After hitting the Ferriby woodwork twice and having two goal-bound Tom Greaves efforts brilliantly stopped

by keeper Antoni Pecora, Avenue went into the interval two goals down and needing a miracle to win this one.

The Horsfall faithful could not believe their eyes when in three mad minutes before the break, Avenue threw away all their hard work.

First Ben Morley got on the end of a great deep cross to slide the ball in - and then moments before the interval whistle, a terrible mix-up in the Avenue defence gifted Rob Smith a goal.

But Avenue should have been two up themselves before that as Greaves blasted over early on after a dummy by Neil Ross fooled the Ferriby defence.

Greaves then looped a header on to the crossbar and the best chance came when the same player got on the end of a Liam Flynn cross, only to see his header acrobatically saved by Pecora.

It was also Greaves who saw his volley again brilliantly saved by Pecora.

Lee Harper got the faintest of touches on a free-kick as well, only to see his header strike a post with the keeper beaten.

With manager Phil Sharpe on holiday, Clive Freeman was in charge and he was not helped when striker Ross had to be replaced by Damien Dunne in the 30th minute.

Two soft goals in the second half from Carl Fothergill and Leon Wainman increased the lead and Avenue just could not put the ball in the net.

Now beating the drop from the Northern Premier League is becoming a desperate task.

With just two games left, Avenue desperately need a win against AFC Telford at home on Saturday.

Avenue director of football Alan Hirst said: "They weren't four goals better and the North Ferriby guys said that as well. What can you do? When you're down, you're down.

"We had some great chances in the first half. Young Tom Greaves had a couple and we hit the woodwork twice but that couple of minutes before half-time really killed us off.

"The second goal was a farce from our point of view. They just hit us on the break for the third and fourth.

"We are all deflated but we still have two games left and we have to give it our best shot."

Elsewhere in the UniBond Premier Division last night, promotion-seeking Farsley Celtic's game at struggling Runcorn was called off when they got a call to say the Runcorn pitch was unfit.

Guiseley went down 2-0 at home to Whitby Town.