Blues win nine-goal thriller!

Elliott Bailey’s debut goal for the club - in the second minute of added time – secured all three points for the Blues in a bizarre game where fortunes for both sides fluctuated throughout.

The opening quarter of an hour gave no clue, however, as to what was to follow. In only the first minute David Keenleyside put the finishing touches to an excellent Blues build-up. Joe Clemo, George Lutaaya and Charlie Ruff combined to set up David to come in from the left and drive an unstoppable shot into the net from 15 yards.

Then, 13 minutes later, the Blues added a deserved second when Romaric Logan scored at the near post from Tommy Wade’s cross. The scene looked to be set for a comfortable victory but, inside the next two minutes, a long ball forward caught the Blues defence off-guard and the visitors’ Abdul finished well to pull a goal back. Shortly after this, Rom Logan was forced to leave the game with an injury and it was his substitute, Tyler Hatherly, that restored the Blues’ two goal advantage. After being denied by a good save in the 30th Tyler drove a 20-yarder into the bottom corner, four minutes later.

Three – one to the good at the break, the Blues would have expected to push on and complete a handsome victory, but they couldn’t find their first-half form and, as a result, they found themselves under pressure from Bedfont side with their tails up. Their direct approach and good movement up front, transformed their game and, in the course of half-an-hour, they had turned the game on its head by scoring three goals – through Abdul, Postance and a Mills penalty – to take a 4-3 lead.

The Blues need a quick response and in the 32nd minute they thought they had achieved it when David Keenleyside was fouled in the box and a penalty awarded. With David requiring treatment for the injury he received in the tackle, Tyler Hatherly took responsibility for the kick – but droe his effort wide of the goal!

Many teams would have dropped their heads in such circumstances but not the Blues. They laid siege to the Bedfont goal and after a couple a close misses, they levelled with seven minutes of normal time remaining; David Keenleyside volleying home from Tommy Wade’s cross.

The Blues pressed forward in search of a winner but, in keeping with the game’s topsy-turvy nature, it was the visitors who next came closest when they hit the underside of the bar from a breakaway. And, as was almost inevitable, they were punished for their miss when Elliott Bailey came off the bench to score his maiden goal for the club and complete a 5-4 win for the Blues to take all three points to move within two points of third-place in the division.

Team: Lamar Johnson, Joe Clemo, Macauley Joynes, Keiran McCaffrey (Matt Thomson 85’), Jason Beck, Ollie Sharman, David Keenleyside (Elliot Bailey 85’), George Lutaaya, Tommy Wade, Charlie Ruff, and Romaric Logan (Tyler Hatherly 28’).

Subs not used: Charlie Mann and Mark Twumasi.