The first chance of the game fell to Ossett's Youssef Chentouf on 13 mins who's shot brought a routine save from a Harry Flatters marking his 150th appearance for the the club.
An unventful start to what became a chaotic encounter was shaken up amid controversy on 15 mins. Flatters pushed wide a low shot and was then adjudged to have brought down Fionn Murphy. The referee pointed to the spot and Jaanai Gordon subsequently sent the Town stopper the wrong way to open the scoring.
On 23 mins Mutty Al-Jahadhmy hit narrowly wide when supplied on the edge of the box as Town sought an equaliser. Seven minutes we were level in farcical circumstances when Oli Patrick found the net with a low drive after Al-Jahadhmy was challenged in the box. After discussion with his assistant, the referee looked to have given the goal, but after a second meeting of minds decided to give a penalty. Al-Jahadhmy picked up the ball and sent Aleksandar Petrovic the wrong way for his fourth goal in three matches.
The Sheepicorns sought a quick response with Chentouf bringing a good stop from Flatters with a 20-yard effort on 38 mins. Two minutes later Nial Tilsley was booked for a foul, only one of a mind-boggling ten cautions and one red dished out over the course of the evening. Injury time saw chances for both sides to influence the half-time team talk. Harris Eggleston's diving header from Al-Jahadhmy's deflected cross went just wide, Flatters denied at the near post another Chentouf strike before Gordon hit narrowly over the bar from Murphy's corner kick.
There were shades in the second half of the Beverley defeat a few weeks ago when Town struggled to keep the ball in the Ossett half, leaving an unusually shaky-looking defence vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Jack Crook's long range effort was saved at the second attempt by Flatters on 48 mins. Some Town fans (including your author) thought we'd taken the lead 7 mins later when Charlie Marshall looked to have slotted in Patrick's free kick, but his effort was into the side netting. There was further controversy on 52 mins when Petrovic handled outside the box, but somehow escaped with a yellow card after another consultation between officials.
Our well-marshalled visitors looked the more likely to score as the half went on and Crook almost bundled in Chentouf's cross on 57 mins, but Flatters was there to shut him out. Captain Josh Askew's 20-yard volley went just wide, then Josh Burns hit wide after Flatters dropped a free-kick pumped into the box.
After surviving that, The Miners came desperately close to taking the lead themselves on 62 mins when Eggleston's cross-cum-shot was headed off the line after Patrick rounded a stranded Petrovic.
Two minutes later though our opponents regained the lead when Crook turned home Chentouf's cross.
On 69 mins Garforth were unfortunate not to draw level once more when Tilsley's header from Patrick's corner was headed off the line by Burns.
Ossett went on the attack in search of a third and Chentouf was denied by Charlie Marshall's block inside the box after a corner kick was half-cleared. Marshall soon popped up at the other end after good work by Patrick, but his low drive was saved.
Five minutes from the end The Miners were reduced to ten men when Tilsley was shown his second yellow for a foul in the middle of the park and given his marching orders.
Flatters kept Town in the game on 89 mins with a superb save to turn Jordan's chip around the post. Jordan Emery then produced heroics when Chentouf was released with seemingly only Flatters to beat, but the acting captain got there just in time to deny his shot at the expense of a corner. The relief proved to be short-lived however when Tom Jamieson headed home at the near post Murphy's corner in the second minute of injury time to surely take the points back to Ingfield.
Deeper into injury time, two substitutes combined to give Garforth some hope in getting something from the game. Returning from injury, midfielder Ronnie McGrath drove through a sleeping defence and played in Luke Aldrich who's shot slipped Petrovic's grasp and found the net for 3-2. Sadly Town had left it too late and Ossett went on to celebrate the merger club's first ever win in LS25.
The games keep on coming for Paul Marshall's side, and after three games at home come four on the road starting with Saturday's visit to Hallam (kick-off 3pm).
Town team: Flatters, Zachariou (White 88), Tweddle, O. Marshall (Burgess 83), Tilsley, Emery (c), Eggleston (McAleese-Shorney 90), Allerton (Aldrich 66), C. Marshall, Patrick, Al-Jahadhmy (McGrath 78).
Cautions: Allerton 36, Tilsey 39 & 85, O. Marshall 65, McGrath 90.
Red Cards: Tilsey 85.
Attendance: 337.