A stirring second half fightback by ten-man Feltonmix Metro turned a 1-0 half-time deficit into a 3-2 victory over Bay Olympic at Albie Turner Field on May 15, in the first game of the Bluebird Premier League's ninth round.
Bay had beaten Metro home and away last season, and there was nothing in the home team's first half showing to suggest that the formbook was going to be turned around on this occasion, as the visitors smothered the usually rampant Metro attack with what amounted to a blanket defence.
As well, Bay were when the occasion allowed, swinging forward onto the attack themselves, and it was on such a raid in the sixteenth minute that they opened the scoring. Jason Root was released down the left by Hamish Carmody, only for John Lawler to intervene with a clumsy challenge from behind which was at least deserving of, and duly received, a stern ticking-off from referee Ian Hiscox.
Root's free-kick was clipped into the near post, where Craig Smith ghosted in to head home as Grant Schofield attempted to punch clear.
Metro's most promising move of the half came on the half-hour, with Hoani Edwards releasing the hard-working Carl Jorgensen. After beating one defender, he squared the ball for Steve Nickson, who had time and space aplenty in the penalty area to pick his spot. But his wayward effort sailed past Triss Clark's left-hand upright, the 'keeper not even having to dive to cover the shot.
In the 34th minute came what was to prove the turning point in the match. Lawler, having been booked for another marginal challenge three minutes after his early warning, failed to make contact with both the ball and, thankfully, the outstretched leg of the challenging opponent as he hurtled in for the ball with his studs showing. Referee Hiscox was right on top of the incident, and had no hesitation in brandishing a yellow card, followed by a red one.
As he was heading for the dressing rooms, however, abuse directed at him by a spectator saw Lawler respond in a manner which left a great deal to be desired - all in all, an unnecessary blemish on an otherwise entertaining evening for players and spectators alike.
A goal and a man down at half-time, Metro's player-coach, Sean Hird, picked up the pieces and put together a puzzle which Bay's smothering tactics were not geared to counter. Initially, however, the visitors held sway, and only a timely tackle by Nigel Curties on Carmody prevented Bay from stretching their lead to 2-0 in the 55th minute.
A minute later, Metro were level. Schofield's clearance following the previous incident saw Edwards race down the left before cutting in and firing a low shot across the diving Clark and just inside the far post.
Parity was short-lived, as Bay regained the lead within ninety seconds. A slip by John Van Dort allowed Carmody in on goal with just Schofield to beat. The goalkeeper lost his footing as well, and the youngster relished the chance to run the ball into an empty net - 2-1.
Seconds after Jorgensen sent a screamer sailing a foot over the top, Schofield produced a fine save on the hour to foil Root, the wide man having been picked out by an inch-perfect Darron Jackson crossfield ball.
Geoff Gray fired a difficult volley narrowly wide two minutes later, as Metro began to assert themselves. Their efforts were rewarded in the seventieth minute with an absolute snorter!
Nickson gathered the ball near halfway and set sail for goal, cutting a swathe through the retreating defence before, twenty yards out from the target, unleashing a piledriver which whizzed past Clark and didn't stop until it found the bottom right-hand corner of his net - a fine strike!
Suddenly, it was all Metro. Nickson and Willie Thompson both tried their hand at long-range efforts, while a despairing tackle by Darren Ashwell denied Nickson in the 76th minute as he prepared to pull the trigger.
Nickson was in again in the 83rd minute, his glancing header of Edwards' tantalising free-kick creeping just past the upright, but in stoppage time, the striker snatched all three points for the league leaders with virtually the last kick of the game.
Bay had battled extremely well to retain what would have been a justified point, so it was most unfortunate for them that one of their most reliable defenders, Chris Gwin, should miskick his clearance under pressure from Nickson, allowing the striker to bury the ball beyond Clark from eight yards. 3-2 Metro - a stirring comeback against the odds.
Metro: G. Schofield; Lawler (booked 19, 34 - sent-off), Van Dort, J. Thompson, Curties; W. Thompson, (Hird, 84), Edwards, Jorgensen, Beckham (Richards, 77); Nickson, Gray.
Bay: Clark; Ashwell, Gwin, Nola, Miller (booked, 48); Green (Howell, 60), Smith, Jackson (booked, 66), Root (Davis, 89); H. Carmody, A. Schofield (J. Carmody, 65).
Referee: Ian Hiscox

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