Beavers steal last gasp winner

HAMPTON & RICHMOND BOROUGH v EASTLEIGH



SATURDAY 7th MARCH 2009
Blue Square South

Report by Ray Murphy

With seven minutes of this top of the table Blue Square South fixture remaining, Eastleigh were holding a single goal lead which in reality saw a league table that had Eastleigh in third place, ten points clear inside the play off places in the Division, with second placed Hampton & Richmond Borough some eight points behind top of the table A F C Wimbledon with only nine games to play. A dramatic final seven minutes of normal time plus three minutes of stoppage time in which two players from the home side were dismissed by referee Mr John Scott and two goals to their credit, saw Hampton cut that lead on A F C Wimbledon to five points and the ‘The Dons’ still to visit The Beveree Stadium, they firmly have their eyes on the championship. Eastleigh still remain in the play off places with a seven-point cushion.

It was always going to be a hard afternoon for The Spitfires. With Steve Clark, Jamie Brown and Trevor Challis suspended, they also had Anthony Riviere, Tony Taggart, Jonny Dixon, Tom Jordan, Andy Harris and Andy Forbes on the sidelines with injuries. With the threadbare squad at his disposal, manager Ian Baird had to draft in Gavin Heeroo for his debut after signing from Sutton United in midweek whilst the substitutes bench featured two eighteen year olds as well as a year older Chris Flood recently released by Queens Park Rangers and also 35 year old Martin Thomas who has not played any football since last September and not appeared in an Eastleigh first team since December 2006.

Eastleigh started brightly, Bertie Brayley who had been struggling with flu all week, and playing in an unfamiliar wide role saw his cross half cleared and Heeroo's low shot was deflected for a corner. From the Ashley Carew corner Neil Sharp headed over. With nine minutes played a cross from Marcello Fernandes was flicked on by Lawrence Yaku only for John Scarborough to shoot wide of the target for the home side that had lost at home in midweek for the first time in sixteen league games.

On fourteen minutes Hampton goalkeeper Matt Lovett was quickly off his line to clear away from Matt Groves following an inch perfect through ball from Carew. Two minutes later Jason Matthews jumped with Hampton centre forward Ian Hodges for the ball, the ball falling for Stuart Lake who turned his shot wide of the post.

Shaun McAuley had an effort that was pushed away by Matthews on twenty-one minutes the ball arriving again for Stuart Lake but Matthews was repositioned to make another save. A minute later and Eastleigh were ahead. The elegant Peter Adeniyi strode away on the left hand side; he wrong footed his defender before sending in a cross to the near post where Groves diverted in with the help of a slight deflection off Ryan Lake to give Eastleigh the advantage.

The goal gave the home side more impetus. A long drop kick from Lovett was sliced by Luke Byles allowing Yaku a run on goal but Matthews was equal to the striker's attempt. Yaku also collected another long Lovett clearance but again Matthews denied the striker. On forty minutes Dean Wells’ long throw was cleared to the edge of the Eastleigh box but only allowing Hampton midfielder Francis Quarm to strike but his effort was just over the bar. As the interval approached Eastleigh relieved the pressure and Warren Goodhind's cross was headed over by Brett Williams.

Within three minutes of the restart Yaku had taken the ball round Matthews but Sharp recovered to assist his goalkeeper and so kept the Eastleigh lead in tact. Two minutes later and with Matthews off his line Yaku lofted an effort over the top of the keeper but also just over the bar. A long drive from Quarm on fifty-four minutes skimmed the top of the netting and five minutes later a short corner played by Hampton saw the ball arrive at the far post where Stuart Lake again failed to hit the target.

Goodhind had a half volley saved by Lovett on sixty-three minutes but it was the home side that were having the majority of the play. On sixty-six minutes Fernandes' free kick was met by the head of Orlando Jeffery but Matthews tipped the ball over the bar.

Arguably the turning point of the game came on sixty-eight minutes. Heeroo’s challenge on McAuley saw the midfielder earn his second yellow card of the afternoon thus bringing his debut to an abrupt end. Thomas was brought into the action at the expense of Brayley to cover the midfielder’s loss.

On eighty-three minutes Hampton did get their equaliser. For the first time in the afternoon, the Eastleigh defence lacked just a slight bit of concentration. Ryan Lake and Quarm played a short corner allowing Quarm to stride into the area before firing home a low shot past Matthews. The midfielder threw his shirt in the air in celebration that earned him a yellow card.

Eighty-seven minutes on the clock. Adeniyi played the ball through the Hampton defence allowing Groves a clear run on goal only to be hauled back by Ryan Lake. Lake became the second player of the afternoon to see Mr Scott's red card, whilst Carew's free kick was saved by Lovett.

The clock was shown as only an additional two minutes of stoppage time to be played by the official in this bristling encounter. In the first minute of stoppage time, Quarm produced an untamed challenge on Thomas, which saw Mr Scott issue the player a second yellow for the afternoon joining Ryan Lake in the home team changing room.

As you thought the afternoon would not bring any more drama, there had been three minutes of stoppage time played when a long clearance from the Hampton defence saw Sharp unfortunately slip allowing Hampton substitute Kieran Knight in behind the defender who drilled a superb low left foot drive from twenty five yards across the face of Matthews into the net for the winning goal. There was only just time for the game to be restarted before the final whistle sounded leaving a highly disappointed Eastleigh side facing a Hampton crowd who could not believe what they had just witnessed and their dreams of winning the league title back into their hands.