A tightly contested match saw Wingate & Finchley and Hashtag United share the points in a hard-fought 1-1 draw. Coming into Saturday's game, the Blues were top of the league's form guide over the past six matches, and Hashtag United weren't far behind, as they shadow the playoff chasing pack, looking to make a late surge into the top five. The Blues, meanwhile, took their unbeaten run to seven matches as our recovery from a mid-season slump continues.
Hashtag threatened early as Josh Osude's cross found Sak Hassan, forcing a great save from Charlie Grainger in the 6th minute. Wingate responded in the 13th minute with Ogo Obi heading wide. Hashtag continued their attacks, but Wingate’s defence stood firm. The first half ended goalless with neither team really troubling the goalkeeper, and with the 300+ fans in attendance hoping for something a bit more inspiring in the second half. Last season's home match against Hashtag saw our only league 0-0 of the season, so a repeat of that was hopefully to be avoided.
The second half saw the game spring into life, with Amet Rifat making a substitution at the interval, introducing Ore Bello in place of Theo Alexandrou. Wingate’s Ryan Lowe fired a free kick just over the bar in the 47th minute, while Hashtag’s Misha Djemaili was denied in a one-on-one by the Wingate keeper in the 50th minute. The deadlock was broken in the 70th minute when Ore Bello capitalized on a rebound, smashing the ball into the bottom right corner to give the Blues the lead after Ogo Obi had twisted and turned in the opposition penalty area, forcing a save which ended up in the path of Bello who made it two goals in two games.
Hashtag pushed for an equalizer, making multiple substitutions including the introduction of a man who only recently departed N12 in Andronicos Geogiou. Georgiou even had the ball in the net shortly after being brought on, but the linesman's flag had already been raised. The Tags' persistence paid off in the 82nd minute as substitute Luke May-Parrott tapped in from close range after a free kick. Both teams fought for a winner, but some inspired defending, including a top-drawer save from home goalkeeper Grainger, saw the game end level. A fair result in a competitive encounter with both teams showing resilience to continue their push up the table.
Hear from Ahmet Rifat in his post-match interview on Saturday's game below. Next up we travel to top of the table Billericay Town, as the tough games keep coming. The Blues will have to be at their best to keep the unbeaten run going next weekend, make sure you're there to see it!
Wingate & Finchley: Grainger; Keller (Garrett-Douglas 69’); Byron; Cracknell; Frempah; Watt; Restrepo (Newton 72’); Lowe (Iontton 79'); Obi; Drakes-Thomas; Alexandrou (Bello 45’)
Unused sub: Emovon
Attendance: 306
Photos courtesy of Taslima Islam (Snapcentrix) and Martin Addison. Match report by Noah Bercott.
Commentaires