ARTHURLIE and Pollok served up a barnstorming display of non-stop action at Barrhead as both sides settled for a share of the points in a high-tempo 2-2 draw.

A crowd of nearly 700 saw a game laced with moments of controversy, a brilliant penalty save and a hair-raising climax.

But when the dust settled, all terracing talk centred on one man – whistler Craig Napier.

The rookie referee brandished six yellow and two red cards – one for each side.

And a third red was given to Lok coach Stevie Docherty – listed as a substitute – for his vigorous protest at Carlo Monti's first-half dismissal after a challenge on Lie defender David Merriman that warranted at most a booking and failed to trigger even one protest from the home side.

Then, in the second period, Lie centre-back Mark Blakey was dispatched for accidentally catching the standing Brian McGinty with his hand as he tried to get up from a tangle of legs on the floor.

Showdowns between these rivals are often hot-blooded affairs. However, this one fully deserved the old adage: "There wasn't a bad tackle in the game."

Lok boss John Richardson said: "Fast tracking young referees is all very well, but to handle the likes of an Arthurlie v Pollok game, you really have to be the finished article.

"I'll keep my counsel and let (head of referee development) John Fleming and his supervisors decide whether we saw that today. What I will say is my players were magnificent in channelling their outrage into a top-class display. I felt we did more than enough to win, even though we needed a last-minute equaliser to save our bacon."

The footballing sideshow to unfolding events saw Arthurlie draw first blood in 14 minutes with an outstanding goal from James Marks whose superb first touch to control a raking forward pass bought time for an attempted lob shot that keeper Stevie McNeil fingertipped upwards.

However, the Lie frontman kept his cool to stroke the ball home from eight yards.

Ten-man Pollok levelled matters on the stroke of half-time as the home defence's failure to clear an inswinging Kevin McBride free kick saw Peter McMahon net with an overhead strike.

Marks was again at his best shortly after the restart when a darting front post run saw him clip home a McKeown cross for his second goal.

Lie fans, already bristling over Blakey's sending-off, were enraged again when Napier pointed to the spot after Stegg McKeown's attempted cross to struck the elbow of Paul McQuilken who had jumped up with his back turned in a blocking attempt.

McNeill, though, ensured justice was served with an excellent stop.

But there was to be a final twist when a last-gasp Lok attack saw Ross Dunlop fire over a cross that found Tony Fraser unmarked at the back post.

And he crashed home a header before being engulfed by joyously celebrating team-mates.

Lie gaffer Mark Cameron said: "To concede goals in the 45th and 90th minutes is criminal. It was an odd game and I felt both sending-offs were soft as was the penalty decision."