PONTELAND United flipped their game with Wallington on its head to move within a point of top spot in the Premier Division.

Trailing to their nearest rivals at the break, a fantastic second half showing saw them send home three unanswered goals to take maximum points.

The victory sees them just one point off leaders Walker Central as the league looks to be wide open, United maintaining their great form to keep up with the teams at the top.

The teams were evenly matched in the early exchanges with Ponteland believing they had found the opening goal when Shaun Johnstone diverted Ethan Bewley’s cross, but it was ruled out for offside.

At the other end, Wallington’s speedy striker John Paxton looked his typically dangerous self as he collected a long ball and burned his way past the defence only to send his shot wide of the target.

Visiting left back Bradley Richardson then burst down the wing and sent in a testing cross, which United skipper Glenn Ford did well on the stretch to put behind for a corner.

On 15 minutes, Wallington were denied a stunning opener when a terrific strike from Kris Willis cannoned against the bar, then the post and back into play before a grateful Pont defence cleared their lines.

It was the Greens who continued to ask the questions as Rory Spencer conceded a free kick just outside the area, the initial effort blocked by the wall with Michael Bray hitting his volley on the rebound wide.

However, it was hosts Ponteland who gained the upper hand on the half hour when a simple move saw Bewley and Reece Havelock-Brown exchange passes and the former slipped it unerringly past Rob Hodgson.

Buoyed by the goal, Pont received a setback soon after when the impressive Gary Cook had to leave the field with a damaged ankle after being chopped down on a couple of occasions in quick succession.

And a positional change that came with the injury disrupted United as they conceded the equaliser almost straight away, Paxton pouncing on a loose ball and evading the static home defence to fire past Darren Bowey-Tyler.

Wallington were in front just four minutes later, Richardson’s low drive pushed away by Bowey-Tyler only for Bray to react quickest and squeeze the ball past the frustrated goalkeeper from a tight angle.

The visitors deserved the lead but Ponteland came close to levelling twice in the closing stages of the first half, Alex Nisbet heading over David Short’s cross before Short’s shot after cutting in from the right was comfortably saved by Hodgson.

The half time break saw Paul Jones introduced for the injured Spencer, but Ponteland came back out with more purpose, playing at an increased tempo.

Within minutes, Havelock-Brown crossed to the left to pick out leading scorer Bewley but this time his effort went over the top.

With Nisbet driving United on as he had a greater influence on the game, he came close to restoring parity as he connected with Chris Hibbitt’s excellent corner but sent it over. The midfielder created his side’s second goal, though, as his drilled cross on 57 minutes found Ford who had stayed up following a corner, and the defender headed the ball back across the goal and into the far corner of the net.

Pont had the wind in their sails and were ahead three minutes later, Short chasing a lost cause and then tricking Richardson to allow him to lay the ball into the path of the unmarked Johnstone to fire home to make it 3-2 to the hosts.

The result was put to bed with 15 minutes remaining when Hibbitt, who is becoming somewhat of a dead ball specialist for United, dusted himself off after being brought down and sent a free kick into the area for Nisbet to side foot home on the volley to cap a fine all-round performance.

United had turned the game right round and were in full control, and they nearly went nap when Short got behind his marker again and drilled a ball across goal for Bewley, who forced Hodgson into a great save.