Clapton and Bowers shared a six goal thriller at the Old Spotted Dog and saw a rather dramatic finale to the contest too, meaning each side picked up a point.
The hosts were attempting to leapfrog Sawbridgeworth Town into sixth spot with victory whilst the visitors knew a win would see them just five points behind the leaders whilst also leapfrogged Barking into third.
Many had said prior to this game it would be a good match up would of been disappointed as their were barely any chances to speak of in the first half hour of what had been a fairly scrappy contest. The only two efforts at goal did come from the visitors, firstly just past the quarter hour mark when Chid Onokwai fired over from range and then secondly on 18 minutes when Luke Wilson headed over from corner from the right.
However the game was to change just past the half hour mark when the Tons grabbed the lead with their first effort at goal, when Tony Cookey broke clear down the right hand side before cutting inside his marker and drilling home a right footed effort into the bottom corner. If Bowers didn’t know they were already in a tough contest, they certainly did now.
However Bowers, as expected, fought their way back, and four minutes before the break saw the pacey Onokwai burst through and almost see his effort creep in at the near post and from the resulting corner came the leveller when the ball dropped to Lewis Manor and he thumped an effort off the underside of the bar and in the ensuing melee managed to poke the ball just over the line.
Just before the half time whistle tempers were frayed after a poor tackle from the visitors, resulting in some handbags between both sets of players, resulting in a yellow for the Bowers man, and calm restored. In was certainly a battle out their and the half ended all square.
Half Time Clapton 1 Bowers & Pitsea 1
The second half started off as it meant to go on, with both teams looking to attack, and two minutes into the half a Clapton corner caused some concern inside the Bowers penalty area but keeper Martin Guest managed to dive on the ball to snuff out any danger and then moments later Nathan Cook fired just over for the Tons as they started the half well.
However it was the visitors who went close to taking the lead eight minutes into the second half when Wilson saw his glancing header across goal come off the inside of the post and then five minutes later it was the hosts turn to hold their heads in their hands when James Briggs, who had only just come on as a second half substitute, struck a free kick against the post with his first touch in the game. The hosts then saw a corner headed at goal by Paul Oshin which so nearly crept in as Bowers survived again.
Back came Bowers though and on 66 minutes a visiting corner was flicked across goal by Onokwai, just invading Ross Adams at the far post, who was inches from connecting and surely scoring, but then came the third goal in the contest, and it went to the hosts, as after Wilson was adjudged to have brought down substitute Roddy Lemba for a Tons penalty, Cookeystepped up to convert the spot kick for his second of the game and see the hosts retake the lead.
Clapton then went for the kill and so nearly scored on 73 minutes when after Cook had forced Guest into a decent save down to his right, the resulting corner caused absolute chaos in the visitors area before finally seeing Cook fire an effort wide, as the visitors breathed a huge sigh of relief. Bowers though kept fighting and on 78 minutes a Jamie Stevens effort bobbled up and almost caught Pape Diagne out in the Tons goal, who just managed to tip the shot wide.
And then with just under ten minutes remaining the visitors were awarded a penalty of their own after another foul inside the box. Stevens stepped up to take the spot kick and his poor effort somehow squeezed through the grasp of Diagne and trickled over the line for the equaliser, setting up a grandstand last ten minutes or so.
And sure enough the game ended in dramatic style. The visitors thought they had won the match at the death when five minutes into stoppage time a ball flicked across goal was headed home at the back post, cuing mass celebrations from the players and coaching staff of the visiting side. But, just as the celebrations had died down, the hosts went on one last attack and put the ball into the dangerzone, Bowers failed to clear, and saw the hosts poke over the line after a scramble inside the box. Cue mass celebrations from the hosts, who had snatched a point in the most dramatic of circumstances. It sure was an incredible ending to this game.
It means that the Tons stay in seventh, just a point behind sixth, whilst Bowers trail leaders FCRomania by seven now, still with four games in hand. It’s yet another twist in the title race between the now top three and their will surely be many more before the season ends at the end of the month.
Full Time Clapton 3 Bowers & Pitsea 3
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