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Wallingford battled well to again another good result in the Hellenic Premier League and all but banish any relegation fears as they skipped up two places into 16th position.
Andrew Styles scored from the spot for his second in two games and was agonizingly close to winning the game in injury-time against sixth placed Almondsbury Town. The visitors started brighter, David Bailey heading wide practically unmarked from a corner. Paul McKelvanney then shaved the bar with a well hit shot after Wallingford failed to clear the ball. Against the run of play the home side took the lead. Abdouli Taha had not been in the best form of late but he showed some brilliance down the right, skillfully beating a player on the goal-line to get into the area, and when a second defender scythed him down, the ref had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Andrew Styles stepped up and placed the ball in-off the left-hand post sending the keeper the wrong way. A confident Taha then shot just wide with a 25 yard effort, but Wallingford's lead did not last long. Almondsbury had just had a shout for handball by Barlow turned down when Brad Andrews whipped a brilliant cross into the center and Paul McKelvanney equalized with a well taken header. Taha volleyed another half-chance over the bar from the edge of the area, but it was the visitors who looked sharper. The second half began with Danny Leggett forcing a fine save from Andy King when he hit a dipping volley with 30 yards. At the other end, Garry Clarke made a good save from substitute Kane Ingram. The visitor’s other substitutes almost combined to give Almondsbury the lead on 75 minutes when Steve Painter was allowed too much time on the edge of the area and stuck the crossbar with a sweetly struck shot. Bailey was first to the rebound but headed a good chance over. In the final minutes of the match Andy Styles almost created a winning goal out of nothing, playing a one-two with Taha before running onto his own lob over the visitors defence. He looked to have ran clear with just the keeper to beat, but an Almondsbury defender recovered brilliantly with a perfectly timed last-ditch tackle. Wallingford play 'Division 1 West' side 'Hook Norton' on Tuesday night in the 'Supplementary Cup Quarter Final'. KO 7:45 AFC Wallingford: Clark, Ingram, Massaquoi, Fenn, Barlow, P Touray, A.Taha, Styles, Z.Taha, Leggett (Johnson 70), F.Touray |
