Downham Town boss Craig Dickson says he had already started looking for the positives in losing his side’s unbeaten record before witnessing one of the most extraordinary comebacks of his managerial career.

The Town boss watched his side produce a remarkable late fightback to snatch a dramatic 4-4 draw at Brantham Athletic on Saturday, scoring three times from the 89th minute onwards to preserve their unbeaten start to the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division campaign.

Having trailed 3-0 earlier in the contest, Downham appeared destined for their first league defeat of the season when they entered the closing stages 4-1 behind.

But a sensational six-minute hat-trick from Shaun Avis rescued an unlikely point and extended Town’s unbeaten run to 13 league matches, comprising seven victories and six draws.

Dickson revealed he had effectively accepted defeat just moments before the comeback began.

“I’d actually turned to Dunc (Duncan McAnally) about a minute before we got back to 4-2 and said at least the unbeaten tag will be gone and that’s a monkey off our backs,” he admitted.

“Once we got that goal, you know anything is possible, but to say we genuinely believed would be a lie.

“We scored three in about five minutes on Tuesday night, so we know we’ve got those bursts in us, but to do it that late on against a team fighting for their lives and throwing bodies on the line is impressive to say the least.”

The hosts had established a commanding three-goal advantage before substitute Matty Blackford gave Downham a glimmer of hope with a 71st-minute strike.

However, that optimism appeared short-lived when Ollie Godbold converted a penalty just two minutes later to restore Brantham’s three-goal cushion.

With the contest seemingly beyond the visitors, Avis struck in the 89th minute before adding another in the first minute of stoppage time to set up a grandstand finish.

The in-form forward then completed his hat-trick with a dramatic equaliser six minutes into added time, with his fifth goal in two games, sparking jubilant celebrations among the Downham players and travelling supporters.

For Dickson, the remarkable turnaround was further evidence of the character and togetherness developing within his squad.

“We had a bit of luck. Our second came off the back of an indirect free-kick following a back-pass, but it’s the players’ character that got us back into the game,” he explained.

“I said after the game I would have been disappointed, but could understand a team throwing in the towel at 4-1 with five minutes left, but this group won’t do that.

“I’ve spoken about how much I’ve enjoyed this group coming together and moments like Saturday show exactly what I mean by that.”

Despite the euphoria surrounding the comeback, conceding four goals will inevitably raise questions about Downham’s defensive display.

But Dickson was quick to shoulder responsibility for his side’s first-half struggles, believing his team failed to adapt sufficiently to the conditions.

He also praised Brantham’s attacking threat and insisted the scoreline did not necessarily reflect his side’s overall defensive performance.

“First half, I’ve taken responsibility for,” he said.

“We probably didn’t play the conditions correctly and we ended up causing our own issues. Credit to Brantham, they were a real threat on the counter-attack all game.

“Second half, we controlled the game but conceded twice through a quality free-kick and an extremely soft penalty.

“So defensively, I’m not too disappointed with the performance even though we’ve conceded four goals. Three incredible strikes and a penalty.”

While the collective determination of his players understandably delighted the Downham manager, Avis once again proved instrumental in keeping Town’s unbeaten record intact.

Dickson acknowledged that, despite their remarkable recovery, his players had been some way short of their best for much of the afternoon.

“I think if we were being honest with ourselves, we weren’t anywhere near our best despite a decent second 45 minutes.

“But one thing the group has shown is that they will never give up. Dropping on second balls, demanding the ball in tight areas and trying to play in the right way.”

Downham remain unbeaten after their opening 13 league fixtures, although six draws have prevented them from turning that impressive record into an even stronger points return.

Dickson believes his side’s unbeaten sequence is something to celebrate, but stressed that it will count for little unless Town achieve their ambitions at the end of the campaign.

“I spoke about it after the Ely game. The record is something to be proud of but will mean nothing if we don’t achieve our goals come the end of the season,” he said.

“But every point matters. If you can’t get three, make sure you get one.

“If we look through those draws, you’d probably say we deserved to win four of them and deserved to lose two.

“So we could be in a real position of strength in the league, but I’m sure most managers will feel that way.”

Dickson believes the manner of Saturday’s escape could prove more significant than a routine victory when it comes to strengthening belief within the dressing room.

“In terms of a result, it felt like a win,” he said.

“Obviously, if we’d scraped a 1-0 away win we would have got the three points, but in terms of galvanising the group and adding a bit of belief, there’s no better way of doing that than a result like Saturday.

“Dead and buried in a game and still come out with a point.

“If we’d had another three or four minutes, I’ve got no doubt we would have created one or two more chances.”

Downham Town: Congreve, Noble, Hutton, Watts-Sturrock, Thorrold, M. Castellan, McQuaid, Reid, Bird, Avis, Lawal. Subs: N. Castellan, Easton, Blackford, Dunn.