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After the previous 180 minutes of football without a single goal to City or their opponents the floodgates finally burst open to the tune of seven goals, but to the dismay of the vast majority of the 743 crowd at a sun drenched Twerton Park it as the visitors, Havant & Waterlooville, who grabbed five of them. The game was less than a minute old when the scoring began. Havant won a disputed corner down their right flank that Ferrett lifted into the City box. Hervin called but got nowhere near the ball giving Taylor a simple header from no more than four yards out. After their struggle to score in the previous games this clearly unsettled City and despite enjoying the majority of possession they failed to really test the visitors keeper Nicholls, with just a couple of tame long range efforts from Mills and Zabek counting as shots on target. And Havant almost made them pay again for this lack of creatvity on 14 minutes when Taylor & O'Rouke combined well before the former lifted his shot over the bar. However, with first half stoppage time a minute old City were almost gifted an equaliser by player manager Daish. His attempted header back to Nicholls was intercepted by Allison, in the team for Wyatt, but, after holding off a defender, he could only fire straight at the keeper, Powell reached the rebound first but, under pressure from Daish could only shoot high over the bar. If the first half began in disappointing fashion for City the second was little different as within four minutes of the break Havant went two up. Towler and Thorne allowed O'Rouke to run across the edge of the City box and he fired a low shot across Hervin into the corner of the net. City boss Pridham watched his team spend another ten minutes failing to trouble their opponents before replacing Powell with Prince and Zabek with Foster, but before either had even touched the ball City found themselves three nil down. Again O'Rouke was allowed to run at will in and around the City box and his cross was blocked by Towler's arm. Whether it was intentional or not the referee pointed to the spot and Hambley sent Hervin the wrong way. The Hampshire side were now ramapant and just eight minutes later Taylor grabbed his second of the game, turning in Blake's low struck free-kick. He almost got his third moments later, lobbing Hervin but also the bar, before the City fans finally had something to cheer. Despite looking several yards offside substitute Foster found himself unmarked on the Havant penalty spot and almost broke the net with his emphatic finish. If anyone had any thoughts of an unlikely comback they were dashed on 77 minutes when Hambley converted his second spot kick following Gosling's challenge on Anstey. With six minutes remaining a slight stain was put on Havant's victory when Daish was dismissed. Having delayed a throw-in sufficiently to earn a caution he then foolishly kicked out at Milsom to force the referee to swap yellow for red. In his absense City suddenly found acres of space in their opponents area, Milsom putting one header against the bar and another direct at Nicholls, before with the last kick of the game Wyatt fired home after Howell's failed to hold Foster's header. |
