Six goal thriller, Maxwell grabs two to complete reserves comeback

Eastleigh 2nd XI 3-3 Hillingdon Borough Res.

Suburban Premier League

TEAM: Andy Wynn, Sam Longman, Sam Doswell, Cedric Ngakum, Jason Sangha, Perry Mullins, Adam Wiltshire, James Screen, Les Wallace, Scott Waters, Joe Maxwell

SUBS: Keelan Sainsbury (on for Waters 4), Justin Hall (on for Screen 63), JasonBrookes (on for Doswell 78)

Match Report by Jamie Montigue
Joe Maxwell netted two second half goals as Eastleigh reserves came back from 3-1 down to mark a terrific comeback in a thoroughly entertaining game.

Sadly the Spitfires lost striker Scott Waters just four minutes into the game as he went down under a heavy challenge and had to be carried off, before being rushed to hospital for treatment to an open wound on his shin.

Keelan Sainsbury came on to replace Waters and Les Wallace moved into the attack where he was in fine form threatening the Hillingdon defence with his direct running and pace.

Eastleigh actually found the back of the net with just nine minutes on the clock as Wallace had a shot from the right spilled and parried kindly to Joe Maxwell who turned the ball home only for an offside decision to rule out the 'goal'.

The hosts kept plugging away with Wallace again being denied, this time the goalkeeper held the powerful effort from the edge of the area.

LES WALLACE deservedly got his name on the scoresheet in the 16th minute. His initial shot was charged down but the Australian made no mistake from the rebound as he poked the ball over the line from close range to give Eastleigh a 1-0 lead.

Sam Doswell came close to extending the advantage with a good header from a James Screen corner but was denied by a brilliant goalline clearance.

There was no let up as the attacks and chances kept coming from Eastleigh, Hillingdon were mere spectators. Maxwell turned the ball behind following a good low cross from Perry Mullins, and then was thwarted by a well placed defender on the goalline moments later in the 33rd minute.

The goalscorer Wallace played a great ball out to the right to find Mullins whose stinging shot was too hot to handle for the Hillingdon goalkeeper. Maxwell followed up with the rebound but was denied by a fine defensive header over the cross bar.

Having had so much pressure throughout the half it was disappointing to have let the lead slip and then fall behind all within the space of five minutes coming up to the end of the first half.

Equalising in the 38th minute with a simple tap in from a corner kick, Hillingdon went one better to go 2-1 ahead just two minutes before the break. A free kick from the left hand side was deflected past Wynn and into the net as Eastleigh could only sit back and watch all their good work come undone.

HALF TIME: Eastleigh 2nd XI 1-2 Hillingdon Borough Res.

Eastleigh had a chance to pull level three minutes into the second half when centre Cedric Ngakum’s long clearance bounce awkwardly for the Hillingdon defender allowing Wallace to get to the ball first and attempt to loop the ball over the keeper but didn’t quite execute it.

The visitors celebrated a third goal in the 54th minute, a goal which gave them a two-goal cushion and was a joy to watch whichever team you were supporting. The holding midfield player sprayed a pinpoint 35-yard pass across to the left to pick out his centre forward who did all the rest with a sensational finish from a tight angle to steer the ball past the stranded Wynn and into the top corner.

Those that might have written Eastleigh’s chances off at this point were proven wrong as the Sptifires dug deep to pull themselves back into the game.

On the hour Mullins’ through ball found Maxwell in space, the Eastleigh striker got his shot away though it deflected safely through to the keeper.

Two minutes later, Eastleigh had a breakthrough and reduced the deficit. Sam Longman delivered a quality free kick from the near side to pick out the run of Maxwell to perfection. MAXWELL finished clinically with an excellent header. 2-3.

JOE MAXWELL completed the fightback with his second of the game, the leveller almost a carbon copy of the goal five minutes earlier. It was the same combination with Longman again put another great ball into the area, where Maxwell stole in to glance a fine header into the back of the net.

This is how it stayed but either side could have won it from this point, in particular Eastleigh who had the ascendancy and looked the more likely to come out with three points.

A long kick from Wynn saw Maxwell underneath it, the two-goal striker in search of his hattrick, but this time he tamely headed the ball into the safety of the goalkeepers arms.

In the 73rd minute, Maxwell still might have capped his performance with three goals when he was left with a free header at the back post from a Perry Mullins free kick, but he headed narrowly wide.

Wallace worked the ball across the pitch from right to left with a good run before finding Doswell in an advanced position on the left flank. The Eastleigh full back drove the ball comfortably wide.

Into the last ten minutes, it was still all Eastleigh but they couldn’t quite find a deciding goal despite good attempts from Mullins and Wallace.

They will settle for the 3-3 scoreline however as it looked at one point that they were down and out and would have been were it not for their determination and character, which shone through to get themselves a well earned point.

FULL TIME: Eastleigh 2nd XI 3-3 Hillingdon Borough