Last minute leveller for North Down breaks South hearts

The visitors arrived at Friends’ with a virtually impeccable record in the league winning 10 of their 11 games.

The hosts, missing influential midfielder Adam Marshall through illness, started the game brightest and it was through an Adam Glass drag flick after 5 minutes that South took an early lead.

However, they soon found themselves 2-1 down after some fantastic play by the visitors.

Not to be disheartened the guys collected themselves and got on top with skipper Lee Marshall pulling the strings from centre back.

Mark Gray was quickest to react after a South effort ricocheted off the post and the veteran coolly converted to make the score 2-2.

After the break North Down started to apply pressure to the South defence but the hosts dealt competently with anything thrown at them. Matthew Getty managed to get on the end of a superb through ball but was upended by the visitor’s ‘keeper. The resulting stroke from Adam Glass was excellently saved to ensure the score remained level.

North Down took the lead again midway through the second half, a drag flick rifled into the top left hand corner.

What followed was nothing short of pandemonium.

With 4 minutes left to play, South won a short corner which was cleverly switched to Lee Marshall who made no mistake from close range.

A minute later and South took the lead. Matthew Getty terrifically laid the ball off to Paul Maguire whose effort was instinctively slotted under the keeper.

Heartbreak for the youthful South side followed with the visitors levelling the game with 1 minute remaining.

A final score of 4-4 (the least South deserved) with a lot of positives to take from the game ensures South go into their final 4 games of the season with confidence. Thanks to Sponsor of the Month, Fred Dalzell and Partners.