Carlisle United's under-18s conceded three goals in the last ten minutes to lose 4-3 against Gateshead in a pre-season friendly at the Sheepmount.
Strikes from Finley Boertien, Josh Wade and Nathan Wheatley had put the Blues 3-0 after an hour, but the Heed completed a remarkable comeback in the dying seconds.
Jack Hodgson came close for United within a minute when Wade's corner was cleared to the midfielder, who sent his shot wide.
The Blues opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Finley Boertien made the most of neat build-up play to fire a stunning effort into the top corner from 25 yards out.
Boertien again found himself unleashing a strike on goal from range, but his low effort failed to beat Sam Taylor in the Heed net.
Wade's deliveries from the left were proving dangerous, with Dan Miller flashing a header wide from a corner before Wheatley met another sumptuous cross but failed to direct the effort on target.
The Blues were seeing much of the ball and a neat combination involving Ted Thwaites provided Reuben Towers with the opportunity to score at the back post, but Taylor denied the forward from six yards out.
It was Wade who would add a second in the 39th minute, collecting Taylor's rushed clearance and slotting a composed finish into the unguarded goal from range.
HALF-TIME: Carlisle United 2-0 Gateshead
Alfie Coulthard was lively out wide for the North-East outfit, and he twice tested Oliver Grainger after the break with strikes from the edge of the penalty area, one a free-kick, but the Blues stopper was a match for the efforts.
Towers showed exceptional footwork to beat three defenders in a mazy run down the right before seeing his low shot saved.
United had a third in the 59th minute with Wheatley going through and doing well to round Taylor before finding the empty net from the angle.
Gateshead pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute with Charlie Whitfield bundling home from a corner.
Thwaites tried to regain the Blues' three-goal cushion with a strike at the near post saved before Towers flashed the rebound over the crossbar.
A powerful strike from Ben Cleasby inside the penalty area gave the Heed a second on 80 minutes, and they equalised nine minutes later, again profiting from a corner which Jack Graham converted.
The visitors completed the comeback in the 90th minute when Josh Jackson raced onto a through ball to beat Grainger for a last-gasp winner.
FULL-TIME: Carlisle United 3-4 Gateshead
Team:
Carlisle United: Grainger, Thwaites, Miller (Harabasz 46, Stuart 58), Aaron, McDonough (C), Boertien (Phillips 70), Towers (Oliphant 75), Hodgson, Wheatley, Cumersky, Wade (Neto 63)
Goals:
Carlisle United - (Boertien 5) (Wade 39) (Wheatley 59)
Gateshead - (Whitfield 62) (Cleasby 80) (Graham 89) (Jackson 90)
Yellow cards:
Carlisle United - N/A
Gateshead - N/A
Red cards:
Carlisle United - N/A
Gateshead - N/A
