Oxhey Jets 1 Yateley 1
Cherry Red Combined Counties Division One
26th October 2024
Jets had another big test at the Boundary against an excellent Yately team, a play-off zone team. It was a tense game of fine margins, and the youngsters showed great character.
The first half was like a chess game, with the two sides taking turns making the moves. Patrick Brander looked like he could make the breakthrough, but Yateley planned their defence to stop him and his counterpart on the other side, George Rice.
On the counters, Craig Stephen-Lett was on top of things, getting all the right toes and tackles in to deny Yately, as Jets were a little sluggish on their feet.
The first big chance fell to Rice, who got away from the defender and rolled it past the keeper but agonisingly inches the wrong side of the post while at the house’s end, Jets needed Lewis Lavin to keep the score all square. Half Time 0-0
David Lopes strikes to put Jets into the lead 1-0
Jets made early changes and improved, looking more lively and bouncing, but the day’s substitution goes to the addition of David Lopes, fresh from drinking the continent dry at a family wedding. It took him one minute to latch onto the ball in the box and powerfully drive Jets into the lead (65 mins).
The goal ignited the game, and both sides upped the pace. Eight minutes later, Yateley equalised from a tight angled ball that Harry Lee tapped home (73 min), a goal that infuriated Jets with a massive offside call that unfortunately had the assistant flagging violently to indicate the saint became a sinner. Goalkeeper Lewis Lavin was on his way to the Sin-Bin to leave the Jets down to ten, and skipper Chippy was taking the gloves for ten minutes.
Now Yateley smelt blood and bombarded Jets, forcing one full-length save from Chips that Lavin himself would be proud of, but the pressure told, and from a corner, the visitors forced the ball in the net via Harry Lee again (82 min)
Super goal from Elliot Harris brings it back to 2-2
Now, this is where a new Jets emerged gung-ho. They battled and fought with ten men, and a goal of the season strike from wide by Elliot Harris stunningly hit the net ( 85 min), and it was all square, 2-2.
Jets survived another mass pinball session before Sinner Lavin returned. Despite a frantic stoppage time, it was a point each, and the hearts could slow down again.
Man of the Match. Craig was excellent in the first half, and second-half substitute Joe Reed was faultless, but it was the saint and sinner that Tom Inch went for, naming goalkeeper Lewis Lavin for the saves before his brush with authority.
