BALTI SPORTS 3

MERLEY COBHAM SPORTS 7

BALTI Sports were undone 7-3 in a ten-goal Dorset Premier League thriller with Merley Cobham Sports at Cranford Avenue.

Spectators will have been given value for money as Merley banged in four goals in the first 23 minutes.

Cobham got off to a flyer with Dan Edwards heading home from a Ben Luther cross with just two minutes on the clock and, just seven minutes later, it was 2-0 when Awwal Abubakar, who had a fine game throughout, played in Luke Stone at the far post.

Three minutes later it was 3-0 when Abubakar was given the ball by Alex Rankin, he still had a lot to do but cut inside, beat two men and hit a stinging left-footed drive from 22 yards into the top-right corner of the net.

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Cobham were in total control and Owen Reynolds made it four when Luke Stone unselfishly squared the ball back to him.

Cobham appeared to take their foot off the gas after this but credit Balti with a different approach, they were given more time to settle and in the 28th minute Oscar Preece pulled a goal back when Toby Ord failed to clear his lines at the far post.

Cobham were being put under pressure as this goal gave Balti some momentum and a set-piece saw Merley again struggle to clear and with Preece being a menace the ball rebounded into the Cobham net for an own goal.

Balti remained in the ascendancy until the break and should have reduced the deficit further.

Marco Nott’s men had the bit between their teeth from the start of the second period and they pulled another goal back, again after poor defending, when Jack Summers punished the error to make it 4-3 with his first Balti goal.

This goal did wake Merley up although Balti were unlucky to see ball hit the crossbar from a Matt Chambers scorcher before the visitors began to regain a foothold in the game.

Stone was given a gift, albeit 35 yards out, when Balti keeper Harrison Wallis miskicked a diagonal pass to him and he looked up to find the empty goal for his second of the afternoon.

In a bid to claw back ground, Balti handed a debut to Weymouth Under-23 prospect Alfie Stone for the final five minutes.

The game was really open now, suiting the visitors, they regained their shape, pushed Balti deeper and then in the 85th minute they went 6-3 ahead when a good cross from James Cherrett on the left was headed home by Ellis George.

Merley were now finishing the game the way they started and, just two minutes later, Kingsley Eze-Sunday capitalised on a defensive mistake to complete the scoring.

Speaking to Echosport, Nott said: “It was a brilliant game but I think 7-3 flattered them a little bit. They deserved to win, don’t get me wrong.

“We were 4-0 down, got it back to 4-3, we were pushing and pushing and hit the underside of the bar.

“We were in the ascendancy and then our keeper tried doing a cross, he scuffed it and it fell to their striker who scored an open goal.

“That knocked the stuffing out of us, because put so much into getting back into the game.

“Harrison’s been unbelievable all season for a young goalkeeper but, unfortunately, it’s the first mistake he’s made. It’s one of those things.

“Apart from the first 20 minutes, we were fantastic. They could easily have dropped their heads and got beaten seven or eight.

“But the way they rolled their sleeves up and fought back, it was so good to see.”

Balti next visit Swanage Town & Herston on Saturday (3pm).

Balti: Wallis, F Jarvis, Butcher (Chambers 70), Hansford, Gear (Rupp 85), Summers (Stone 85), Biles, Nichols, Devaney (Stavrianos 75), Batchelor, Preece (Mussenden 85).