DANNY JOHNSON was at the double after emerging from the bench to earn Gateshead a 3-3 draw at Leyton Orient in the FA Trophy quarter-final.

The Heed made a dramatic comeback from three goals down after Johnson was thrpown on with 32 minutes remaining in a bid to change things.

The decision proved a masterstroke because the striker scored his first goals since finding the net at Maidenhead in November.

“I’ve come on, I’ve hit two absolutely perfect and they go in where in the last three or four months I haven’t had the rub of the green, I haven’t had that luck,” Johsnon told the club website.

Orient had cruised into a comfortable lead with goals from Josh Koroma (36), Ebou Adams (52) and then Josh Coulson (57).

That third led to the introduction of Johnson and after he oulled one back in the 68th minute he added another ten minutes later. That made for a great finale when Richard Peiket struck in stoppage-time.

GATESHEAD: Montgomery; Vassell, Barrow, Kerr, Byrne, Peniket, Burrow (Johnson 57), Preston, McLaughlin, Penn (McNall 88), York (Greenwood 57). Subs (not used): Hanford, Williams.

MARTIN GRAY was left lamenting more defensive sloppiness as Alfreton were allowed to leave Bootham Crescent with a 1-1 draw – even if York City climbed to fifth in the National League North.

Former City player Tom Allan was left unmarked to head in against his former employers from a free-kick to cancel out Simon Heslop’s early goal for the hosts.

Delivering his post-match verdict, Gray told the York Press: “I’m very frustrated, as the fans were and rightly so. We got off to a great start with a quick free kick and a good goal from Simon Heslop and they didn’t really look like scoring, so I was so disappointed with the manner in which we conceded.

“We didn’t finish them off with a second goal, but we pride ourselves on the work we do before games and everyone has the numbers of individuals they are given to pick up at set-pieces, so people have got to take that responsibility.”

Despite failing to win, City moved up a place as next weekend’s hosts Kidderminster and Spennymoor were in FA Trophy action, while no team from fourth to tenth picked up maximum points.

But Gray took little consolation from others’ results, declaring: “That makes it more frustrating, because we could have opened up a seven-point gap on eighth place.”

YORK: Bartlett, Brown, Ferguson, Bencherif, Burn, Moke (Almond 69), Newton, Heslop, Kempster, Pattison (Smith 69), Connolly. Subs (not used): Parslow, Simpson, Correia.