Wealdstone 2 – 2 Heybridge Swifts
Wealdstone
2 - 2
Heybridge SwiftsA game of two halves if ever there was one!
A Stones side that was already depleted was made further so when Robin Tucker broke down with a recurrence of a hamstring injury in training, Brian Jones fell ill late in the week and Paul Coyne and Nobby Michnowicz were also unavailable, but at least Martin Carter was able to return after a virus.
In the first half hour though it looked as though both sides were struggling a little with the wet and blustery conditions – Stones certainly struggled to create anything going forward as Jolly and Beckford were fed only scraps and at the other end, better finishing may have seen the visitors take the lead from a number of attempts.
As it was Heybridge scored two goals in five minutes, both the result of poor defending. the first on 29 minutes saw Carter save well and the follow up blocked only for the ball to run to Sigere – no-one closed him down and he shot home from 7 yards. Five minutes later and a cross was met well by Griffiths who had peeled off of his man to make the score 2-0.
At this point Stones became ragged and for ten minutes did little to show they could get back into the game, but late on the half they rallied although to no effect as Rutherford saved well on two occasions.
The second half saw the introduction of Carvell and positional changes for Cahill, Carter and O’Leary which steadied Stones at the back, and they duly pressed on. Martin Carter and Richard Jolly thwarted twice early on then Jolly again bringing a reaction save from the visiting keeper.
A double substitution on 66 minutes bought jeers from a section of the crowd as Beckford was replaced by Alexander, but some cheer was brought back on 72 minutes when Ryan slid home a Burrell free kick to make the score 2-1. Five minutes on and the scores were level as McKeown cut in front of his marker to touch home another Burrell cross, and it was stones that were in the ascendancy as the game came to a close, finishing 2-2.
Harrow Times – Steve Paull
SO poor were Wealdstone in the first half of this game that everybody to do with the club would have jumped at the offer of a draw. As it was, a much improved second half performance achieved just that.
The defensive frailties, so prominent for the majority of this season, were evident from the off as the speed of Heybridge’s forwards exposed the left side of the Stones defence on several occasions.
Time and again Jason Shaw and Dave Ryan were left standing as Edwards brought the entire defence into a state of panic.
Luckily the final pass was poor and for half an hour neither goalkeeper was tested. Richard Jolly fired Stones only chance over and a last-gasp Lee O’Leary block from Sigere stopped Heybridge converting their solitary opportunity.
But the goals came eventually: a goalmouth scramble fell to Sigere, whose forward prod went through Andy Carter’s legs and into the net to the surprise of all, not least the scorer.
The second five minutes later was a textbook header by Griffiths from a right wing cross. But once again where was the marking? Wealdstone had shown very little in attack to counter this and, had Edwards scored a third on the stroke of half-time, the game would have been over.
But after rounding Carter, his shot did not have sufficient power to elude a last-ditch slide from Chris Cahill.
Playing with the stiff breeze and with some re-organisation of personnel, it was a different Wealdstone in the second period.
Heybridge seemed content with what they had achieved adding to the “game of two halves” scenario.
Jolly’s shot hit keeper Rutherford and rebounded for a corner. Minutes later, the same players were involved with the same result.
Returning skipper Martin Carter then put a good chance wide.
The substitution of Jermaine Beckford was greeted with boos as Wealdstone changed things around even more, but with two goals in rapid succession it achieved the desired effect.
Ryan got on the end of Gary Burrell’s free kick to lower the deficit, and five minutes later, Gary McKeown equalised with a near post shot from another Burrell cross, this time low from the left .
In a tense final few minutes the game could have gone either way. The best chance fell to the visitors: Carter’s full length acrobatic dive stopping Shinn’s effort.
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