Bailey Stevenson had put the Hertfordshire side 1-0 up on 77 minutes before Chi sub Olly Munt levelled to make it all square.
Miles Rutherford, Dabba and Co were forced to make several changes to the starting XI that defeated league leaders Billericay away last Saturday and then Folkestone Invicta to move two points behind the play-off places. The Lillywhites were missing injured keeper Kieran Magee so Dorking loanee Magnus Norman lined up between the sticks again as he had in that 3-1 victory midweek against Folkestone, with Ben Pashley and Ethan Prichard also out.
Jake Scrimshaw, Charlie Bennett and Billy Williams joined Magee and Munt on the bench.
The ten-man Scholars beat Chichester 4-3 in the reverse fixture back in November in a game that ebbed back and forth with a 94th minute winner.
Here at Oaklands, a cagey first half ended goalless with neither team able to really exert themselves.
Joe Moore hooked away a Joe Payne throw-in in the first minute before Ryan Davidson headed clear.
Some other early pressure was dealt with by the hosts as Ronnie Henry got in but the ball went out for a goal kick.
Emmett Dunn linked up with Isaac Bello but Bar conceded a throw and then Mo Jammeh and Chi skipper Rob Hutchings combined only for the visitors to cut it out and Steve Cawley, who scored twice in that previous game between the two teams, won the first corner of the match.
Dead ball specialist Payne took this but Davidson steered it away.
Top scorer Jimmy Wild was flagged offside after Lloyd Rowlatt flicked the ball on to him and Cawley also got adjudged offside in the next move.
Next, Davidson headed comfortably back to Norman and a Bello cross went out for a goal kick as the home side pressed.
Hayles got a talking to by the ref for a foul on Rowlatt and custodian Cian Moore cleared the subsequent set-piece for a Chichester throw.
Wild, looking for his 30th goal in all competitions, had more time than he thought when Bello and Rowlatt exchanged passes and shot wide of the mark.
Payne picked up the game’s first yellow card after Joe Clarke went down following a fracas on 14 and then Wild had the ball in the back of the net but was deemed offside.
The home side cleared a Scholars’ free-kick before Stevenson’s effort brushed the stanchion.
Next, Stevenson caught Hutchings for a Chi set-piece and Davidson denied captain Joe Re on the goal-line at the mid-point.
Centre back Curtis Da Costa blocked a Cawley effort moments later and an offside Bello got flagged when Wild and Rowlatt combined.
Three chances came and went for Chichester as the ball pinballed around on 24 and ended up in Moore’s gloves.
And at the other end the hosts had a Re cross to clear before Ikechi Eze hit one high and wide on the half hour.
Wild then did Hayles and picked out Bello who drove off target, and a Bar free-kick was turned away by Dunn.
Keeper Moore had no trouble collecting a poor pass and Payne’s shot was well off at the Tennis Club end.
A decent delivery got easily claimed by Moore after Clarke, Jammeh and Dunn tried to get things going, and Bello was pulled up for offside for the third time five minutes ahead of the break.
Reece Beckles-Richards joined Payne in the ref’s notepad on 41 and Da Costa diverted a cross before Jammeh intervened to give away a corner which Hayles struck over the cross bar.
And the first 45 drew to a close when Wild headed out another Payne corner.
There weren’t any changes at the break and the Sussex side started the brighter of the two as Rowlatt had a header after a Bello bomb of a throw but the Scholars cleared.
Chi won a corner after Wild and Bello combined down the flank and then another on the other side which Rowlatt swung in only for Wild to head wide.
Moore saved one on the line as Potters Bar threatened and Payne thumped a wayward shot in the follow up.
Neat stuff from Dunn led to a Wild effort from outside the box before Re was booked, and his consequent cross fell to an offside teammate.
Wild spurned an opportunity to shoot first time after a fine Bello run and picked up a knock in the process and was replaced by Scrimshaw up top.
Rowlatt got booked for an unfair challenge on Dylan Adjei-Hersey in the 67th minute before Hutchings blazed one over the bar and Beckles-Richards came off for Khale Da Costa with 20 of normal time to go.
The Bar sub skewed an effort moments later and Eze hit a drive over the woodwork.
Next, Norman had a Stevenson attempt to contain and Jammeh struck a shot off target too.
Eze cleared and the loose ball was hacked away following good work from Rowlatt, and Munt replaced Jammeh.
Stevenson grabbed the opener on 77 minutes when he timed his run to perfection and outdid Davidson to strike home beyond the despairing Norman.
Potters Bar’s Da Costa twisted and turned as the visitors pressed again but the Chi back line managed to clear despite three attempts and a nice move by the hosts led to a super Scrimshaw chance that he fired wide.
Bello, Dunn and Munt hooked up for another opportunity that was blocked before Munt scored the equaliser which was given after the ref consulted his assistant – the ball was clearly a foot or so over the Bar goal line though.
Hayles got booked and then unmarked, with four minutes of normal time to go, smashed in a powerful header from a corner.
Bennett replaced Clarke as Chichester rolled the dice and Stevenson’s shot was easy enough for Norman as we entered five minutes of additional time, although the hosts couldn’t find an equaliser.
Next up for Chi is a match away on Non-League Day at Hastings United on Saturday 22nd March (Kick Off 3pm).
Chichester – Norman, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Davidson, Rowlatt, Clarke, Wild, Bello, Jammeh. (Munt, Scrimshaw, Bennett, Williams, Magee)
