A terrific second half display saw Daisy Hill come from two goals down at half time to pick up all three points from a 3-2 win at New Sirs.

Two goals from Zack Dale had put Heys in the driving seat at half time, but once James Bateman pulled a goal back for Daisy three minutes into the second half, the scene was set for a dramatic turnaround.

Bateman then levelled just before the hour mark with a shot that the assistant referee ruled had crossed the line, and then completed his hat trick 19 minutes from time to complete a remarkable comeback.

It was an outcome that had looked unlikely at half time, after Heys had dominated the first half, with striker Zack Dale in particular catching the eye.

In an impressive opening 45 minutes, Dale first came close on 14 minutes when he just missed the target with a shot from a quick throw in, but he opened the scoring on 18 minutes when he side footed home a low cross from Anthony Hall, who had outpaced the Daisy defence on the left flank.

As half time approached Dale came close with a long range effort before adding a second goal, when he reacted quickly to collect a corner kick driven low to the edge of the box by Danny Vincent, and steered a shot into the corner of the net.

Four minutes from the break, Dale was denied his hat trick by a fine save from Daisy goalkeeper Steve Dryden, who made a great reaction save at point blank range when Dale seemed certain to score.

It was a tough opening half for Daisy, and few could have guessed that the second half would deliver such a dramatic turnaround in fortune.

Within three minutes of the restart, it was game on when James Bateman latched on to Jamie Ramwell’s through ball and coolly placed the ball past the advancing Heys keeper Russell Saunders to pull a goal back for Daisy, and the momentum of the game changed from that point.

Just before the hour Daisy drew level when Jacob Ridings went on a surging run down the right flank, and squared to James Bateman whose shot appeared to have been cleared off the line by a Heys defender. But after consulting with the assistant, the referee awarded the goal.

With Heys reeling, Jamie Ramwell had two efforts in as many minutes beaten away by Heys keeper Saunders, but Saunders was beaten again with 19 minutes remaining when James Bateman picked up a pass into the box, jinked past a defender and buried a low shot in the corner of the net at the near post to complete his hat trick.

To Heys’ credit, they pushed forward looking to get back into the game, and Daisy soon had a let off when Zack Dale missed the target from eight yards after getting on the end of a left wing cross.

With 12 minutes remaining, Daisy survived once more when Bradley Sixsmith found the back of the net with an angled shot, but the goal was ruled offside by the nearside assistant.

James Bateman narrowly missed rounding off a great second half by grabbing his fourth goal of the evening four minutes from time, when his cross-cum-shot from the right wing beat Saunders and narrowly missed the far post.

But after several minutes of stoppage time, in which play swung from end to end, the final whistle blew to seal a great comeback win for Daisy.