FOOTBALL: East Preston fight back to draw with Loxwood

DALE Campbell and Mark Burgess netted second-half goals to haul East Preston FC back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw at home to high-flying Loxwood in County League Division 2 on Saturday.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Sep 2010, 15:36 BST
Updated 15th Sep 2010, 15:36 BST

After being second best for much of the match, EP grabbed a lifeline on 68 minutes when Campbell's free kick on the edge of the box was deflected into the bottom corner past Loxwood keeper Chris Coles.

The home side sensed a chance of getting something from the game and were level just three minutes later when Burgess swept the ball home from 18 yards, following good work from John Lawson on the edge of the Loxwood box.

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Both sides to their credit went for the win. Loxwood's Matt Hoyte saw a one-on-one effort well smothered by Guy Souch, then EP won a penalty with 10 minutes left after man of the match Burgess was taken down inside the box.

Campbell, however, could not complete the turnaround as his tame spot-kick was comfortably saved by Coles.

Loxwood had opened the scoring just after half-time when the excellent Damon Aston coolly finished from 12 yards, following good work from Kevin Broad, who ghosted past Mark Dixon and Jamie Stideford. Aston had the ball in the net again five minutes later but was adjudged offside.

The visitors did not have to wait too long for their second, although it came through controversial circumstances. Aston once again jinked his way into the box and came off second best in a 50-50 challenge with keeper Souch, who won the ball. But much to the home side's bemusement, referee Dave Smith pointed to the spot and Broad slammed the ball high into the top right corner.

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EP had struggled to create clear-cut chances in the opening hour. Lawson's shot, which nestled in the side netting on 53 minutes, was the closest they went.

The first half was largely a forgettable affair, with Aston creating Loxwood's best chances, with a number of challenging crosses for the EP backline to contend with, and Matt Windsor's last-ditch clearance on 10 minutes stopped Ben Bissett getting a sight of goal.

EAST PRESTON: Souch; Dixon, Stideford, Windsor, Heward; Beaney, Manning, Campbell, Burgess; Lawson, Farrier. Subs: Steele (Farrier 46), Howard, Curtis.

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