and you thought Potsmouth vs Reading was a goal fest...

retired_Pantora · 11-13-2007, 05:24 PM

Makes Portsmouth vs Reading sound like a bore fest

Quote:

LUTON RESERVES 7-7 GRAYS ATHLETIC RESERVES
Posted on: Tue 13 Nov 2007

Four goals by Paul McVeigh and two by Dean Morgan were not enough as Luton Reserves gave up a 7-4 lead to draw an amazing shoot-out.

Stephen O'Leary grabbed Luton's other goal as the teams served up some great entertainment but not much defending on a bitterly cold afternoon at Kenilworth Road.
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The Hatters fell behind then took the lead but a penalty to Grays for handball by Morgan left it all square at the break.

In the second half, Luton fell behind at 3-2, then scored four in a row to make it 6-3, Grays pulled it back to 6-4 before the Hatters scored again.

But they then gave up three goals in the final eight minutes, including an equaliser with the final kick of the game.

The match had started quietly until Grays took the lead on 13 minutes when Marshall got past Sinclair down the left, reached the byline and fired a low cross along the goalline that eluded Faulds and left Grant with a tap-in.

But Luton equalised after 20 minutes when the lively Ryan Charles guided a high ball on the edge of the box into the path of McVeigh, who coolly slid it past the keeper and into the bottom corner.

The Hatters then went ahead on 40 minutes when Charles wriggled into the box but was brought down on the edge. Captain Morgan drove the ball powerfully through the wall giving the keeper no chance.

It looked as though that would be the score at half time, but after Faulds dived well to his left to push a free kick by Gross round the post, Morgan was judged by the linesman to have handled the corner as he tried to chest it away.

He protested but Thurgood drove the ball high to Faulds's left and although he guessed the right way, the scores were level at 2-2 on 43 minutes.

Grays were back in front within two minutes of the restart when a long ball out of defence found Grant racing through and as Faulds advance he dinked it cleverly over the keeper and one bounce into the net to make it 3-2 to Grays.

But again the Hatters were back level on 56 minutes thanks to a second penalty of the game. Full-back Sinclair ran from halfway, beating three Grays players before being scythed down in the box.

Morgan had to wait three minutes to take the kick because of an injury to Green, but he kept calm and smashed the ball high to the keeper's right to make it 3-3.

Then McVeigh completed his hat-trick with two goals in two minutes as Grays collapsed. First Osborne-Ricketts slid him in and he calmly found the corner from eight yards. Then a minute later he ran on past Gross, who slipped and left him in the clear to advance on goal and slam the ball across Trebes into the far corner to make it 5-3 to the Hatters.

McVeigh gabbed his fourth and Luton's sixth on 78 minutes when he lashed a shot across the box from the left and into the side netting by the far post.

Grays pulled one back a minute later when Sinclair blocked a fierce drive but the ball flew up over him and Faulds, leaving Watson with a tap-in on the line on79 minutes

Three minutes later, though, the three-goal cushion was restored when O'Leary drove low into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to make it 7-4.

Still the goals came as Grant grabbed his hat-trick to make it 7-5 on 88 minutes as he ran in powerfully from the right and fired low across Faulds into the bottom corner.

Then Marshall had a tap-in at the far post to make it 7-6 in the dying minutes and with the final kick of the game rammed in Grant cut back to make it 7-7.

Keith Keane started and lasted an hour for Luton, who put out a mixture of experience and youth. Dean Morgan captained a side containing Paul McVeigh, Sol Davis and Stephen O'Leary as well as five Youth Team players.

It was always an open game with Luton just edging it in chances.

Elliott Osborne-Ricketts fired just wide from 20 yards in the first minute after a strong run from deep, and did well to find Charles down the left on the half hour.

Charles, who was having some success down the left flank, found McVeigh at the near post, but his header was deflected behind.

Luton always looked likely to score with Charles and Morgan in particular giving the Grays defence problems.

Morgan almost put Luton back in front in the dying seconds of the half when he first saw a dipping free kick from 22 yards just sail over the bar, and then had a shot from 20 yards after he found space on the left but it curled wide.

And it could have been more in the second half as Sinclair ran into the box and saw his shot come backoff the bar. And Osborne-Ricketts was unlucky when he latched on the McVeigh's pass and looked to have scored until the ball was somehow blocked on the line.

A breathless game, but 14 goals left the crowd smiling.

TEAMS:

LUTON TOWN RESERVES: Ross Faulds, Robert Sinclair, Keith Keane (Hogarth 60), George Bevan. Sol Davis, Jamie McGuinness (Ashley Harrison-Barker 60), Stephen O'Leary, Elliott Osborne-Ricketts, Dean Morgan, Ryan Charles (Jake Howells 72), Paul McVeigh

Subs not used: Dean Hamilton, Riccardo Biggi

GRAYS ATHLETIC RESERVES: Tim Trebes, Luke Woodward, Adam Gross, Ashley Barnes, Freddy Tandon, Stuart Thurgood (Toran Sendhore 76), Rickel White (Chris Lewis 70), Josh Green (Danny Baignet 57), Gavin Grant, Ben Watson, Mark Marshall

Subs: Callum Leahy, Ross Flitney