| Gadeside Rangers found themselves minutes away from winning a highly controversial game against old rivals Colne Valley which would have all but secured the league title before two late goals from the visitors stunned Gadeside as they fell to their first defeat in the league all season. |
| Gadeside started the game at a ferocious pace and look an early lead when Ivanz Mani scored one of his infamous wonder goals. Taking the ball down on the right hand side, Mani launched a powerful volley which dipped violently and dropped under the bar. Dan Campbell lashed an effort high and wide while Adam Hills headed just wide from a Mani corner. However Valley drew level on 20 minutes against the run of play. Sam Green came out to collect a through ball but let the ball slip through his body allowing Dave Rooney a simple tap in. The goal seemed to temporarily deflate Gadesidee as they lost their rhythm though Valley rarely threatened. However, Gadeside did regain the lead on 27 minutes in highly controversial circumstances. Another right wing corner by Mani saw the onrushing Tom Shurville appear to punch the ball into the back of the net. However referee Kenna allowed the goal to stand despite the obvious frustrations of the visitors. |
| The second half was a tight affair with both sides attacking regularly. Valley drew level on the hour when a corner was half cleared and Matt Bonnick's cross eluded Sam Green to drop into the far corner. Campbell brought a good save from the keeper while James Bridges saw a volley go just wide. With both sides desperate for the win the game became stretched and Gadeside went ahead for a third time on 76 minutes when sub Tariq Khan turned superbly in the box before applying a cool finish across the Valley keeper. Gadeside sat back on their lead and seemed to be relatively comfortable until the 88th minute when Valley drew level. A long throw into the box was headed on and Anscomb saw his deft header creep in after hitting the far post. The goal stunned Gadeside and they lost their concentration; from the kick off they quickly lost possession and Valley broke forward in numbers to where Anscomb played in Bonnick who delivered a beautiful drive across the goal to win a thrilling game and end Gadeside's 100% record. |
| Whilst the result was a bitter blow for Gadeside to swallow, it doesn't change anything in terms of what they need to do. One more win from the final 3 games should be enough to secure the league title but with the massive game against second placed AFC Rangers this Sunday - Gadeside know they do not want to put any unnecessary pressure on themselves. After the game, a despondent Adam Hills said: "In a nutshell - we got what we deserved from that game. Nothing! I will hold my hands up and say I got it wrong by changing things in the second half but that does not excuse the basic errors we made today. A total lack of concentration was the worst of it. All four of their goals were poor ones to concede. What we need to do is regroup, have a decent training session and turn our thoughts to Sunday's game. I expect a reaction from my players and there is no bigger game to do it than this Sunday. It's the same scenario...win and it's ours." |
| Sam Green, Ian Freeman, Justyn Walcott, Matt Evans (Daniel Brooks), Tom Oliver, Danny Everritt (Tariq Khan), Ivanz Mani, James Bridges, Tom Shurville, Adam Hills, Dan Campbell |