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Garforth Town 2 FC Halifax Town 2 - Shaymen battle for a point
ORDINARILY, a 2-2 draw against a side third from bottom would not be cause for celebration.
But when it is gained after your team goes two goals down with seven minutes to play, it is.
When Duncan Williams doubled the home side's advantage in the 83rd minute you would have got long odds on the Shaymen getting anything from the game as they headed towards a morale-sapping defeat.
But Town's season, disappointing to date, might just have been given the boost it needed as they hit back with two goals in the final four minutes of normal time.
Junior Brown headed the first and Kris King the second to complete the transformation in a game that Town had dominated throughout but failed to make it count.
The turning point seemed to come midway through the second half when the home side picked up the first of six bookings.
The harder the tackles went in, the greater the determination the Halifax players appeared to show.
And in the end they might even have snatched the unlikeliest of victories as they pushed for a stoppage time winner.
The game almost degenerated into farce after the break with Garforth using every tactic at their disposal to slow down the game.
And it eventually ground to a halt when the home club finally ran out of playable footballs, causing a degree of fractiousness between the benches.
But all that will be forgotten if Jim Vince's side can now kick on and finally deliver what everyone associated with the club is so desperate for - a promotion challenge.
Town had an eighth minute opportunity to break the deadlock when Damian Allen's corner found Junior Brown at the far post but he could only put his shot into the side netting.
And Gregg Kelly mis-kicked with the home side's best effort of the opening half hour a few moments later.
It was all Halifax in terms of possession and territory, but they could find no way through.
Allen curled an effort over the top after he had been picked out by a Jemson free kick and Cavell Coo was unable to make anything of an Ashley Stott ball into the box.
A quick Jemson free kick a couple of minutes later found Colin Daniel who beat a defender on the right but his shot from a tight angle was blocked behind.
Allan's corner on the half hour gave chances to Brown, Jemson and Lincoln Adams, but none could hit the target.
And when Stott cut in from the right his left foot shot rolled gently towards goal before being cleared.
Inevitably, when Garforth had a clear opportunity, they took it.
But they were aided enormously by more desperate defending as Town failed to clear when Dominic Blair had the ball on the edge of the area and when it got through to Mark Piper he drilled it home.
There was a scare late in the first half when a long ball allowed Williams a run towards the area.
Jon Kennedy was a long way out of his box when the two collided, but the referee and linesman decided there was no foul.
The second period was a real stop-start affair, with Garforth placing the emphasis on stop.
Brown fired over after good work from Allen and Jemson smashed a shot from a shot free kick just over the bar with 14 minutes remaining.
The chances came and went, Stott failing to hit the target after being picked out by King, Lincoln Adams having a header deflected wide from a Jemson free kick and Brown having an effort beaten away by home keeper Gavin Phillis.
Having had all possession and all the opportunities Town found themselves two goals down in the 83rd minute when, after Kennedy's attempted clearance had hit Oliver Hotcthkiss, Williams fired into an empty net.
But within three minutes the Shaymen were thrown a lifeline, Brown peeling away from his marker to send a bullet header from Allen's corner into the net.
And it took just two more minutes for Brown to pick out King 15 yards from goal and his glancing header bounced through a crowd of players to level the scores.
Garforth substitute Andrew Rowan had a chance to put his side back in front as stoppage time loomed, but fired over from the edge of the area.
And it was Town who almost snatched maximum points in the fourth added minute when Daniel got into the area on the left and sent over a low cross that only just eluded Allen as he slid in at the far post.
STAR SHAYMAN
TOWN dominated the centre of midfield from start to finish with Scott Phelan leading the way.
He covered the ground, picked the passes and got stuck in when he needed to as the Shaymen battled for the territorial advantage.
Alongside him, Damian Allen also put in a real shift on his debut.
Only signed hours before kick off, the former Morecambe man was thrown straight into the action by boss Jim Vince and did not disappoint.
Junior Brown has been a firm favourite with the Town fans since his first pre-season appearance. And he enhanced his reputation among the supporters by being the man behind the comeback.
His header started it off and his delivery from a corner two minutes later gave Kris King the chance to level.
Phelan picks up the three points on offer in our season-long competition with Allen two and Brown one.
MATCH FACTS
Garforth Town: Phills, Turner, Small (Rowan 76), Kamara, Connor, Selby, Blair (St Juste 46), Hutchkiss, Williams, Kelly (Harratt 90), Piper.
Booked: Kelly (foul 64), Selby (foul 65), Small (foul 68), Turner (foul 75), Williams (unsporting behaviour 78), Hocthkiss (dissent 90).
Sent-off: None
Goals: Piper 34Williams 83
FC Halifax Town: Kennedy, Coo, King, Adams, Meadowcroft, Jemson, Bown, Phelan, Stott (Ellis 77), Daniel, Allen. Subs (not used): J Smith, Walker, C Smith, Ellison.
Booked: None
Sent-off: None
Goals: Brown 86, King 88
Attendance: 431
Referee: Phil Bramley.
PLAYER POINTS
Jonathan Smith 13, Peter Moore 10, Paul Gedman 8, Junior Brown 8, Ashley Stott 5, Adam Morning 4, Jon Kennedy 4, Scott Phelan 4, Steve Payne 3, Lincoln Adams 3, Cavell Coo 3, Colin Daniel 3, Nigel Jemson 2, Craig Smith 2, Justin Walker 2, Damian Allen 2, Phil Senior 1, Luke Hinsley 1 .
The second period was a real stop-start affair, with Garforth placing the emphasis on stop.
Brown fired over after good work from Allen and Jemson smashed a shot from a shot free kick just over the bar with 14 minutes remaining.
The chances came and went, Stott failing to hit the target after being picked out by King, Lincoln Adams having a header deflected wide from a Jemson free kick and Brown having an effort beaten away by home keeper Gavin Phillis.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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