United and Rushden start level on Monday after a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the play-off semi-final. James Constable's first half goal was cancelled out by a Mark Byrne shot in the second half to leave everything to play for on Bank Holiday Monday.

There was no question of United coming to sit back in the first leg and boss Chris Wilder named a front three of  Constable, Matt Green and Jack Midson in a 4-3-3 system designed to grasp the initiative from the off. The fans were right there from the start as well unfurling huge flags and roaring their team onwards.

Green had the first shot of the night after five minutes, dragging well wide from twenty yards, but United had started at a ferocious pace and dominated the opening exchanges. Rushden had a shot from Byrne and a forearm smash from Downer on Midson to show for the first twenty minutes but had been stout in defence and soaked up that early pressure without allowing United a clear shot at Dale Roberts' goal.

Green acrobatically pinged a bicycle kick over the bar on 26 but former U's striker Craig Farrell went closer a minute after as he flicked a Byrne cross just past the post with Clarke beaten.

United had deserved a goal though and on 29 it came from the familiar boot of Beano. In the lead up to the game Rushden left back Kurt Robinson had confidently stated that Constable was ' nothing special'. How the defender must have regretted that as Batt latched on to a Midson ball down his side of the defence and crossed into the box. The home defence wondered what to do about it as Constable and Clist got in a muddle, but Constable wasn't hanging about and turned to smash the loose ball back across Roberts and into the right hand corner of the net. 24 plus 3: even Jack Bauer couldn't do that.

The away end was a panoramic picture of delight and the roof would have come off if Dannie Bulman's volley on 40 had been a foot further left and rippled into the net, but Bulman can be excused his lack of a goal on account of his all action barnstorming display in the middle of the park.

Rushden raised their game after the break and saw Aaron O'Connor drift a shot wide on 48 when well placed inside the box but then drew level with a very controversial goal. As players raced for the ball in midfield Chapman was totally flattened in the centre circle by Tomlin but ref Coote inexplicably waved play on. Rushden rushed forward and suddenly Mark Byrne was in space inside the area to thump home with the aid of a deflection.

United's protests were waved away and it was time to regroup and go again. The excellent Midson had a right footed shot deflected inches wide on 58 but the second half was more evenly contested and harder to call.

The United fans kept roaring their team forward but that tempestuous tempo had faded  as both sides started to offer cautious eyes towards the second leg.

Chapman pinged an 82nd minute free kick over the bar but neither side could find a storming finish so they start on level terms on Monday. There hasn't been much to choose between the sides in three encounters this season.

Maybe, just maybe, your support will make the difference in the season's crunch game.

Be there.

Att: 4,537

Away: 2,333

Report by Chris Williams