Late goal denies Waterhouse again
published:
Monday | April 28, 2008
Ainsley Walters, Freelance Reporter
Waterhouse's Jonathan Williams
MIDFIELDER LeVaughn Williams last night broke Water-house hearts with a 90th minute goal, his second of the match, hauling Sporting Central from two goals down to earn a point at Drewsland.
Playing a rare early game in front a sparse crowd due to ongoing violence in the Waterhouse community, the homesters rushed to a 2-0 lead after 31 minutes in the top-six Premier league match-up.
After having to wait for more than an hour due to the late arrival of referees, Waterhouse goals from Kirk Ramsey in the 17th and Jonathan Williams in the 31st.
Eyeing maximum points to challenge Harbour View for fourth spot, fifth-place Waterhouse thought they were well on their way after going in 2-0 up at the break.
Substitute scored
However, Sporting Central's coach, Christopher Dawes, whose team was handicapped with four players from last Wednesday's 1-0 win over Tivoli out on cards, made a telling double substitution at half-time.
It was one of the substitutes, André Allen, who broke down the right flank and squared inside for LeVaughn Williams to fire in his first goal from near the penalty spot.
The fresh legs had Sporting Central looking stronger in the second half, but Waterhouse still looked comfortable before giving up a heart-rending goal seconds away from the final whistle.
Referee Dwight Royal honoured Sporting Central's appeal for a penalty after spotting a ball handled by Marco McDonald inside Waterhouse's box in the 90th minute.
Midfielder Jevaughn Watson stepped up to take the shot, but was unnerved by goalie Maurice Evans dancing on his line.
Evans blocked Watson's shot with his feet but Williams, streaking in on the left side of the box, pounced on the rebound and fired past the Waterhouse 'keeper after dribbling a couple paces forward.
Coach Wayne Fairclough blamed the draw on what he described as yet another lapse in concentration on his team's part.
"A concentration problem in the defensive third has, for the past seven to eight games, cost us a match," he said.
Meanwhile, Dawes admitted his team played below par in the first half. "The first half was not good but the second half was excellent," he said. "We injected a few young players and they gave us the energy."
The draw moved Waterhouse to 47 points, but still fifth in the table whereas Sporting Central remained competitive on 43, still in with a chance to finish higher with three games left in the Premiership.
