In a pivotal Men’s premier game Surrey United and Columbus Clan shared five goals in a highly entertaining affair that had plenty of drama and excitement and good football despite the poor conditions at Hastings Bowl on Sunday.

Surrey emerged victorious, after playing with ten men from the fifty minute mark when their left back Clayton Dobbin committed his second cautionable offence of the game and was ejected. Surrey enjoyed a lot of the first half play and should have taken the lead at the twenty minute mark when Shawn Blakeway missed the target after skilfully rounding Columbus keeper Luca Dellapace. Five minutes later, Surrey did break the deadlock when Dobbin’s low left shot, from twenty yards, through a crowded penalty area beat the unsighted Dellapace. Columbus came back strongly led by some fine old fashioned wing play by the speedy Stefan Leslie and they won a succession of corners which Surrey scrambled away. Columbus then snatched the equalizer in the 35minute with a quick flowing move that saw Pammi Birring break through the Surrey defence and tuck a close range shot past Drew Smiley. Surrey bounced back to regain the lead before the half when Blakeway made amends for his earlier miss and hammered a left foot shot from twenty yards into the roof of the net after Dobbin had assisted on the play.

In the second half Dobbin completed the Gordie Howe hat-trick and was dismissed after bringing down Leslie with a mistimed tackle. Columbus seized the opportunity almost immediately and Leslie tied up the game in the sixtieth minute meeting a left wing cross at the far post to fire home from close range. United battled tremendously hard and despite the one man disadvantage they enjoyed their fair share of attacking opportunities. They thought they had taken the lead in the 75th minute when their centre-back Tom Elliot headed home a Todd Stauber free-kick but had Surrey had to curb their initial delight when the referee ruled out the effort for incidental contact with the keeper. However, their disappointment didn’t last long, and in the 83rd minute a long throw and a quick cross enabled teenager Justin Carvery to set-up the unmarked 17year old Harpreet Khakh with a glorious chance and the youngster finished like a veteran to score his fifth goal in six games following his call-up from youth. The win not only gave United a firm boost in the divisional race but it also effectively eliminated Columbus Clan from the title race who now find themselves some 13 points behind United.

On Saturday the same two clubs met each other in the first division encounter with United this time losing not only the game 2-1 but also losing ground in their quest for first place in their division. United enjoyed the vast majority of play in the first half but failed to turn their superiority into goals with some lack-lustre finishing. United finally took the lead early in the second half when Scott MacDonald’s measured left foot cross met to the far post was met by a brilliant diving header from Jamie Spendlove. Instead, of inspiring United to better things, the young side struggled as the older Columbus stepped up the physical play and came back to score two goals with the game winner an own goal unluckily deflecting off the boot of Surrey’s Scott MacDonald.

The men’s division two secured a 5-1 road victory over Lobbans to maintain their challenge on the second placed team in their division. United team started strongly but gave up, against the run of play, the opening goal of the game on a penalty shot in the eighteenth minute. However, they showed some good determination and with some solid play they bounced back with two goals in the ensuing five minutes to gain the lead which they would not surrender. First of all, Jordan Gibbs hammered home the tying goal on a nice feed from Dale Kahri who three minutes later notched what proved to be the winning goal by brilliantly heading home a Nick Gollogly cross. The insurance marker came four minutes before the interval when Gibbs stripped a defender of the ball and broke through to steer a shot past the advancing keeper. United added second half marker’s from Ezra Fenwick and another from Kahri to complete the scoring.

In master’s play, the Surrey United team who took over first place in the league last week
from Surrey FC Ranger Firemen, extended their lead atop the standings with a convincing 8-1 win over Langley All-Blacks while their cross town Surrey rivals dropped two points by tying their game with Peace Arch. United built up a comfortable 3-0 half time lead and then added five more second half goals to complete the drubbing. Goal-scorers names were not available.

Our ladies premier team also had a pivotal game in their schedule and like the men they too emerged victorious, in their big game over perennial rivals, Sportstown UBC and strengthened their position at the top of the table.

After enjoying the territorial advantage for most of the early play United finally broke the deadlock at the 30th minute when Bianca Wilkinson hammered home the ball from close range after Martina Franko had flicked on Kate Qually’s corner-kick towards the back post. UBC levelled the scores five minutes before the interval on an Andrea Neil goal. The equalizer only spurred United to raise their level of play and they came surging forward time after time throughout the second half. A cross-bar and a post denied the United team on a couple of occasions and some further missed opportunities suggested that the home side might just be able to hold on for a draw. However, United finally connected in the 82nd minute when Martina Franko hammered home a low right wing cross from Sara Maglio. Three minutes later United added the insurance marker when Franko and Maglio combined to set-up substitute Natalie Halcro who volleyed the ball home to seal the 3-1 victory.

United’s division one “C” ladies team maintained their second place challenge by eventually overcoming SBAA by a margin of 4-2 at Cloverdale Athletic Park on Sunday but earned the win the hard way after handing the visitors a two goal lead. United dominated play from the start but were unable to turn their territorial advantage into goals. SBBA took the lead at the 12 minute mark when they capitalized on a turnover but the weak shot would normally have been saved by United’s dependable keeper Kendra Klemke but somehow on this occasion the ball eluded her grasp and was forced into the net from close range. Ten minutes later, SBBA increased their lead adding their second goal capitalizing on another defensive mistake. The goals would have knocked the sails out of most teams, however, United’s young team refused to give up and came back strongly to reduce the deficit scoring a critical goal with three minutes remaining before half-time. The play developed with midfielder Hayley Jensen sending a great cross into the box for striker Krystle Gauvin to lay the ball back to Ally Pross who hammered a hard shot high into the visitor’s net. Inspired by their late first half goal United poured forward confidently and after a series of near misses they tied up the game just eight minutes into the second half. The play was started by midfielder Courtney Duncan whose measured pass found Pross on the left who crossed the ball perfectly for Jensen who guided a perfect header into the corner of the net. Six minutes later United grabbed the lead when again Courtney Duncan’s piercing through ball sent Pross racing through to provide a clinical finish to a flowing move. United notched tan insurance marker ten minutes from time when Pross dispossessed a defender and sent Gauvin racing in behind the defenders. The SBBA keeper came out bravely in an attempt to smother the ball but Gauvin’s determination saw her evade the challenge to get the ball and slide it into the empty net.

Our division one ladies “B “ team suffered another defeat this time losing 4-1 away to Abbotsford with Ellen Malterer once again scoring for the Surrey team.

Ally Pross whose two goals and two assists were a significant contribution to her team’s come from behind 4-2 win and earned her this week’s Player of the Week Award. Each Weekly Winner will have their name entered into a random draw for the monthly prize of for Dinner for Two.