Dandy Town 4 Somerset Trojans 3

Dandy Town scored the first two and last two goals in a seven-goal thriller as visiting side Somerset Trojans suffered their fourth loss in five matches despite a spirited second half fightback at St John’s Field yesterday.

Town were coasting to victory at 2-0 up after 25 minutes, courtesy of two well-taken goals from winger Oneko Lowe.

But then things dramatically turned around after the Trojans scored the first of two Jaz Ratteray-Smith penalties right on half-time.

Two goals in the first seven minutes of the second half enabled the visiting side to dramatically claim the lead, only to be denied a first win of the season when Town struck twice more in the second half to clinch three points.

The win moves Town six points above Somerset in the second relegation spot.

“League football is about results and in today’s game it has been a mirror of all our other games, where we had large periods of control,” Devarr Boyles, the Town coach, said. “This led to chances and a 2-0 lead.

“Credit to Somerset, they scored at the right time and we had to respond. We came out after half-time, conceded early and Somerset had their moment of dominance.

“They had another opportunity to score and did so with a good finish and then it was just a matter of our team managing their emotions because it’s difficult to concede two goals quickly.

“I always thought we would get back into the game, but not sure we would do enough to win it. In the other games we didn’t show that, in this game we did.”

Town concentrated their raids down Lowe’s right side and were rewarded with the lead after just ten minutes when captain Angelo Simmons threaded a pass into the box to set up Lowe who rounded the goalkeeper Dequan Crockwell before scoring into an open goal.

It was virtually all Town in the first 20 minutes with Somerset getting their first real chance in the 21st minute when a long ball across to the left flank created an opening for D’Andre Wainwright who blasted wide of the far post.

Lowe added a second goal in the 25th minute after another ball into the box saw him pounce and score at the second attempt after goalkeeper Crockwell challenged.

Somerset, in an attempt to tighten things up on the left side, switched full back Micah Henschke with midfielder Jaden Ratteray-Smith in the 37th minute.

Against the run of play Somerset pulled a goal back right on half-time when defender Azende Furbert was penalised for a handball and Jaz Ratteray-Smith converted a well-placed penalty kick.

Somerset, with Jeze Butterfield replacing Henschke at the start of the second half, came out playing with more vigour and within three minutes of the restart were back on level terms after Ratteray-Smith converted following a second penalty, this time for a foul by Seion Darrell on Leo Burgess as he tried to turn inside the box.

Goalkeeper Treadwell Gibbons blocked the spot kick to his right but Ratteray-Smith followed up to score the rebound.

The momentum was with Somerset after that as a free kick from Burgess 28 yards from goal went just over the crossbar.

A minute later the visiting side took the lead for the first time when substitute Butterfield volleyed past Gibbons from close range following a corner.

Somerset were looking like pulling off a surprise win, however, the match had a couple more twists, with Town netting two more unanswered goals to deny them the points.

Defender Jomei Bean-Lindo pushed forward for a corner in the 57th minute and scored from close range to make it 3-3.

Then Clay Darrell, on as a substitute for Dashun Butterfield in the 68th minute, netted the winner when he turned inside the box on the left side and placed his shot past Crockwell at the near post.

Somerset had the opportunity to snatch a dramatic equaliser when Wainwright ran through down the left side but his shot with his weaker left foot went well wide of the far post as two team-mates waited for a pass into the centre of the box.

SCORERS

Dandy Town: Lowe 10, 25, Bean-Lindo 57, Darrell 79

Somerset Eagles: Jaz Ratteray-Smith 45 pen, 58 pen, Jeze Butterfield 52

TEAMS

Dandy Town (4-3-3): T Gibbons — A Furbert, J Bean-Lindo, S Darrell, E Blankendal — L Emery, J Chapman (sub: O Wilson 85), K Steede — A Simmons, O Lowe, D Butterfield (sub: C Darrell, 68). Substitutes not used: M Parsons, T Lowe, N Smith, J Rosser. Booked: S Darrell.

Somerset Trojans (4-3-3): D Crockwell — R Quinn, J Stowe, T Ming, M Henschke (sub: J Butterfield, 46) — D Seymour, Jaden Ratteray-Smith, M Joell, (sub: V Perinchief, 85) — D Wainwright, Jaz Ratteray-Smith (sub: K Butterfield, 66), L Burgess. Substitutes not used: C Durham, G Fubler, R Seaman, K Harvey. Booked: K Butterfield.

Referee: G Swainson.