BASINGSTOKE TOWN 1 HAYES 1
Francis Vines watched his side stop the run of home losses in a game which secured ten-man Basingstokes Conference South status, but the nerves were jangling when Hayes took advantage of a moment of madness from Stuart Searle to grab the lead from the penalty spot just four minutes from the end of the game, only for Lewis Cook to equalise with a penalty two minutes into the ten minutes of stoppage time played as the game reached a dramatic finale which was totally out of contrast with the rest of the game.
This was another scrappy encounter on a bone-hard Camrose surface, and the visitors adapted to the conditions better in the opening half-hour. Kevin Warners 30 yard effort flew over the bar, and Michael Bartley scuffed his shot wide under pressure from Neville Stamp after a good through ball by Daniel Dyer had given the striker a sight of goal. Kieran Knight also tried his luck from distance, but again failed to trouble Stuart Searle.
The first home effort of note didnt arrive until the 23rd minute. Neville Stamps well-struck free-kick was fumbled by Kevin Davies in the Missioners goal but the keeper recovered in time to snap up the loose ball before James Taylor or Giuseppe Sole could intervene. David Ray then extended Davies with a rising 22 yard strike, but the referee had blown his whistle as the shot was released to allow attention to a Hayes player. Taylor then played a neat one-two with Sole on the edge of the box, but mishit under pressure having cut-back onto his left foot to create the space for a shot. Taylor also rose well to meet a cross by Matt Ottley, but again failed to hit the target.
As the half closed, there were a couple of chances for the visitors to break the deadlock. Dyers pace got him goalside of Stamp, but as the defender got back to force him wide, the angle became too acute, and he could only hit the ball straight at Searle who was covering his near post. Kevin Warner also had a 23-yard free-kick which deflected off the home wall and went for a corner, which finished with Orlando Jeffrey heading wide of the goal when unmarked at the far post.
The second half was even less entertaining than the first, with both sides making plenty of unforced errors, and chances remaining at a premium. Lee Molyneaux provided a centre which Danny Brown knocked back across the face of goal. Taylor tried the overhead kick, but failed to connect with any real power, and Davies had a comfortable save. David Ray did force a save from the Missioners keeper just on the hour mark, as the home side seemed to be getting the upper hand for the first time in the game without really threatening to take it by the scruff of the neck.
Jeffreys second header missed the target again, and Jamie Gosling produced the save of the game out of Davies with a 25-yard set-piece effort, which the keeper did well to push around the post low to his left. Davies again came to his sides rescue as he judged the bounce better than his marker, and got a header on goal. The Hayes goalkeeper did enough to get his body in the way though, and blocked from point blank range.
Hayes threw Mark Dennison into the fray to try and salvage something from a game which was threatening to peter out in a goalless draw with neither side threatening a goal. The sub made an instant impact, although not in the way it was intended. Dennison and Searle tussled for a bouncing ball in the home box which the Basingstoke keeper finally claimed after three attempts. Searle then had a rush of blood to the head and lashed out with an arm at the Hayes player when he comfortably had the ball in his grasp. Referee Barnes was left with no alternative to red card Searle, and award a penalty, which Kieran Knight gratefully converted sending sub keeper Andrew Smallpiece the wrong way - to put Hayes in sight of three crucial points with four minutes of normal time remaining.
Vines reacted by throwing on Lewis Cook and Ben Wright in a desperate attempt to salvage something from the game. Cooks contribution was the telling one, and in the second minute of stoppage time, he sent over a fine cross to the far post where David Ray rose to head. Davies was fractionally late to the punch, catching Ray in the process. The visitors joy turned to horror as the referee awarded the Camrose Blues a lifeline with another penalty. Cook stepped up to convert, and end the barren spell of five home Conference South games without a point, and 280 minutes of league action without a goal at the Camrose. |
