A SUPERB goal worthy of winning any football match by Darren Hughes was not enough to secure a deserved three points for Town against Neath at Bastion Gardens.
The high-flying Eagles could pip Llanelli to third place if they had beaten the Seasiders but in the end they had to settle for a point courtesy of Toby Jones' leveller five minutes from time.
Having taken just one point from a possible 27 against the top five teams this season, neutrals could be forgiven for thinking Town would be easy meat for Neath given that they were missing five key players but despite weathering some severe pressure from the South Walians, the Seasiders never looked like a beaten side and fought hard for every ball.
After a slow start in front of the S4C cameras, the game began to open up and in the 17th minute Neath's Craig Hughes got the game's first attempt on target but his tame shot failed to trouble Dave Roberts.
Darren Hughes produced Town's first meaningful effort but failed to gain proper purchase on the ball, Lee Kendall saving easily then Ross Stephens lofted the ball into the box but Jon Fisher Cooke couldn't quite get under it and Kendall gathered comfortably.
The woodwork saved Town from Lee Trundle's corner five minutes before the break then Roberts kept the sheet clean when he first denied Garyn Preen then blocked the rebound at Trundle's feet.
The second half saw Town come out with renewed purpose and Ross Stephens header from Guto Hughes' cross looped over both Kendall and the Neath crossbar as the home crowd began to sense there was a goal coming soon.
And it did in the 57th minute when Ross Hannen pumped the ball in from the right and Darren Hughes showed superb control as he killed the ball and rifled an unstoppable shot past Kendall in one sweet movement.
The goal the home fans feared was coming arrived on 85 minutes when Lewis' cross evaded the home defence and substitute Toby Jones dived in quickest to crash the ball home and in the dying moments Paul O'Neill showed his class when he produced a superb block to deny Trundle what would have been a certain winner.
Town return to action on Saturday January 21 when Newtown are the visitors in the League Cup.