Shelley second half comeback floors Daisy

Daisy Hill are still searching for their first home win of 2020 after going down 3-1 at home to Shelley.

Both sides contributed to a fast and free flowing game that was played out in front of the biggest crowd of the season at New Sirs, but it was a case of what might have been for the home side.

A goal ahead at half time, Daisy will look back and reflect on several good chances that were spurned, before Shelley turned the game round with three goals in the space of nine minutes.

The game burst into life right from the first blast of the referee's whistle, and a fast paced first half saw both sides create a good number of goalscoring opportunities.

Daisy began well, and after a long range effort from Jake O'Brien flew wide of the target in the third minute, he turned creator three minutes later when his cross into the box found Hensley Mills unmarked, but the skipper steered his header wide of the far post.

Daisy kept up the pressure, and on 20 minutes, a characteristically strong run into the box from Jacob Ridings led to him pulling the ball back into the path of Jamie Ramwell, whose shot was deflected for a corner.

Within a minute, there was action at the other end when Daisy keeper Cameron Allison was called into action to make a double save from Shelley's Matthew Walker and Samuel Awty as the visitors posed their first attacking threat.

But it was Daisy who continued to enjoy the better of the first half exchanges, and after Jordan Hussey headed wide from a Hensley Mills free kick, they finally broke the deadlock four minutes before half time.

A ball played into the box found Jamie Ramwell, and the striker held the ball up before laying a pass into the path of Jake O'Brien, who slotted home from eight yards.

A minute before the break, Daisy almost doubled their advantage from a fine sweeping move, which was started by a great crossfield pass from Jacob Ridings to Jamie Ramwell wide on the left flank.

Ramwell got past the defender and drove the ball low into the box to find Ridings, who had continued his run, but his shot was collected comfortably by Shelley keeper Paul Day.

The half time break did little to slow the pace of the game down, and both sides created good chances within minutes of the restart.

Daisy were almost caught out by a quickly taken free kick that played Shelley full back Jack Tinker through on goal, but he fired a well struck shot just wide of the far post.

Play then moved straight up to the other end, and Jake O'Brien came close to grabbing his second goal of the game when he just failed to connect with a Danny Warburton free kick.

Just after the hour O'Brien was desperately unlucky again when he was denied by a fine save by Shelley keeper Day, who leapt acrobatically to push away a free kick at full stretch.

Up to that point it had been a good hour of football from Daisy, but the game turned on its head in the space of nine minutes.

The equaliser arrived on 65 minutes, and began with a neat build up down the right flank, which created a shooting opportunity for Shelley's Alex O'Keefe, who buried the ball into the net at the second attempt after his first shot was blocked.

Five minutes later, the visitors took the lead for the first time, when substitute Jacob Robertson had time and space to pick up a pass, advance towards the edge of the box, and pick his spot with a low shot into the far corner.

Within another four minutes Shelley scored again, with Matthew Waller's right wing cross being headed past Allison in the Daisy goal by centre half Adam Daffern.

It nearly got even worse for Daisy 14 minutes from the end when Alex O'Keefe hit the top of the crossbar with a shot after cutting in from the right, and although Daisy battled manfully to the end, the visitors from West Yorkshire held out to claim a hard fought win.