Bitter pill to swallow for yellows

Unwantables 2, Colombians 2

COREIX UNWANTABLES are going to have to wait a while longer to claim the league title despite coming from two goals behind to draw with Investec Colombians at Foote's Lane on Saturday. It was being dubbed as the title decider, with second-placed Colombians needing a win over Unwantables to draw level with the league leaders.

And a win for Unwantables would have seen them go six points clear and theoretically take the league honours for the first time since 1993.

However, both sides had to make do with a point after Unwantables pulled out all the stops to snatch an equaliser in the dying moments.

'I'm proud to get the draw - we worked our socks off to get that,' said captain John Bell.

'That was hard work and it was always going to be. I said to the boys before the game to treat this like a cup final.

'I was proud of our effort. Both sides put 110% in.'

All the action happened after the half-time break and the first half was certainly a poor relation of the second.

The hockey was scrappy and the only players to stick out were the two keepers.

Just after 10 minutes of play, Unwantables shot stopper Paul Bullock, looking more agile after losing a lot of weight since taking up a job as a postman, pulled off a fantastic save as he had to lunge to his right to kick out a fierce Tim Creasey shot from the top of the D.

A splendid piece of work.

Not to be undone, 10 minutes later, Colombians keeper Matt Godfrey dived full stretch to clip round the post with his stick a blistering Adie Peacegood short-corner strike.

Godfrey was called on a couple more times before the half-time whistle was blown on a passage of hockey that could never be described as a classic.

In the second half it was clear that both teams were going to step up a gear.

In the first minute, Unwantables striker Matt Bain had a golden opportunity to put his side ahead, but he wasted it.

Colombians hit back and had a number of good efforts on the Unwantables goal and the yellows were soon celebrating when Bullock did well to double-save a short-corner strike, but Jonny Warr was on hand to force the ball home from about a yard out.

Clearly stunned, the league leaders were then dealt a hammer blow five minutes later when yellows' winger Rupert Iles had seemingly taken too long to get a shot off, but when he did unleash his effort, it rattled into the backboards.

Now really geed up as they could sense the urgency of the situation, Unwantables went for it.

Their island striker, Rob Newton, thought he had added to his tally as the league's top scorer when he flicked the ball over a grounded Godfrey, but Creasey was on hand to clear the ball off the line.

However, Newton got his 17th of the season a couple of minutes later with a mistimed shot that bobbled past Godfrey.

The match had been gradually heating up and Peacegood, who had been getting more excitable by the minute, found himself with a yellow card when he came in hard with a tackle on Chris Colmer.

The former island captain was sent to cool off in the sin bin by umpire Stuart Perfitt.

He was soon joined there by Colombians skipper Luke Jager for a similar offence that was picked up the other official, Jeff Fisher.

With the game entering the last two minutes, Peacegood was allowed back on to the pitch and he ran straight up to the front.

The 11 men against 10 had an immediate effect as the ball came hard into the Colombians D and Kevin Smith was on hand to touch it in.

Colombians defender Iain Walker was sin-binned for venting his frustration with some colourful language and Unwantables were the team celebrating when the final whistle was blown soon after the restart.

'I'm very disappointed to lose that, we deserved it,' said Jager afterwards.

'We all raised our game and we all played to the best of our ability. I thought we played a stormer.'