Southbank
Reserves showed a gritty determination to hang on to three points against
highly fancied M.T., and on this form it could be a crucial result as both
sides should be challenging at the top of the table come Spring time. M.T.
put The 'Bank under considerable pressure late on but it was too little too
late for Truckers as Jeff Evan's second consecutive league hatrick was
enough to see Andy Persaud's side home.
Following on
from last weeks entertaining 6-6 draw this was again an open encounter with
Truckers enjoying greater possession and pressure early on. However, it
wasn't too long before Jeff Evans opened the scoring with
his fourth goal of the season to set The 'Bank on their way against the run
of play. Minutes later a great combination between Evans and strike
partner Steve Mahoney saw Big Gay Al, aka The Devil, clean through on goal
before being crudely sycthed down by the home sides left back.
The resulting penalty was more of a
passback than a shot though as Jeff shot tamely down the centre and
the keeper saved easily with his legs.
At this stage
Southbank had taken control with Chris Sigsworth causing problems down the
left, consistently beating his man and providing a string of crosses that
troubled the M.T. back four. M.T. found a way back into things on the
counter following a Southbank corner. As M.T. flooded forward new centre
half Dave Herries was forced into a lunging tackle that felled the centre
forward in the box and M.T. slotted home the penalty with no fuss to leave
the half time score at 1-1.
The second
half saw more tireless work from the old boys in the middle of the park
with Persaud, Tony and Scouse working their socks off alongside Sigsworth.
Behind them the back four of Neo, Guppy, Herries and Frade were under an
aerial attack and M.T. began to create a number of chances which tested
Harvey in the Southbank goal. With an hour gone another M.T. attack saw
their left winger break through two challenges and curl a low shot past
Harv into the bottom right corner to put M.T. ahead.
This just
seemed to spur Southbank on with Tony and Persaud excelling in the middle
of the park and continuing to feed Chris down the left. M.T. looked to be
weathering the storm when a pin point corner was headed home at the back
post by Jeff to level the scores.
Instead of
settling for a point against the rated M.T. Southbank tasted victory and
pushed on for the winner. M.T. heads appeared to drop and after a great
passing move Jeff volleyed onto the post from a Sigsworth cross. As M.T
failed to clear their lines the ball was sent in again and Jeff was
able to get it under control and shoot the ball into the right hand corner
of the goal to edge Southbank ahead 3-2. Questions have got to be asked of
the keeper in this instance, however Jeff's second hatrick in successive
games was well deserved.
With Raph
Allen replacing the tiring but youthful Scouse Southbank looked to make the
game safe. And it was from a Raph cross that Jeff almost snatched a
fourth! With the ball dipping at his feet, Jeff could have wrapped the
game up but with the net at his mercy, he shinned the ball at the relieved
keeper.
Southbank
survived a last minute onslaught from M.T. with substitute Russ Simove
clearing a header off the line from an in swinging corner. Two free
kicks also raised the heart beats but they thankfully whistled
past Harvey's right hand post as Southbank hung on.
This was a massive result for Persaud's
battling side and a great hatrick by Jeff "The Devil" Evans. Truckers
had scored over 130 goals in an unbeaten league campaign last season and
the future looks bright if Persaud's new side continues to gel over the
rest of the season.