Game 26: Downton 2.4 Moneyfields (WESS PREM) 26.01.08

Decided to take a trip over to Downton this afternoon for their Wessex League game against Moneyfields. Downton have been struggling this season and have only won one game so I was hoping for the underdogs to cause an upset.


However Downton weren’t the only underdogs in action – this season’s non league FA Cup giant killers Havant & Waterlooville were playing at Anfield this afternoon. When I got to the ground the talk was all of this game and a few of the regular Moneyfield spectators were noted as being absent because they had taken the trip up to Merseyside.


Downton had lost 5.1 in midweek but they started the game well and took the lead after 10 minutes, lone striker Camilleri putting some pressure on the keeper and allowing Pearce in to score.


Moneyfields thought that they had equalised after 39 minutes when a header flew in from a corner but the referee disallowed the goal for some pushing in the box.


However the big talking point was coming from the radio as the score updates came though from Anfield. Havant had scored early and had retaken the lead four minutes after Liverpool had scored an equaliser. While Moneyfields went in at halftime 1.0 down, Liverpool had managed to get a goal back to go in level.


In the 52nd minute Downton scored a second, thanks to an own goal. The lead was not to last long though as the referee awarded a soft penalty to Moneyfields five minutes later. No-one seemed to be too sure what it was for but it appeared to be for a push in the box by a defender.


The Moneyfields player struck the ball low to the right and past the keeper who had guessed right but couldn’t stretch down in time to stop the ball. Meanwhile news came through from Merseyside that Liverpool were now 3.2 up.


Things went from bad to worse for Downton a few minutes after the goal when Sandford was sent off for a second yellow card. Moneyfields took advantage and equalised on 68 minutes before taking the lead on 75 minutes.


In the last minute, a Moneyfields sub scored a fourth to wrap up a win they would have expected before the game. Liverpool went one better, Peter Crouch also scoring in the 90th minute to give his team a 5.2 win.


No wins for the underdogs but both teams had played their part in a memorable afternoon of football.