Earley Gunners battled their way to a 3-3 draw against high flying Abbey Rangers Res.
Gunners made the worst possible start when the opposition were awarded a penalty in the first minute. A long ball was throw into the Gunners box which Paul Ali headed away, the ball went straight in the air and fell back onto Pauls arm which was by his side, nobody appealed for the penalty yet it was awarded by the referee. Abbey duly converted this.
However, this bad luck made Gunners more determined to battle harder and they soon were back in the match when Dave Owen flicked the ball onto Danny who slotted home from the edge of the box.
Gunners also had a further chance to score when Danny flicked the ball onto Paul Ali who chested the ball past the opponent but shot too close to the keeper who saved from close range.
Gunners then took the lead when Mark Firmager sent a long goal kick downfield which Dave Owen chased and flicked over the keeper. The half time score was 2-1.
In the second half, Gunners continued to work hard but Abbey pulled a goal back when a cross was not cleared from the box and Abbey scored from close range.
Abbey then put Gunners under some pressure although Paul Marten played well to clearaway some loose balls played over the top.
The Gunners midfield battled on especially through debutant Paul Stout and Gunners did create a couple of opportunities.
Gunners then took the lead when Matt Rees set up Dave Owen for the score. Gunners could have finished the game off when Dave Owen hit the cross bar.
Gunners began to play some neat football especially along the right hand side and they created some crosses into the box from this area.
Abbey pushed more men forward in search of an equaliser and got their reward when they headed in from a corner with about five minutes to go.
Despite only gaining one point, this was a good battling performance from Gunners where every player gave a good level of effort and played the game in a positive manner.
"Man of the Match" went to Paul Stout for a great game in the heart of midfield with Paul Marten coming a close second.
Match Facts:
MOM : P Stout
Goals : D Owen (2), D Deeks (1)
Team
