notts continued to press, and got their just rewards when Hunt headed home the late equaliser. White attacked an N'Toya cross, but didn't get the necessary power. He did well to chase down the rebound and knock it back to Mendes who clipped the ball towards Lee. Lee outmuscled Butler and headed towards goal, where Hunt pounced to nod home the equaliser.
There was still time for a winner, with four minutes added on following several stoppages, and Mendes hit a superb effort at goal from outside the area on the left side, but Baines-Pilart got the slightest of touches to knock it onto the bar.
The visitors, fifth in League 2 prior to the proceedings, had one final chance themselves, arguably their only one of the second half, and it was a fantastic one at that.
Wilbraham was put clear through on goal, but Deeney made an outstanding stop diving at his feet to preserve Notts' point.
An action-packed finish saw Notts grab a deserved draw, and perhaps overall they were the better of the sides, at least in terms of chances created.
However, with the run now just a single victory in seven games, and results elsewhere now placing them seven points from the Playoffs in tenth position, the draw wasn't good enough.
According to Thompson, it is now at least eight wins needed from the remaining eleven games, season over?