Bels off the mark with dramatic win over Rec
BELS could have hardly made their first FNB Priaulx League win of the season more dramatic.
Last night’s game at the Corbet Field had everything, including nine minutes of injury time that prolonged the agony for the blue-and-whites during which time their comfortable two-goal cushion was halved and they were reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of young Ben Ogier for two yellow cards in the space of literally a couple of seconds.
However, they clung on to win 3-2 and give absent coach Alfie Le Page a very welcome fillip.
Bels were two goals to the good at half-time and the unlucky Damien Larkin must have been trying to remember if he had walked under a ladder during the day.
His unfortunate own goal, when he headed into his own net trying to deal with Callum Wallace’s dangerous cross, put the visitors ahead on 37min. and was quickly compounded less than five minutes later when Larkin was poised to control a low cross with his instep only for the ball to take a wicked bobble and jump up to strike him on the arm – handball.
Wallace, who had earlier been denied by an outstanding Lorcan Smith save, converted the resultant penalty.
Eight minutes into the second half, Jack Smith struck an excellent left-foot shot into the top corner from 18 yards to halve the deficit, but Luke Gaudion replied immediately, waltzing past a couple of defenders before slotting home.
Rec huffed and puffed while Bels managed the game relatively well until Glenn Le Tissier knocked in Seb Skillen’s cross in the 96th minute to heighten the tension and then Ogier saw red for a combination of a foul followed by prevention of the free-kick being taken.
It did not prove costly, though, and Bels are off the mark for the season.
