Sylvans goalkeeper Ashley Williams made a vital save from Rob Wakeham’s volley to keep his side on level terms just moments before they went down the other end and took the lead. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0647633)
Vale Rec 1, Sylvans 2
VALE REC left their comeback too late to salvage a point last night at the Corbet Field.
Instead, Sylvans went away happy with all three from a particularly scrappy affair which was low in quality. The hosts had had ample opportunities to score within the 90 minutes but squandered all of them and it was not until injury time that they finally found the net to start the butterflies quivering in their opponents’ stomachs.
Even that goal was a messy one as substitute Tom de Garis went to meet Mark Ramsden’s low, inswinging corner and the ball found its way through a maze of legs and crept over the line.
But the visitors were not about to allow their hard work to go to waste and they firmly battened down the hatches to see out the remaining four minutes of stoppage time.
Earlier, Lee Renouf had given the westerners a slender one-goal half-time advantage from close range after being set up by Tom Stanley’s excellent work down the right on 27min.
By that point Rec had already wasted two golden chances – Dave Cusack heading wide when unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box and Rory Moriarty hitting the post from inside it – while Rob Wakeham’s well-executed volley had forced Ash Williams into a fine save.
Before the break, Karl Bisson saw his lob headed off the line by Jamie Le Cheminant while Jody Bisson denied Danny Watts at the other end.
Unfortunately, shortly afterwards the Sylvans striker took a knock to the back of the head and was visibly dazed as he left the ground at the interval.
Vinny de Carteret replaced him for the second half as Clive Bateman pushed Brady Lesbirel forward and the youngster proved as adept in attack as he is in defence with 20 minutes remaining.
Blane Queripel’s through ball released Lesbirel, he took his shot early and found the bottom corner to double the lead.
For much of the remainder of the game it looked as if Rec could play all night and not score, until that injury time goal gave them some hope. It was short-lived though.
Article posted on 23rd October, 2008 - 2.29pm
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