Nine seconds left as Druce grabs dramatic equaliser
THE stage was set for a grandstand finish and the players delivered – and then some.
Had Emily Savident’s goal a couple of minutes from time that put Amazons 3-2 up been decisive, it would have been a fittingly exciting end to the story.
As it was, though, there was to be an even more dramatic final twist to the tale when, with the league leaders trying to play keep ball and run down the clock, Suzi Druce nipped in to win the ball high up the pitch before going past the keeper and slotting home from close range – 3-3.
Her immediate reaction was to enquire of umpire Richard Veillard how long was left. The response: ‘Nine seconds.’
Cue the Druce celebrations as she realised just how close Panthers had come to coming away from a cracker with nothing.
Their efforts certainly deserved the point while Amazons, although understandably disappointed by conceding so late in the piece, at least kept their unbeaten record intact.
It was a match that was an excellent advertisement for the Guernsey Hockey youth production line with several outstanding performances from the youngsters on show.
Emily Savident, Katie Halliday and Jenny Thomas have already been involved with the Island squad but they still show a maturity beyond their years while, even further down the age scale, Harriet Savident, Summer Chamberlain and Mali Smith were all impressive.
It was the last of that trio who gave Amazons an early lead, winning the ball in the third minute and then finding the bottom corner with an accurate shot.
The league leaders had begun confidently and they created a couple more chances while Panthers were still settling into the game, but the team in black soon gave warning of the threat they posed when captain Caryn Rieger found forward Becky McAllister’s run with a magnificent long pass, the attack resulting in the first short-corner of the match.
Although that chance came to nothing, moments later McAllister was drawing a save out of Carys Bromley.
Midway through the half, Amazons forced a succession of short-corners themselves without being able to capitalise on them, but they were looking the more likely to score again and they eventually doubled their lead on 32min.
A terrific pass from Harriet Savident through the inside-right channel found Katy Taylor in the D and she teed up Kirsty Davison to score at the far post.
Crucially, though, Panthers came up with a response before the break and unsurprisingly it was McAllister who supplied a composed finish after Eloise Chubb had won a turnover in Amazons territory.
Buoyed by that goal, Panthers pressed hard for an equaliser throughout the third quarter and after both McAllister and Rieger had seen short-corner strikes deflected wide by defenders, they combined to level the scores with 17 minutes remaining as the forward was credited with the final touch after her captain drilled the ball goal-wards.
The tension grew as both sides searched for a third goal and Emily Savident must have thought she had won the game when she followed up her own blocked shot at a 68th-minute short-corner to put Amazons ahead once more.
However, Panthers did not let their heads drop and Druce was rewarded for her persistence as time ran down to earn a share of the spoils.
