A SENSE of déjà vu was felt by Helston Athletic on Saturday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Vospers Oak Villa in the South West Peninsula League West.
When the two sides met just over three weeks ago at Kellaway Park, an injury time strike by Lewis Young saw Villa snatch a 2-1 victory.
Jump forward to the clash at the Mill Ground and once again Young was the man who popped up with just seconds remaining to secure three points for his side and the same scoreline.
The latest outing proved to be a much feistier affair with four red cards dished out by the referee just before the half hour mark, with Villa’s Lee Card and Neal Kinsman getting their marching orders alongside Athletic’s Charlie Young and Jamie Thomson.
Tempers flared when home skipper Card lifted up Athletic midfielder Young by the neck of his shirt after going down under a challenge.
This sparked furious scenes from the visitors and prompted a brawl to break out and once order was restored, four reds were shown.
Athletic felt harshly done by, especially Young who had his shirt ripped in the incident which started the melee.
However they did not let their frustrations get the better of them for too long as just after the interval, leading goalscorer Mark Goldsworthy put his side in front with a lovely shot across the goalkeeper, with his 51st strike of the campaign equalling the league’s record for most goals in a season.
Villa nearly equalised straight away following a defensive mix up, but they had to wait until the 66th minute for the leveller when Steve Blackburn turned in Elliott Cunningham’s free kick.
The Blues could not find another goal in their locker and then deep into stoppage time, Cunningham’s cross found Young in the penalty area and Villa’s main threat slotted the ball home, with wild celebrations following.
Despite the loss, Athletic remain top of the league with two games to go after St Dennis drew 0-0 with Millbrook.
This Saturday, the Blues travel to Holsworthy knowing a win coupled with a draw or defeat for the Saints against Bude Town would secure them the SWPL West title.
Charlie Young shows the damage done to his shirt in the melee. He was one of the four players sent off. Picture: PHIL RUBERRY
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here