PROMOTION PUSH SUFFERS SETBACK

Despite the disappointing score line, after a drab second half the 2's had little to complain about.

The first half was a feisty affair, with an initially dominant New Beccs getting 3 players sent off in quick succession for dissent, including an appalling 'death stare' at one of the umpires. Unfortunately, Blackheath weren't immune from their own moments of madness. Prem saw green for (rightfully) shoving one of their players, before Dan got a yellow for his questionable stick tackle. However, in between all the cards there were actually some good passages of play from both sides. Mike W forced a save from the keeper after a trademark run from Slacky, whilst at the other end Nathan 'The Cat' Bullens pulled off a string of good saves. Both teams went in at half time without a goal, but after a shaky start, Blackheath were now confident that they could go on to win the game.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite go to plan. After a fairly scrappy 15 minutes of play at the start of the second half, New Beccs took the lead from a short corner. Given the importance of this game, Blackheath had no choice but to push forward in an attempt to equalise, leaving huge spaces in midfield and defence. This, combined with a switch from patient passing play to a somewhat panicky 'crash the ball through the middle' approach is what ultimately helped the game slip away. Two fast breakaway goals, one courtesy of an absolutely schoolboy aerial miss from Gurpreet, made it 3-0 and essentially ended the game as a contest.

However, there was still time for one moment of magic. The tireless Alex picked the ball up from Slacky, and put a cross in to Prem, who turned 'like a tractor' and fired in on the reverse.

Final score, a disappointing 3-1, but flashes of brilliance and another great performance from youngsters James, Josh, Henry and Mikey mean that promotion is still on the cards.