Ryman Div One North
Aveley 2 v 1 Needham Market
By Scott Hately
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/aveley
The Millers once again produced some injury-time heroics with a 93rd minute Junior Appiah goal stealing a vital three points against Needham Market.
Junior Appiah’s goal, three minutes into injury, was the sixth time this season that the Millers have scored in the 90th minute or later, and the goal proved vital as it sent Aveley up to second in the table behind unbeaten Maldon and Tiptree.
Aveley, normally such fast starters at home, found themselves having to come from behind thanks to a rocket of a shot from Kieran Leabon after just seven minutes.
Jordan Cox leveled proceedings – notching up his tenth goal of the season in all competitions – 20 minutes later, turning in a Junior Dadson cross, and that looked to be the way the scores were going to stay until another late show from the home side.
The Millers have a lot to thank goalkeeper Jack Giddens for that. After the young goalkeeper, in only his second game for the club, pulled off a miraculous save with the scores still at 1-1 to prevent Nathan Clarke giving Needham the lead for a second time, and it was a save that would prove even more important as Appiah slotted in the winner to see the Millers go home with the spoils.
Just two days removed from Saturday’s 4-1 home win against Soham Town Rangers, Justin Gardner made four changes to his starting XI, with Junior Dadson, Sheldon Sellears and Shane Oakley coming into the side, as well as the returning Alfred Kamara, who had been missing through injury since the away defeat at Waltham Forest.
One noticeable absentee was captain Billy Holland, who was carrying a groin injury and his presence in midfield appeared to be missed early on as the away side hit the front in just the seventh minute, thanks to a thunderbolt of a finish from Kieran Leabon.
With his back to goal, the Needham striker received the ball to feet before turning inside on to his left all too easily, unleashing a bullet of a strike from 20 yards into the bottom corner to the right of Jack Giddens.
What Gardner would have wanted from his Aveley side was an immediate response and that was almost exactly what he got, when leading goal-scorer Jordan Cox was played in between two Needham defenders.
The Millers striker prodded the ball towards goal, first time, from the edge of the area only to find the outstretched hand of Louis Johnson who had come out to close down the angle.
Despite Aveley having their two top goal-scorers leading the line, the combination of Cox and Oakley were failing to produce anything in the way of clear cut chances.
Instead it was the Suffolk side that created the next best opportunity of the game when a long ball over the top caught Jay Leader underneath it. The ball bounced kindly for Sam Newson who opened his body up to clip a shot towards goal that beat Giddens, but also beat the far post.
It was the spark that seemed to wake the home side up and within three minutes of that latest scare they found themselves back level.
Oakley was given the first bite of the cherry in a similar fashion to the way Newson had almost scored up the other end.
After another Needham attack had broken down a long ball over the top had Oakley and Cox the wrong side of the Needham back line. Oakley took control of the situation to strike a half volley that struck the frame of Johnson who once again had come off his line to close down the angle quickly.
Aveley weren’t to be behind for much longer, though, as within a minute of Oakley missing his opportunity, his strike-partner couldn’t miss thanks to good work from Junior Dadson led to Cox having a simple tap in.
With the ball flicked out to the left hand wing, Dadson was one on one with Needham right back Duane Wright. With ease the Millers wing-man got by Wright before flashing a cross across the face of goal that was begging for a final touch. Cox duly provided that touch to poke home from a couple of yards to level the scores after 27 minutes.
The goal gave the home side the impetuous and just moments later they could have taken the lead themselves through the predatory Cox.
Sellears started the move, playing in Oakley who held the line perfectly to remain onside. The Aveley striker lashed a first time effort towards the centre of goal where Cox was again, but this time the striker got his feet tangled up and could only deflect his effort away from goal and harmlessly wide for a goal kick.
Despite there still being a quarter of an hour left in the half, the chance from Cox was to be the final clear opening for either side as the sides went into the break level.
Gardner sprung a surprise as the teams re-emerged from the half time interval, with Petrit Elbi coming on for Cox – who we later found out was carrying an injury – and the change didn’t prove to make much of a difference as both sides struggled to gain any sort of a foothold in the early stages of the second half.
Paul Burnett’s long range effort that was spilled by Johnson was the best that was created by either side before the hour mark, with Needham unfortunate not to have been awarded a penalty when Leader appeared to bring down Newson just inside the area.
The game began to turn into a scrap for possession more than a fight for goals, as the ball seemed stuck in the centre of the park with chances becoming few and far between, but it was the away side who looked to be the more threatening in the final third.
Needham created the clearest chance of the second half thus far, with just over 20 minutes left to play.
Good link up play between Newson and Danny Bloomfield, along with a couple of fortunate ricochets off Giddens and a couple of Aveley defenders, led to the ball falling back at the feet of Bloomfield. The midfielder had little time to think but with an open goal to aim at, Bloomfield curled his effort over the bar with Giddens still on the floor from the previous melee.
As the game moved forward, Needham continued to look the more threatening, despite not having any sustained periods of possession or pressure. However, when they got forward they looked the most likely to nick the points and if it wasn’t for a pure-reaction save from Giddens they may well have gone home with all three.
A corner swung in from the right was attacked by Nathan Clarke, who ghosted in unchallenged. The defender headed the ball into the ground with the ball looking destined to hit the back of net before Giddens threw up a hand to palm the ball over the bar from point blank range.
Much like the first half it was a Needham scare that shot the home side into action, and just moments after seeing Giddens save them from a third home league defeat of the season, Oakley forced Johnson into a diving save after being played in by Hopkins.
With the game looking almost destined to finish in a draw, and with Needham putting the Aveley back line under some serious pressure, the Millers came up with the most unlikeliest of endings, as with three minutes of added on time played they stole it in a classic smash and grab.
A Needham free kick just inside the Aveley half had forced the Millers back line into their area as they defended the free kick that was floated in. The clearance found its way down the right hand touch line where Junior Appiah – a second half substitute for Junior Dadson – and Elbi linked up.
Running at the retreating Needham defence, Elbi slid a ball into the path of Appiah who had gotten the wrong side of his marker and through on goal. With what was effectively the last kick of the game, Appiah composed himself to slot the ball into the far corner, off the legs of Johnson, to nick the points that would send Aveley up to second in the table.
After the game, man of the match Jack Giddens spoke to us and said “the team-spirit is magnificent, just goes to show that you should never give up until the end.” He continued by saying that “to be honest I thought we could have took a few more chances in the first half that we had, but the gaffer pulled us in at half time and said we’ve got to keep on going and it will come, and it did in the end.”
When asked about his save late in the game from Nathan Clarke, Giddens said “how I’ve got it over the bar, I don’t know, but I’ll take it all day long. One of the best saves I’ve ever made.”
A jubilant Justin Gardner after the match said “I thought it was one of the toughest games we’ve played this season, but the boys never gave up, went to the end. Great finish from Junior Appiah to win the game and there’s probably no better way of winning a game in football than with the last kick of the game.”
Aveley: Jack Giddens, Marcus Rose, Alfred Kamara, Jay Leader, Luke Wilson (c), Danny Hopkins, Junior Dadson (Junior Appiah 67′), Sheldon Sellears, Jordan Cox (Petrit Elbi 46′), Paul Burnett (Ellis Sands 90′), Shane Oakley
