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Three red cards in feisty contest between Social Club and Wolves

Josh Hardtman put Young Men’s Social Club ahead early in a controversial second half against Wolves (File photograph by Ras Mykkal)

Young Men’s Social Club 2 Wolves 2

Three players were dismissed and a stoppage-time equaliser scored in a bad-tempered relegation battle between central rivals Young Men’s Social Club and Wolves at Police Field on Sunday.

Substitute Saki Tuzo was sent off for using profane language with 15 minutes remaining, reducing Social Club to ten men. Both sides then lost a player in the closing moments as tempers flared.

Goalkeeper Ryan Evans was shown a red card for serious foul play after appearing to kick Wolves substitute Jeremiah Steede in the head during an aerial challenge. Steede was also sent off for retaliating with an attempted punch.

Before the late chaos, the visitors had shown more composure and a quicker tempo, but repeatedly failed to make the right decisions in the final third.

Both teams struggled to play out from the back as they employed high presses and kept their defences on the halfway line. This led to numerous offside calls but made for an end-to-end contest, with victory crucial for league survival. Social Club created the more meaningful attacks in a first half lacking composure in front of goal.

Social Club started the second half with the same intent and capitalised on a defensive error to take the lead. Wolves player Matthew Mello-Cann dithered in his penalty area, allowing Social striker Josh Hardtman to steal possession and slot the ball past goalkeeper Chiquon Smith into an empty net.

Wolves quickly responded. Torque Outerbridge curled a superb free-kick over the wall into the far corner past a stationary Evans. Moments later, Mello-Cann redeemed himself by delivering a pinpoint ball to Antinori Butterfield, who controlled it before firing a low shot through Evans’s outstretched arms.

The match grew increasingly frantic as both sides continued to attack with more quality. Butterfield squandered a chance from Khiari Sharrieff’s precise pass, while Outerbridge sliced wide after being played through by Jahmori Martin.

Despite being reduced to nine men, Social Club refused to back down and found a late equaliser in stoppage time through their best piece of teamwork.

Smith played the ball forward to Hardtman, who drifted inside two Wolves defenders to create space. He found captain Ryan Parris under pressure, who spread the play to an unmarked Trey Tucker. The winger kept his composure and coolly finished past Smith to secure a valuable point amid the controversy.

SCORERS

Social Club 2

Hardtman 53; Tucker 90+5

Wolves 2

Outerbridge 62; A Butterfield 66

TEAMS

Young Men’s Social Club (4-2-3-1): R Evans 4 – K Smith 5, J Richardson 5, A Matthews 6 (sub: S Tuzo 57 3), T Tucker 7 – R Parris 6, J Johnson 5 (sub: K Gilbert 90) – T Tucker 5, G Butterfield 5, P Smith 6 (sub: B Swan Jr 76) – J Hardtman 6. Substitutes not used: K Singh, Kelvon Butterfield, Teron Butterfield, Keshun Butterfield. Booked: Hardtman. Sent off: Evans, Tuzo.

Wolves (4-4-2): C Smith 6 – M Ming 5, M Mello Cann 6, J Martin 6, K Brangman 5 – S Wild 5 (sub: J Steede 60 4), K Sharrieff 6, K Browne 5, T Outerbridge 6 (sub: G Minors 86) – A Butterfield 6, M McGowan 5 (sub: J Douglas 54 5). Substitutes not used: S Brown, K Sharrieff-Hayward, M Iris. Booked: A Butterfield, Brangman, Ming. Sent off: Steede.

Referee: C Hinds (Trinidad and Tobago)

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Published January 12, 2025 at 9:19 pm (Updated January 12, 2025 at 9:45 pm)

Three red cards in feisty contest between Social Club and Wolves

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