Ruben Jerome edged the Rams into a half-time lead, but Widnes responded early in the second-half with a pair of headed goals from James Steele and Ben Hodkinson to lead 2-1 after 55 minutes.

You couldn’t have argued with Widnes earning all three points, but Josh Hmami equalised against the run of play 11 minutes from time to rescue a draw for Chris Willcock’s high-flying visitors.

The welcomed return of key personnel saw co-bosses Steve Akrigg and Kev Towey abandon a 3-5-2 formation and return to a tried and tested 4-2-3-1, with Towey making his first start of the season in one of five changes.

He came in for Anointed Chukwu who dropped to the bench, while Hodkinson, Jay Roberts, Shaun Holden and Danny Ventre all earned recalls.

Winless in their previous 10 against an in-form Ramsbottom side who’d scored 21 goals in their last five, it was Widnes who started the better of the two sides.

Inside seven minutes, James Murray had a half-volley beaten away while Michael Grogan had a header blocked on the line by his own teammate with the Ramsbottom rearguard alert to clear away the resulting danger.

Moments later, Fisnik Hajdari made a crucial intervention to cut out a Karl Jones cross before throwing himself in the way of Mason Fawns’ follow-up as the Rams had their first sight of Aidan Stone’s goal.

In truth, Ramsbottom never really got going in the first half but they took the lead on the stroke of the half-hour. Jones got free down the right after holding off the challenge of Burke to find Jerome inside the six-yard area who made no mistake from close-range.

Widnes almost levelled the scores immediately with Murray getting free in behind and running beyond Ramsbottom keeper Tom Stewart. The angle closed on the former Marine man, with Josh Thompson clearing his cross as Hodkinson looked poised to shoot.

The Whites started the second half brightly and grabbed a deserved equaliser six minutes following the restart.

Co-boss Towey rolled back the years to float a pinpoint cross towards the back-post with the outside of his boot where Steele was awaiting to thump home header to net his second goal in a Widnes shirt.

Widnes had seized the initiative and took the lead less than four minutes later. They again found joy down the left as Towey held the ball up well as Holden joined in on the overlap.

The left-back delivered an inviting cross which was met by Hodkinson who guided a looping header into the far corner for his eighth goal of the season.

It was no less than the hosts deserved and in truth, they had chances that would have put them out of reach.

Hodkinson had a powerful volley beaten away by Stewart while Murray found space to hit a driven effort that crashed back against the upright.

Ramsbottom were easily second-best on the day but an inspired substitution from manager Willcock ultimately earned his side a perhaps undeserved point.

Hmami had been on the pitch barely five minutes when he peeled away from his marker to turn home at the back-post from Tom Kennedy’s corner to level the scoreline for the promotion-chasing Rams.

The equaliser came as a cruel blow for a Widnes side desperate to re-discover that winning feeling, and it was a matter of fine margins that prevented the Whites from earning all three points at the death.

Roberts played a well-weighted corner deep into the area that was met by Grogan, but his seemingly goalbound header was cleared off the line before skipper Mike Burke nodded over from the rebound.

2-2 was how it finished.