Lincoln United succumbed to their first defeat of the season in a 4-3 thriller at Ashby Avenue.
The game saw the Whites equalise twice before a deflected effort from substitute Lewis Whitham secured the three points for the visitors.
The Whites had made it level through a Matt Cotton penalty shortly before half-time, before Rob Smith made it 3-3 midway through the second half.
Sam Wilkinson’s side came into the game off of the back of a 1-1 draw with Cleethorpes Town, after a second half goal from striker Jake Park stole the points from the visitors.
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First Half
Stockbridge Park Steels centre-back Matt Raey opened the scoring for the visitors in the seventh minute through a powerful header. A free-kick from the left-hand side found Raey unmarked in the box, and a perfectly timed header proved too hard to stop for Michael Antkowiak in the Whites’ goal.
Chances were few and far between for the Whites in the opening 20 minutes. Sam Wilkinson’s side looked to create openings in the visitors’ defence, but Stockbridge were proving hard to beat.
After receiving a yellow card only minutes earlier, Matt Cotton should have equalised for the Whites in the 26th minute. A ball from the right-hand side found the midfielder unmarked in the box, but he could only direct his header into the arms of the visiting ‘keeper.
The Whites then had another chance to equalise in the 34th minute. A low ball into the box from Jack McMenemy found Rob Smith, whose shot at goal should have found the back of the net, but was instead denied by the leg of Stockbridge goalkeeper Edward Hall.
United were finally rewarded for their attacking efforts from the penalty spot in 41st minute after a coolly taken penalty by Cotton sent Hall the wrong way.
The hosts should have gone ahead on the stroke of half-time. Smith’s effort at goal was rebounded into the box by the Stockbridge ‘keeper, but McMenemy’s subsequent attempt at goal was cleared off the line.
Second Half
United began the second half with another penalty call being waved away by referee Scott Mason. Jake Park was clear through on goal before being brought down in the box by the Stockbridge defender.
Stockbridge regained the lead in the 60th minute through a superb Joe Lumsden goal. The visitors’ number nine broke into the box and beat United defender Charlie Ward with superb skill to allow him to slot through the legs of Antkowiak.
Lumsden then added to his tally six minutes later to make it 3-1 for the visitors. The goalscorer for the second cut back onto his right foot before beating the on-rushing Antkowiak to fire home.
The Whites, though, were not deterred by the scoreline, as they got one back just four minutes later after Matt Cotton headed home a ball into the box from the left-hand side.
A crazy minute of football saw Lincoln equalise before surrendering the lead once more.
Rob Smith equalised for the Whites after a long ball over the top beat the Stockbridge defence, allowing the United number seven to slot home calmly.
However, the visitors then regained the lead shortly after through substitute Lewis Whitham, as the Yellows’ number 15 saw his effort take a huge deflection to find the back of the net.
The Whites’ attempts to find another equaliser came to no avail, as referee Scott Mason blew for full-time after a succession of attacks.