MARVIN Brooks’s last-ditch equaliser kept alive Poole Town’s FA Cup dream as Dolphins drew 1-1 at Bath City this afternoon.

Ashley Kington’s 20-yard rocket had seemingly settled a tight, nervy affair but the hosts buckled under Poole’s late surge and when Josh O’Hanlon hit the crossbar during a bout of penalty area pinball, Brooks was on hand to force home the rebound.

Dolphins manager Tom Killick made one change to the team that had secured the comfortable 3-1 league victory over Arlesey Town last weekend with fit-again Brooks replacing Carl Preston.

An early ball from Luke Burbidge just evaded the stretching O’Hanlon but it was City who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession during the opening exchanges.

Bath’s Ben Adelsbury chanced his arm from distance and worried keeper Nick Hutchings with a dipping half volley but it was Poole who spurned the chance of the first half when O’Hanlon peeled away at the back post to meet Mike Gosney’s delicious corner only to nod wide.

City maintained their early dominance of the ball without seriously testing Hutchings, although Dolphins full-back Keith Emmerson was forced to glance Kington’s swirling delivery perilously close to his own goal as the game gradually began to open up.

The persistent Nick McCootie almost pounced on an aberration by Hutchings, nipping in front of the hesitant stopper to reach a deep ball from the right but had his effort smothered at close quarters to ensure stalemate at half-time.

Dolphins created an opening within 30 seconds of the restart when Carl Pettefer’s driven cross-field pass found Burbidge to centre for Brooks whose shot was charged down by Pat Keary and Poole were soon made to pay for that miss.

Livewire Andy Watkins outpaced Tallack down the left and although Michael Walker cleared the initial centre, Kington was left free to thump into the top right corner from 20 yards on the half volley.

Jamie Whisken nearly hit back before the hour mark, nudging a quickly-taken corner against the base of the post with home stopper Jason Mellor beaten but Poole couldn’t manage a sustained spell of pressure.

Hutchings got away with a rash moment midway through the second half when he needlessly charged out of his area and lost the ball to Dave Pratt but the striker’s lofted effort from distance sailed wide as Emmerson hastily retreated.

Killick reverted to three at the back in an attempt to push forward but it was Bath who looked the likelier to score and should have doubled their lead when McCootie cut back for Pratt to head wide.

And Dolphins made the most of that reprieve as their valiant push for a leveller eventually paid  off in the 90th minute.

Content to see out their single-goal victory, Bath packed their own 18-yard box while Poole kept testing their resolve with a series of centres and when Mellor failed to claim what appeared to be a routine ball, O'Hanlon brushed the bar with Brooks sealing a replay at Tatnam on Tuesday.

Dolphins: Hutchings, Tallack (Munday, 67), Emmerson, Walker, Whisken, Pettefer (Lindsay, 86), Burbidge, Jermyn (Preston, 62), O’Hanlon, Gosney, Brooks. Unused subs: Martin, Davis, Lowes, Manley (g/k).