Ryman League Division One South
Redhill 3 South Park 2
REDHILL continued their second half form by coming back from two goals down at the break to beat local rivals South Park 3-2.
Goals from Dan Guscott and Dale Burgess gave the Sparks the lead but Redhill were buoyed by a penalty, which Reece Hall won and convert, within minutes of the restart before Shaun Loft equalised and Ross Morley scored a last gasp winner.
However, it will be a game remembered for the chances missed by both sides rather than those scored.
And with Ramsgate and Horsham both losing tonight [Tuesday], the three points moves the Lobsters are up to third from bottom, with games in hand over the team around them
It was a good opening 15 minutes for the home team who looked strong at the back and bright up front, and they should have taken an early but couldn't find the killer touch with Hall and Connor French both missing chances.
It took 17 minutes before South Park had a goal-scoring opportunity of note, and when it fell to top-scorer Chris Smith, you would have bet your mortgage on him scoring. However, after beating his marker, and then slotting the ball out of the reach of keeper Callum Thomas the ball went inches wide.
And two minutes later it was the tricky number ten again, but this time Smith tried to lift the ball over Thomas but cleared the crossbar as well.
It was an end to end affair, and looking like it might turn into a bit of a battle but there were two bits of quality on 28 minutes when Hall timed his run perfectly onto a through ball before Guscott did just enough to poke the ball out of the winger's stride for James Wastell to clear.
The keeper was called into action minutes later, this time diving to the right to tip a French shot wide, and Thomas did likewise shortly after, when the ball fell to Burgess on the edge of the area and the midfielder attempted to curl it in at the post.
But on 39 minutes, the breakthrough came. After a corner from the right, the ball fell to the feet of the unmarked Guscott at the far post to open the scoring with the simplest of the touches.
And three minutes later, the visitors had their second. After good work by David Smith in the centre, Burgess got the final touch as the ball trickled into the net. The Lobsters were calling for an offside earlier in the move, but the linesman did not agree.
But within two minutes of the second half kicking off, Redhill had pulled a goal back. Guscott was clumsy with his challenge on Hall and the referee pointed straight to the point, with the 21-year-old winger stepping up to take the penalty, sending Wastell the wrong way.
Redhill began piling on the pressure and it took a goalline clearance to stop a French shot hitting the back of the net while Dan Bennett should have at least hit the target with his punt from inside the box on 71 minutes.
But with just over ten minutes to play, Redhill found their equaliser from the unlikeliest of sources. After a shot from the right pinged off the crossbar, centre-back Shaun Loft, playing as a striker, turned the ball in from close range.
Substitute Tyrone Pink was causing Wastell problems, while down the other end South Park had the ball in the back of the net only for the linesman's flag to cut short their celebrations.
With nine minutes to play, it looked to be game over when Chris Smith raced through one-on-one with Thomas, but the teenager keeper stood strong and blocked the ball.
And just as the four minutes of added time were announced, the ball fell to Morley on the edge of the box. The Redhill committee were celebrating before the ball had hit the ball of the net, because there was only once place that strike was heading, earning the Lobsters a vital three points.
