Billed as the first leg in the Surrey Premier County Football League (SPCFL) championship decider, neither Dial nor their Walton-on-Thames based visitors could afford to lose as the season enters the closing stages.

For Dial, it was a battle between the league's top scorer (Harry Rice) versus the league's top scorers (71), with the hosts looking to make it back-to-back titles and The Dons eyeing up their third consecutive SPCFL title.

The visitors had the best of the early exchanges, with Ethan Williams firing over the bar, before Tom Phillipson had two shots charged down inside the opening 15 minutes.

However, The Dons were gifted the opening goal when Dylan Averiss brought down Williams in the box. It gave Liam Marshall the opportunity to score from the penalty spot, which he duly obliged midway through the first half.

Indecision among the Dial defence created the opening for the Dons’ second five minutes’ later when Cory Mears found himself unmarked at the back post to notch his thirtieth-goal-of-the-season.

Trailing 2-0, and without the managerial guidance from Steve Brown (suspended) in the dugout, Dial were in unfamiliar territory, which proved to be the catalyst for their fightback.

The hosts were denied a penalty when Charlie Murgatroyd clearly pushed Charlie Marshall just inside the box in the 34th-minute.

Albeit justice was served two minutes later when Harry Rice evaded two challenges, before being pulled back in the box by Sam Redmanyne. It left Radu Lungu, the referee, with no choice but to award Dial a penalty, with Rice comfortably slotting home the resulting spot-kick to reduce the arrears.

Despite Dial finishing the half the stronger of the two sides, the visitors came close to adding a third on the stroke of half-time when Mears’ low cross narrowly missed the outstretched leg of Liam Marshall at the back post.

The hosts were back on level terms just five minutes after the interval when Rice latched onto the end of a great pass from Dan Cenzano, before looping the ball over Adam Lee to register his 28th-goal of the season. It was a sublime finish from the league’s leading marksman.

With the wind in their sail, The Dial were unlucky not to score a third nine minutes later when a brilliant 25-yard strike from Charlie Marshall hit the bar.

The bar again came to The Dons’ rescue when Louie Rogers’ lofted pass into the box almost caught Lee off-guard midway through the second period.

However, the visitors were gifted the opportunity to regain the lead when Andy Rider unknowingly passed the ball to the feet of striker Matt Hinks in the box. Hinks took one-touch, before lifting the ball over Rider to make it 3-2 in the 75th-minute.

Frustrated, but undeterred, Dial continued to press. With plenty at stake, they hit back through substitute Dembele, who broke down the right, before riffling the ball over Lee to equalise in the 81st-minute. It was a goal-of-the-season contender from the former Cray Wanderers’ striker.

Some good footwork from George Lawrence could have sealed the deal for Dial in the final minutes, but the attacking midfielder was unable to keep his shot under the bar, as both sides settled for a share of the spoils.

DIAL SQUARE: Rider, Rogers, Vass, Averiss, Phillips, Neville, Cenzano (Dembele), Abraham-Barlow, Rice, Aziz, Marshall (Lawrence). Unused subs: Rose-Davies, Vassell, Carter.

MOTM: Aidan Phillips