Saxons salvage last gasp draw

Having scored two late goals to beat Penguin 5-4 a fortnight ago, Saxons struck with the final attack on Saturday to salvage a 2-2 draw away to Crawley II.

Saxons captain Paddy Cornish said: “I did regard it as two points dropped and I said that to everyone at the end, but looking at it now, it’s not a bad result all in all.

“They were a lot stronger than they usually are. There were only two faces I recognised; one of them was their captain and the other was a player from their first team. I think they will take a few points off people this year.”

The first half ended goalless, although Saxons had a goal disallowed from a decision which Cornish felt could have gone either way.

Jamie Busbridge put Saxons ahead early in the second period only for Crawley to equalise in controversial fashion when the umpire deemed the ball had crossed the line.

Cornish had two great chances to put Saxons back in front, but was denied by the goalkeeper on both occasions. Crawley hit the front before Saxons levelled at the death when a shot deflected in off the stick of Julian Buss. Man of the match was Tudor Stainsby.

Saxons: Deaves, Watters, Reed, Cornish, Cload, Stainsby, Coombs, Eldridge, Busbridge, Buss, Orr.

Standings (all played two matches): 1 Worthing II 6pts, 2 Mid-Sussex II 6, 3 Brighton & Hove III 6, 4 SOUTH SAXONS 4, 5 Penguin 3, 6 Eastbourne II 3, 7 Hailsham 3, 8 Crowborough 3, 9 Crawley II 1, 10 Lewes III 0, 11 Middleton & Bognor 0, 12 Horsham III 0.