Just the 14 goals in crazy encounter
High-flying Fareham and Harborne play out thriller
IT rained goals in South Birmingham where tabletopping Fareham emerged 9-5 winners from a bizarre 14-goal West Conference thriller against previously unbeaten Harborne.
A goal down inside two minutes, Fareham equalised before scoring three times in seven minutes to lead 4-1 before Harborne hit back with three strikes of their own to make it 4-4.
A successful Shane Vincent penalty stroke sparked another Fareham three-goal frenzy to make it 7-4, but Harborne’s Peter Jackson converted his fourth short corner before the visitors tied it up with two more goals in the last five minutes.
‘The only downside to it all was that, due to Covid ground regulations, no spectators were allowed to watch a humdinger of a match,' beamed jubilant Fareham manager Malcolm Davies.
It took Fareham only two minutes to realise the danger Jackson would create from Harborne’s set pieces – but Alex Boxall soon levelled things up.
A Chris Davey brace and a fourth goal by Vincent sent Fareham into a 4-1 lead which Stefan Sekula trimmed before half-time.
Nine minutes into the third quarter Jackson had completed a hat-trick of penalty corner conversions as stand-in Fareham goalie Josh Dawson found himself in the firing line, making it 4-4.
Fareham dusted themselves down and within five minutes had restored their lead courtesy of a Vincent penalty flick.
Tom Larcombe and Davey, with his hat-trick goal, stretched Fareham’s lead to 7-4 – but Harborne refused to lie down and when Fareham conceded another short corner, Jackson duly obliged.
Fareham, who host Plymouth Marjon at Henry Cort on Saturday (1.30pm), finally wrapped it up with two short corners of their own in the last five minutes, Rob Wilson and Niall Stott converting.
■ With first choice Rory Kemp isolating and awaiting the result of a Covid test, Fareham dragged coach George Harris out of retirement to play in the second team’s Hampshire/Surrey Regional League match at Croydon & Old Whitgiftians.
It didn’t pay off as Fareham lost 10-0.
■ Fareham Ladies recorded their first South Women’s League Division 2 win after surviving an early onslaught and coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 4-1 at Henry Cort.
It didn’t look as if that would be the case as Bournemouth laid siege to the Fareham goal in the opening quarter, but only had an Amy Hill goal to show for their efforts.
Goalkeeper Jilly Tovey was on overtime rates making some superb saves.
Fareham’s Vicky Field equalised against the run of play to send the sides in level at half-time – after which the game turned in dramatically in the home side’s favour.
First, Fareham grabbed the lead with a fine finish by Poppy Roddis after a fine breakaway run by Hannah Ward then with 15 minutes left on the clock, Bournemouth were awarded a penalty stroke – but Tovey saved Rosie Martineau’s shot.
Fareham were clinging on at the time, but Tovey’s fine save gave them the belief and confidence they could win and when Field scored her second to make it 3-1, the win points were almost secured.
Sian Edwards finally put the game to bed with a blistering last minute penalty corner conversion, leaving Fareham coach Steve Lemon relieved to get the first win points on the board this season.