Hamilton Parish 1

St George’s 1

A deft free-kick from Mackie Crane, the substitute, gave St George’s Colts a well-deserved draw against Hamilton Parish yesterday.

Crane had only been on the field four minutes when he expertly chipped over the wall and into the top left corner from about 20 yards out, to spark joyous scenes from players and supporters at Wellington Oval.

It was a moment they may have thought would never arrive, because Nigel Burgess had seemed unbeatable in the Parish goal as his side clung onto a slender lead for most of the second half.

Jarazinho Bassett, another substitute to make an excellent contribution, also went close as St George’s sought to cancel out Ryan Tyrrell’s 51st minute opener. However until Crane’s late strike the East Enders were repeatedly denied by Burgess, who proved a solid shot stopper and imposing in one-on-ones.

The sides largely cancelled each other out in a cagey first half, although St George’s looked slightly more menacing thanks to some neat interchanges between Dominique Lambert, the left midfielder, and Jordan Darrell, the energetic left back.

But early in the second half it was Parish who got themselves in front, when Tyrrell turned his man to find room before shooting low across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.

Shortly afterwards, Kameron Fox, the Colts head coach, made the first of his game-changing substitutions, by bringing on the speedy Bassett for striker Justin Denbrook.

Immediately, Parish were stretched: Bassett ran directly at defenders, pulling men out of position and creating more space for Lambert, who by now was playing as a striker.

It nearly paid off on 74 minutes when, seconds after Parish almost doubled their lead from a corner, Colts broke at pace. Bassett streaked through the middle but, with team-mates arguably better placed, struck a shot too close to the onrushing Burgess.

When Bassett raced through again moments later, Parish weren’t so lucky. He went down under a desperate challenge just outside the penalty area, to win the free-kick from which Crane calmly scored.

That set up a frantic finale as action zipped from end to end, and both sides had chances to snatch victory. The best came three minutes into injury time, when Bassett found space yet again down the right, and delivered what looked certain to be the match-winning cross towards two unmarked Colts players. Burgess, however, dived head first among the flying boots to snuff out the threat and ensure Parish got their point.

Explaining the role of Bassett, Fox said: “That was part of our strategy. It’s a big pitch, and once they were starting to get tired, we wanted to bring on our pace and try to expose them.

“I can take my hat off to our players. Mackie Crane’s experience can always carry you over the hump.”

Keishon Smith, the Parish head coach, said: “It was a good game, and it’s good for both teams to pick themselves up after the storm. Both teams could have won, so I think a draw is fair for everyone.

“It was a good goal from Ryan Tyrrell, to cut inside and swivel his hips to find himself space like that.”