‘It was a bit of a blur, it could have been 8-8’
Horndean required a late leveller to earn a point in an Isthmian League goal-fest against Phoenix.
In a Division 1 SE fixture played at Chichester City’s Oaklands Park on Tuesday, the Deans led 2-0 inside the opening 20 minutes - but had to settle for a 4-4 draw in a breathless encounter.
Zak Willett’s 84th minute equaliser - his 24th goal of the season - came just three minutes after Phoenix had taken the lead for the first time.
“We done some things really, really well, but both teams could have defended better,” said Deans assistant Jason Mann.
“It was a bit of a blur, there seemed to be so much space out there - end to end, bit like a basketball match.
“It could have been 8-8, they missed some chances, we missed some chances.
“We played some really good stuff at times and Phoenix are a better side than their position suggests - they’ve got pace and power all over the place.
Deans took early control through Tommy Scutt’s 12th goal of 2023/24 and Liam Callaghan, but Phoenix were level by the half-hour mark.
Dan Sibley restored Deans’ lead by half-time, but the 16thplaced visitors - who had lost 11 of their previous 16 away eighth tier games - hit back in the second period.
There’s little recovery time for Horndean, whose ‘home’ game with Sheppey tonight is taking place at Hawks’ Westleigh Park.
Then it’s back to Oaklands Park on Saturday for another ‘home’ fixture, this time against Merstham.
Sheppey’s main dangerman appears to be Jerson Dos Santos, who has scored five times in his last three games after only arriving last month.