by Peter Scherer
It was action all the way as Melbourne Dynamo visited Mickleover in the Central Midlands Alliance League. Despite a Josh Carter hattrick, Sports couldn’t hold on for the win, conceding two late goals to make it 4-4.
Starting line-up: 1-Josh Bull 2-Mason Hoult 3-Brad Brittan 4-Harry Atwal 5-Silas Donker 6-Chris Palmer 7-Toby Smith 8-Hamza Konane 9-Josh Carter 10-Josh Powell 11-Liam Carter. Subs: Josh Maher, Brodie Carter, Ted Stevenson, Marats Sudavs.
Melbourne broke through the home defence after two mins and hit the bar, but Sports saw off the initial pressure, to send Powell clear, until he was stopped with a late interception.
Palmer put a curling free kick over the bar too a few minutes later, but it was end to end stuff, with Atwal and Donker both busy keeping the visiting strikers at bay.
11 minutes in and the visitors tested keeper Bull, who parried a long shot from the left, after they had made positive moves from their own half.
But Liam Carter had started to torment the Melbourne defence, firstly with a cross from the left to earn a corner after 15 minutes. His second run saw him outpace two defenders, before setting up brother Josh, who neatly slotted the ball past the keeper, 1-0.
Only two minutes after the goal celebrations it was back to 1-1. Following a Melbourne corner, the ball fell nicely for Macaulley Jones, who fired in the equaliser to Bull’s right from just outside the box.
Mickleover went close again after 21 minutes, when a Palmer free kick landed nicely for Josh Carter, but his shot was saved by the keepers feet. Just two minutes later Liam was brought down in the box. It was a clear penalty, but after consulting his assistant, the referee didn’t even award a free kick.
Smith was on the attack too with two shots on goal as the half hour mark approached. The first was an easy save for the keeper, but the second was deflected away for another corner.
The Carter twins continued to combine effectively and Liam earned another corner after 32 minutes, when his cross was put out. While two minutes later Josh had his heel clipped by a pursuing defender, but Palmer’s free kick sailed over the bar.
Both Powell and Josh Carter were in the thick of it in the visitors box, but neither could get the space to turn and any effort was blocked.
Right on the 45 minute mark Smith sent in a superb cross from the left, Powell was blocked again and so was Josh Carter, as the ball hit defenders and just wouldn’t go in.
Finally with the half time whistle poised Mickleover made it 2-1. Konane led a break after a Melbourne corner, Liam Carter then set up Josh again who didn’t need a second chance as he had the advancing keeper well beaten.
The second half continued in the similar end to end vain, with Mickleover earning an early free kick, followed by a corner.
Melbourne had another long shot well off target after 49 minutes, before Mickleover retaliated with Liam Carter winning another corner.
But two minutes later the visitors earned a corner too, Donker headed away, but it came straight back into the box before Atwal finally headed it clear.
Just after Smith’s cross had earned a corner for Sports too, he led an attack down the left, crossing for Powell who then layed the ball off for Josh Carter to complete a 56th minute hattrick to make it 3-1.
Straight from the restart Mickleover were on the attack again, with Josh cutting in from the right, before firing in a shot well saved by the keeper.
Far from surrendering, Melbourne kept attacking too and were rewarded when the home defence were beaten on the left, leaving Jack Goodband with time to place a precise shot out of Bull’s reach, 3-2 after 62 minutes.
There was almost an equaliser two minutes later, but having found himself in the clear, the Melbourne striker shot well over the bar.
Bull then saved a couple a couple of distance shots, before Sports got a break. The visitors keeper raced off his line to challenge Liam Carter, but injured his hamstring and had to be replaced by an outfield player.
Stevenson had come on for Palmer as Mickleover tried to maximise opportunities with the sub keeper. After Atwal had been hacked down on the half way line, Smith had a shot blocked after 83 minutes, before Josh Carter fired over the bar, after a strong and positive build-up.
Melbourne once again forced Bull into a great save from a powerful effort after 85 minutes as they chased the equaliser.
Brodie Carter and Sudavs were on too, but it was another team build-up that set up Konane for the fourth goal, 4-2 with three minutes left on the clock.
The pressure was back on Mickleover though, as they fought to try and retain the win. But 89 mins and Jake Peverley beat Bull at close range to make it 4-3, but it still wasn’t over.
Liam Carter ran almost one end of the pitch to the other in time added on, before he was finally intercepted. But Melbourne’s response earned a dubious free kick, from which Bull and his defence stayed tooted as, and the kick went straight in to make it 4-4.
