Danny’s delight at snatching play-off place in final game
A third win in the last five days of the regular season saw Baffins Milton Rovers snatch the final Wessex League Premier Division play-off place.
Rovers came from behind to win 3-1 at Christchurch with goals from Dillon North, Dan Walster and Ed Sanders.
North had recently levelled when the hosts had Emmanuel Ohameje sent off in first half stoppage time.
That win, coupled with Portland’s home loss to Brockenhurst, saw Baffins leapfrog Portland into fifth place - level on points with Brock but with a plus six better goal difference.
A 90th minute winner from Sanders had given Baffins a 2-1 victory over Petersfield last Tuesday, while they had also come from behind to beat US Portsmouth 4-1 two days later.
Baffins will now visit runners-up Stoneham tonight in the first of the two Premier play-off finals.
Should they pull off a shock win at the club who finished four points behind champions Moneyfields, they will be away in the final to either Shaftesbury or Portchester, who meet tomorrow.
“I’m really proud, it’s a great achievement for the football club,” said Baffins boss Danny Thompson after his side equalled the club’s highest ever finish, in 2018/19 (but with nine more points from the same amount of games).
“The lads have worked really hard all season. To cement that fifth place, I couldn’t be happier.
“We don’t do it the easy way, but it shows that togetherness, that willingness to work hard for 95 minutes.”
He added: “Stoneham are going to be favourites, they’re a good footballing side. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re the underdogs and we’ve got nothing to lose.”
In a hugely tense race for fifth place, Portland lost their last two home games in the space of three days after winning their previous five matches – all away.
As for Brock, they were left cursing throwing away a 3-0 lead at home to Moneyfields recently – the game ending 3-3 – and also losing 2-0 at mid-table Fareham last midweek.