The Weston Bears were clawed back by Newcastle Olympic after a fast start on Saturday, coming away with a 2-2 draw.
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The Bears travelled to Darling Street Oval for what would be a battle between two sides looking to elevate themselves out of the mid-table congestion and into finals contention.
It was a familiar stomping ground for Bears gaffer Leo Bertos, who was lacing up the boots for the side then known as Hamilton only a couple of seasons back.
The previous meeting between the two sides on Olympic's home turf was a memorable one, with the contest locked at two apiece right up until the final five minutes when Weston skipper Nathan Morris grabbed a pair of very late goals to pick up a rare hat trick en route to a 4-2 victory.
With both clubs locked on 12 points - Olympic with a game in hand due to their previous outing against Charlestown rather frustratingly being abandoned due to a power failure with the outcome hanging in the balance at 1-1 - the primary difference thus far had been in terms of attack, with Olympic having produced 15 goals while Weston's at-times profligate lead line had yielded just six.
Evidently, this was something the Bears had taken to heart, showing intent right from the off as some slick interplay starting from the very back saw Tommy Duggan release a perfectly weighted through ball to Connor Heydon, who evaded the attentions of Kane Treble and tucked away a simple one on one finish past Daniel Eisenhauer to hand his side the lead in the third minute.
The visitors were enjoying the bulk of the early possession, with the Olympic defence largely proving an adept foil aside from the early breach, but there was a brief heart-in-mouth moment against the run of play as Jared Muller found his way to the byline to play a tantalising cross to Dino Fajkovic, who met it sweetly on the six-yard box only to see his strike rattle the underside of the crossbar with Bears custodian Scott Carter well beaten.
Heydon continued to look lively, playing a quick front post ball on to the head of Chris Hurley, who flashed his attempt ever so narrowly over the bar. The continued enterprise of the Bears was rewarded once more in the 28th minute - a long ball from Carter saw Mitch Dobson play a headed one two with Duggan before another Dobson header was flicked on expertly by Aaron Niyonkuru to shake off the attentions of Luke Rutledge and bury a one-on-one past Eisenhauer to double the advantage.
Well on top not just on the scoreboard but in general play as well, the Bears were not content to rest on their laurels and continued to push forward in search of a third before the break. Some quick interplay between Musa Kamara and Niyonkuru on the edge of the box in the 32nd minute saw the latter carve out a small amount of space, but he blazed his strike well over the bar. Another opportunity broke in the 36th minute for Joey O'Connor, though on this occasion his boot was more akin to a sand wedge as the ball's trajectory proved more vertical than horizontal. A Niyonkuru wormburner barely 30 seconds later lacked sufficient curl to trouble Eisenhauer as it rolled harmlessly just wide of the near post.
Fajkovic went into the book in the 38th after giving the man in the middle a bit of lip following a high boot call, at which point Olympic manager Joel Griffiths went to his bench for the first time to bring on Tom Stewart following an injury in the back play.
A heavy collision in the 41st minute between the Bears' Tommy Duggan and Olympic captain Rhys Cooper saw the latter come off worse, remaining on the ground for 90 seconds and appearing decidedly groggy when he finally returned to his feet. He was replaced two minutes later by Jed Hornery.
A delightful cross field ball from Heydon in the 45th minute released Duggan down the right flank, though after carrying it the better part of 40 yards his cross was a poor one and sailed out for a goal kick.
Olympic created a bit of pressure in the third minute of injury time with a corner from Blake Green causing Carter some difficulty, as the Bears gloveman grasped at fresh air, relying on the chest of Heydon and a stabbed desperation clearance from Kamara to avert the danger. The referee opted to blow his whistle for half time thirty seconds later with Duggan racing down the flank in what looked to be a very promising counter attack for the visitors.
The visitors began the second half as they had spent the majority of the first. A golden opportunity fell the way of Niyonkuru in the 47th minute, but his composure deserted him at the crucial juncture and he couldn't keep his shot down when one on one with Eisenhauer. A looping cross field ball from Liam Wilson released Duggan at the back post in the 52nd minute, but he got well under his half volley attempt and sent it into orbit.
Despite the early flurry after the break as Weston looked to kill the contest off, it was the hosts who would land a hammer blow on the counter in the 54th minute, as a Treble cross found Hornery unmarked at the back post. The experienced marksman struck cleanly on the volley to bury a low drive back across Carter and halve the deficit.
The goal seemed to settle Olympic, who began to enjoy a greater share of possession than they had in the first half. A corner less than a minute later saw Marcus Duncan rise to contest and cop some heavy damage, going down for a minute and a half but ultimately returning to the action.
The hosts' goalscorer Hornery, himself a replacement, went down in the 59th minute and for a moment it looked as if the gaffer would need to look to his bench once more, but the attacker was able to return to his feet and rejoin the play.
A promising Olympic attack in the 61st minute was thwarted by the quick thinking of Carter, who threw Fajkovic off the scent and got a crucial foot in. With Duncan's race run in the 64th minute, Bertos would look to Zac Sneddon as a defensive replacement, though not without a brief hiccup as it was initially Duggan who came to the sideline before being sent back and the similarly named Duncan called.
Hurley earnt himself a caution in the 67th minute courtesy of a sloppy challenge on Muller on the edge of the box, after having been dispossessed in midfield earlier in the same play and possibly a bit too eager to make amends. The cross was dealt with initially but Weston failed to completely clear their lines and when Treble fired in a subsequent cross a few seconds later - possibly helped on ever so slightly by the outstretched boot of Fajkovic - Ryan Griffiths found himself free in prime real estate to convert from five yards and draw his side level.
Another delicious cross from Treble found the head of Fajkovic at the back post in the 70th minute, and though the latter headed dangerously back across goal, Morris was ultimately able to do just enough to bunt it beyond the on rushing Griffiths, who was flagged for a high boot as he desperately attempted to force the ball home from five yards.
With his charges now chasing a goal to prevent an afternoon of two points lost, Bertos threw lively trickster Jarryd Sutherland into the fray for Wilson in the 74th minute. Clear cut opportunities over the following ten minutes of play would be few and far between, however, and a frustrated Kamara found his way into the book in the 82nd minute for excessive vociferousness directed at the time wasting of Tom Davies on throw-in duties for Olympic - his mood no doubt reflecting that of the majority of the Weston camp at this point in the contest.
Griffiths would be withdrawn in the 83rd minute for the fresh legs of Luke Vallone, who very nearly announced his arrival to devastating effect within two minutes of being on the park, collecting a thumping Green long ball on the bounce with a deft flick to squirm away from Morris and curl a low strike just inches beyond the far post.
Sneddon looked to be in some strife in the 87th minute as he landed heavily on his left shoulder from a height after being taken out in mid-air by Muller while contesting for a ball on the sideline.
The Bears went close to a rather jawdropping winner courtesy of an audacious backheel attempt from O'Connor off an 88th minute Hurley cross. They did not intend to die wondering, throwing everything but the kitchen sink the way of the Olympic rearguard in the game's dying stages. A great cross was whipped in by Heydon in the 92nd minute to Niyonkuru at the back post, with the latter rising well but unable to direct his header on target.
The Bears would have one final roll of the dice in the 94th minute after Heydon was felled 25 yards out and they were awarded a free kick. Up stepped Morris, who played a delicate ball towards the back stick that was headed out for a corner. Hurley's delivery was only cleared as far as Sutherland beyond the back post, the latter feeding it back in to an unmarked Sneddon who placed a near-perfect header on to the very corner of the cross bar with Eisenhauer beaten. Having come within a coat of paint of a very late winner and gone into the sheds with a two-goal lead, the Bears would have felt somewhat aggrieved to have come away from their trip to Hamilton with just a point.
The Bears will host Charlestown Azzurri this Saturday evening in what looms as another tricky fixture despite their opponents' relatively modest ladder position. Azzurri have conceded just a goal a game thus far in 2021, but have had problems in front of goal with only four scored in six fixtures. So delicately poised is the race for finals football at this point in the campaign that it is essentially a must-win proposition for Weston, who will be counting on their parochial home support to get them through. Kick-off is at 5pm.