FOOTBALL: Ten-man Didcot hit back to share the spoils (From The Oxford Times)

FOOTBALL: Ten-man Didcot hit back to share the spoils

9:40am Monday 14th January 2013 in Football

Didcot Town battled back from a nightmare start to earn a courageous 2-2 draw from their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West trip to Wimborne on Saturday.

Morgan Williams hit a double as as the ten-man Railwaymen twice fought back to equalise.

After 12 minutes, they found themselves both a man and a goal down following a blunder from their goalkeeper Marcos Belloli-Pereira.

The error-prone keeper brought down Wimborne winger George Webb, denying him a clear goal-scoring oportunity, and was shown the red card.

Substitute keeper Manuel Pereira had no chance with Micky Hubbard’s spot-kick, his first touch being to fish the ball out of the net.

Despite being reduced to ten men and the quagmire of a pitch pitch, Didcot did not let their heads drop and held their own until half-time.

In the first minute of the second half, they equalised.

New signing Mark Janes won possession on the right and fed winger Williams, who crashed a superb strike into the top corner of the net.

The goal invigorated the Railwaymen, and for the first third of the half they had the Magpies under considerable pressure. Pablo Haysham drew a smart save from keeper Jason Harvell and Sam Elkins fired just over.

However, against the run of play, Wimborne regained the lead, when Pereira blocked a Matt Kemble shot with his legs, but could do nothing about Aidan Sainsbury’s follow-up shot.

Pereira then made three crucial saves as Wimborne went for the kill, before Didcot levelled again in the 79th minute.

The Railwaymen were awarded a free-kick around 25 yards out following a foul on Williams, who proceeded to whistle an excellent strike around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.

Wimborne thought they had snatched victory in injury time, but Jon Blake’s header was ruled offside to Didcot’s relief.

Didcot Tn: Belloli-Pereira, Elkins, Car-son (Bernasconi 74), Tappin (Pereira 12); Carnell, Stanley, Janes, Heapy, Hay-sham, Meade, Williams. Subs not used: Hepburn, Concannon.

Attendance: 247.

North Leigh’s match away to Sholing Sports was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.