Golds strike late to grab point at Dorking

It was almost all three points for Golds as well, as Joe Shelley went close to snatching the win with the last kick of the County League Division 1 game.

Littlehampton boss Mark Bennett admitted his side were poor for the first quarter-of-an-hour, before they started to come more into the game and Lee Garnham, twice, and Kieron Pamment had efforts saved.

At the other end, Jon Hendrick made a smart stop to deny Tom Tolfrey, before the hosts went ahead five minutes before half-time. Golds stopped playing to await for an offside flag, which never came, and Liam Hunter gave Dorking the lead.

Littlehampton came out strongly after half-time but Dorking went 2-0 ahead on 68 minutes when Elliott Thompson burst past four challenges to score.

Golds switched to a 3-5-2 formation and went close to pulling a goal back when the woodwork denied them, after a Dorking defender sliced his clearance.

With just six minutes to go, Littlehampton did get a goal back when George Landais’s 30-yarder went through the Dorking keeper.

The visitors then pushed forward and equalised in the last minute when Pamment was on hand to turn home Darren Boswell’s cross at the back post. Golds then almost won it as Shelley went round the Dorking keeper but his shot from a tight angle went across the goal.

Bennett said: “We could have nicked it at the end but before the game I’d have been happy with a draw. I felt that it was going to be one of those days for us, especially when we hit the post and bar at 2-0 down as we’d given away two sloppy goals.

“We went to three at the back and everyone then came alive. They were at full-strength, while we weren’t and I feel we’re only going to get better from now on.”

The draw left Golds third in the table, five points behind Dorking with three games in hand.

LITTLEHAMPTON: J.Hendrick; Wiggans, Zydonik, Swain, M.Hand; Clack, Shelley, Garnham, Boswell; Pamment, Landais. Subs: Herbert, Gaskin (Garnham, Clack 60), D.Hand, Bates, Kew.