Battling Shailes keeps nerve in shootout
HAREFIELD UNITED
IT WAS very special moment when captain Harvey Shailes scored in the shoot-out to guide Harefield United under-13s into the League Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
The youngster, pictured below right, was making his return after four months on the sidelines due to an arthritic condition he has suffered with since the age of four.
But that didn’t stop him helping his side come back from 3-1 down with five minutes remaining in a thrilling tie against Bedgrove Dynamos, before winning on penalties.
Shailes’ stepdad Mark Groves said: “Harvey’s a very special and popular kid. He goes through weekly treatment at both Hillingdon and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, has to take daily medication and yet has a permanent smile on his face and never moans. He never misses a training session, so being out for four months was very difficult for him.”
Bedgrove struck first but Harefield drew level through Alex Groves. However r within minutes of the secondnd half starting, two quickfire e goals put Bedgrove 3-1 up, and only a remarkkable goalline clearance e from Shailes kept t Harefield in the game.
That spurred themm on, and with five minutes remaining, Noah Temtime pulling one back from Kristof Gasztonyi’s cross and the equaliser arrived just seconds from time, when Joe Smith gobbled up the rebound after the Bedgrove keeper spilt the ball in his own six-yard box. The tie went straight to spot kicks and, am amazingly, the first five were missed, Hares keeper Za Zak Arvis keeping out three from Bedgrove before Shailes calmly found th the top corner. Gaszto Gasztonyi also scored, while B Bedgrove netted two to ta take it to sudden death. There, Temtime wa was on target once m more and when Arvis saved again, Groves stepped up to put h his side through.