Morecambe's play-off hopes faltered in muddy conditions despite a hard-working performance against Margate.
The Shrimps, needing a win to boost their play-off chances with one game to go, made a great start.
In the tenth minute Danny Carlton fired Morecambe ahead. Stuart Drummond threaded a ball through to Carlton, who capitalised on a misunderstanding between Gate defender Bill Edwards and keeper Phil Smith, before rolling the ball into an empty net.
Rocky Baptiste had a 30-yard shot saved low down by Craig Mawson while John Keister lobbed over the bar from eight yards out.
Che Stadhart then put an overhead kick over the bar from Jean Michel Sigere's cross and Adrian Clarke fired a 30-yard free-kick just wide before Baptiste put a glancing header off target.
Margate dominated the rest of the half, with Morecambe sitting back on their lead.
Gate really piled on the pressure towards the end of the half, with Jake Leberl seeing a shot deflected over and on the half-time whistle David Perkins headed Stadhart's header off the line.
Margate claimed a deserved equaliser with the second half ten minutes old.
Jay Saunders met Clarke's outswinging corner from the left, beating Morecambe keeper Mawson with a near post header from eight yards.
Morecambe boss Jim Harvey threw on substitutes Ryan Sugden and Gary Thompson after Margate's goal and Garry Hunter produced a good run and shot from 25 yards while Thompson shot wide.
Margate almost claimed all three points through Baptiste seven minutes from time, but his 25-yard lob rebounded off the bar.
The game really opened up towards the end as both sides chased a winner.
Margate's Greg Oates and Baptiste saw efforts saved by Mawson, while Sugden and Jim Bentley went close for Morecambe as they failed to claim the result they needed.