Dramatic Finish Sees Church Rescue a Point

Alvechurch : Jezeph, Burton (Cassidy 83), Sephton, Neto Teixeira (Ngbeken 69), Willets, Carter, Abbey, Edge, Brown (Olaloko), Concannon, Waldron subs not used: Behan, Jones
Leiston : Donkin, Marsden (Hill 20) (Fernandes 90), Dunbar. Bailey-Dennis, Jarvis, Jarvis, Saunders, Quantrell, Mills (Spooner 20), Barnes, Davies subs not used: Okpolokpo, Wright

A pretty poor quality first half finished with the first piece if real quality with a goal for the visitors in stoppage time.
Leiston pressed early on, with a couple of corners after Carter was forced to clear a dangerous cross behind his own goal. Church clear their lines, and then Jarvis heads over in another attack as all the play seems to be taking place in the Church half.
Just before the quarter hour Jezeph is forced to rush from his box to clear a claver through ball from the feet of Mills, and taking out the Leiston striker in the process, but no foul committed. The Leiston frontman is substituted just five minutes later as the visitors are forced into an early double change.

Substitute Hill slips near the half way line letting in Waldron for a run on goal, but Jarvis recovers well to get goal side and block the Churchman’s effort and divert the ball away for a corner.
Just before the half hour mark Brown and Waldron combine in the centre of the park to create an opening, but Waldron’s driven effort is straight at keeper Donkin.

The first half has been reasonably quiet for clear chances; too many misplaced passes from both sides that result in a regular turnover of possession.

Stoppage time, and a chance for Church after an interchange on the edge of the Leiston box that sets up Abbey for a curled effort on target, but again Donkin is largely untroubled.
And then to the other end, Spooner latches onto a ball out to the left flank, he drills the ball across the box, it is cleared, but Hill returns the ball with venom from 20 yards out, finding the back of the net to send Leiston in ahead at the break.

Half Time: Alvechurch 0 Leiston 1

The second period was so different.
Within two minutes Church were level courtesy of a sublime free kick effort from Sephton, 25 yards out, curled into the top corner. Game on.
Two quality strikes so far in the game, and two goals.

But within three minutes, Church were suckered to concede a second goal when Dunbar curled a ball in from wide left, and Davies glanced the ball in from eight yards to put the visitors back in front.
Church responded with a couple of half chances – a Waldron header just off target, Brown seeps a shot straight at Donkin from close range after connecting with a Waldron cross to name two.

But the game seemed to be moving out of Church’s reach on 64 minutes when Abbey was caught in possession 30 yards our, putting Church on the back foot, and a simple ball across the face of goal for a tap in for Davies from close range to open the gap to two goals.

Going two down seems to release the shackles somewhat for Church, and after a series of substitutions the impetus swings very much towards the home side. And it all came to a head on 84 minutes when the ball was pinging around the Leiston box until Waldron takes control, only to be fouled to win a penalty for Church. Leiston were aggrieved, and there were two cautions in the aftermath, and could have been more as their histrionics threatened to test to the full the patience of the referee. But Abbey kept his cool to stroke the ball in and set up a nervy finale for the visitors.

Church pounded the Leiston goal in the time remaining, and grabbed a deserved equaliser two minutes into stoppage time. Waldron got off a clean strike on target that Donkin push aside at full stretch to his right, but invitingly into the path of Ngbeken lurking at the far post, and the Church substitute made no mistake in slamming the ball home to bring the scores level.

Incredibly, there was almost a facsimile of the goal just a minute later when a Ngbeken shot forced Donkin into an identical save, and Concannon was on hand this time at the far post, but his effort was agonisingly off target and we were denied a dramatic winner.