Wealdstone 4 – 4 Truro City
Wealdstone
4 - 4
Truro City
Wealdstone came away from this remarkable and frenetic clash with the feeling that they had lost the match having seen a 4-0 lead incredibly overturned by a never say die Truro City, the dramatic equaliser coming deep in added time from Ryan Brett.
With hardly ten minutes of normal time remaining Stones had held a three goal ‘cushion’. Their disappointment and frustration at the end of the match was palpable. Gordon Bartlett was plain angry. Very angry.
The conditions, however, played a huge part in this highly entertaining match with a powerful and gusting wind making matters very difficult for the both sides in respective halves.
Stones got off to the best possible of starts when after only 4 minutes Matt Ball picked the ball up some 25 yards from goal and smashed a low strike past surprised keeper Martin Rice who perhaps should have done better.
With the wind at their backs the home side had the advantage and held the majority of the possession. But City showed some dangerous play in rare counter attacks with the main threat coming from the rangy Brett who went very close on 18 minutes. Stones hit back but only a soft header from Jefferson Louis prevented the home side from doubling their lead after good build up play.
But Wealdstone did score again – a great Matt Ball pass allowed the advancing Louis to bully his way past two challenges and he rifled home with aplomb with 8 minutes remaining in the half.
It got better for Stones just before the break when Matty Harriott tapped home after Rice had initially saved Hudson-Odoi’s angled effort to make it 3-0.
In the second half the expected onslaught from The Tigers didn’t happen early on as Stones thought they had effectively sewn up the match when Louis forced an own goal at the near post from Arrran Pugh for 4-0.
The home side thought they were cruising but the Tigers were starting to growl. Home keeper Joe Taylor pulled off a fantastic point blank save to maintain the differential.
The away side to their credit had always looked very capable of pulling a goal or two back and their luck in front of goal changed and dramatically as the match wore on with Stones dropping back with the midfield losing their grip.
Issac Vassell started the come-back on 58 minutes, and then Pugh atoned with Tigers second with only 10 minutes remaining. A miracle turnaround still appeared unlikely but when Jake Ash scored with a superb free kick the impossible almost looked inevitable as Wealdstone appeared shell shocked and unable to hold the ball in midfield to relieve the pressure.
To the delight of their travelling fans, Brett equalised for Truro deep in added time to end a breathless match. Great stuff for City; not so for Stones who will be very concerned as to how such a lead could be frittered away so wantonly.
Wealdstone: Taylor, McLeod-Urquhart, Binns, Parker, Cadmore, Godfrey, Ball, Harriott, Louis, Davies, Hudson-Odoi (Orenuga 78). Subs not used: Lucien, Duffy, Maitrepierre, Parsons
Nick DuGard WFC Press Officer
Alan Palmer Match Pics HERE