Dan Huet struck twice as East Preston Football Club came from a goal down to beat Mile Oak at The Lashmar this afternoon.
Huet put through his own net on the half-hour but an effort at the right end in each half helped EP to a 2-1 home victory in the Southern Combination League Division 1 clash.
With East Preston starting the day a point and a place below Oak in fifth, the win moves them above and two points clear of their opponents with two games in hand on them.
Following a slow start on a difficult surface, the game sprung into life after 30 minutes as Joseph Benn's diagonal free-kick was headed into his own net by forward Huet. EP responded in spectacular fashion getting themselves level less than a minute later. Jared Rance received the ball on the right, he then cut in and saw his strike guided home by Huet to make it 1-1.
The second half proved to be a better spectacle with the decisive goal coming 20 minutes from the end. Great team play led to what proved to be the winner when Jazz Gilbertson fed Jack Barnes whose first time ball found Rance and great play from Rance, saw him get clear down the right, then pull back for Huet to tap home from six yards. Arron Stenning in Oak's goal pulled off three fine saves from Rance and Hayden Hunter in the following five minutes to keep his side in it.
With time running out, Mile Oak pushed men forward and came close to snatching a leveller on 88 minutes. Substitute Remi Coates found Jack Stenning in space but he dragged an effort just wide of the far post.
Manager Bob Paine said 'We showed great character today to come back from a goal down so quickly and go on and win the match. To get back on level terms so quickly was vital to the outcome of the match. I felt it was a foul on Tom Lyne for their goal but these things even themselves out over a season. Mile Oak are a good side and think we saw today two teams who tried to play football on a difficult surface which made for an entertaining match. Although the result won't finally decide if either of us finish in the top three it was a important three points for us and its now five league wins in a row.'
EAST PRESTON: Cook; Josh Parazo, Lyne, Etherington, Gilbertson; Hallett, Barnes; Rance, Franzen-Jones, Hunter; Huet. Subs: Smith (Franzen-Jones), Stevenson, Jacob Parazo, Bull, Purkis.