Unlike near-neighbours Guiseley, Ilkley Town have had something of a Christmas break.

The North West Counties Football League First Division North play-off chasers saw their games against Route One Rovers and Runcorn Town postponed at the start of the month, before losing 3-1 at Daisy Hill on Saturday, December 16.

The other sides in their division played on Boxing Day, but Ilkley’s home game against rock-bottom Nelson was last night, where they could only manage a disappointing 2-2 draw.

After a quiet start to the game, Nelson took a shock lead when Luke Hepple turned the ball home inside the box midway through the first half.

The prolific Kevin Gonzalez Mele headed just over soon after as Ilkley looked to respond, and they did level the scores up just before the break.

After a goalmouth scramble inside the Nelson penalty area, Ilkley’s Blake Wood managed to find the net to make manager Sam Dexter’s half-time team-talk a little easier.

And whatever he said at the interval seemed to work, with Gonzalez Mele putting the hosts in front on 48 minutes, finding the net after a fine pass into him by Wood.

Ilkley looked odds-on to score a third, with Alfie Dean curling a free-kick just wide and Matthew Swuft having his volley superbly saved by visiting keeper Jordan Gidley.

That stop became even more vital a few minutes later, as Nelson grabbed an equaliser on 85 minutes through Oliver Hodgson, earning themselves a share of the spoils.

Nelson remain bottom, 13 points off safety but with several games in hand on the teams above them, while Ilkley remain eighth, though they are now just two points off the play-off spots.