Homerton profit as Jesus lose Maini man

Homerton came from behind in the second half of the match, and won 4-2 at home to 10-man Jesus in a stormy encounter on Wednesday.

Jesus, who sit in the bottom half of the PWC First Division, looked up for the game from the very first whistle, and should probably have been ahead within 60 seconds. The home side failed to deal with a corner but Chris Blucke fired over the bar from just eight yards.

A reprieved Homerton side went about trying to find their rhythm; Egglestone showed flashes of danger down the right, whilst skipper Ryan Stevens was influential from his advanced midfield role, but clear-cut chances were hard to come by.

When things did look like opening up, Wildman miscontrolled on the edge of the box to deny the home side a realistic scoring chance, and the game turned scrappy.

Gabbai heads home amid a defensive crisis

The visitors’ first goal, when it came on the half-hour mark, encapsulated the tone of the first half. A near post corner wasn’t dealt with by any of the defence, and when Rose fumbled it, Udi Gabbai was there to bundle it home from inside the 6 yard box.

Filled with confidence, Jesus began to press forward, Pratt and Sheldon working hard and showing real quality in the centre of the park. A well-worked free kick on the half-way line allowed Sheldon to find space on the right, and his cross was again allowed to bounce inside the Homerton box. This time, no striker could get a touch on the ball, but in the scramble the ball found its way into the net via a defender’s knee.

Two goals up at half time, three points looked in the bag for Jesus, and some of their players made the mistake of saying so as they returned after the break.

Homerton bossed the possession and began to find their passing range, and on 56 minutes, Childs unleashed a stunning volley from the edge of the box which dipped just under the crossbar to put them back in the game.

Stevens looks to set the hosts on the front foot

If the first goal could be said to have rocked the Jesus boat, what followed practically capsized it. A mix-up at the heart of the defence allowed Stevens through on goal, and having rounded Jesus’ keeper Justin Maini he was hauled down with the goal at his mercy. The penalty was stonewall, the red card which followed inevitable. Even visiting captain Knight, the closest thing Jesus had to a covering man, admitted after the game that ‘it was probably a red.’

Stevens dispatched the penalty and from then on there was only one winner. Homerton’s control of the possession became almost monopolistic, and when Jesus did recover the ball, Adam Tahsin up front was more and more isolated against a strong back four.

Jesus never stopped fighting, but when Dale raced through to score with 20 minutes remaining on the clock, heads began to drop. A few missed chances from Dale, and a few rash challenges from players on both sides meant that the game looked to be fading out in terms of quality, but with just five minutes left, Childs struck his second from the edge of the box to put a bit of gloss on the score line.

With the extra man, Homerton look to dominate in attack

The win puts Homerton back up the table as they look to finish in the top three, while Jesus can take heart from a battling performance.