Middlesex County Football League Premier Division: Sporting Hackney nick win over FC Assyria thanks to goalkeeper Nick Brown
Sporting Hackney players celebrate (pic: Peter Harrington). - Credit: Archant
Peter Harrington pleased with victory, but warns talented squad to improve their concentration after nearly throwing away three-goal lead
Sporting Hackney survived a late comeback to claim all three points over Middlesex County Football League Premier Division rivals FC Assyria.
Peter Harrington’s team were undebted to goalkeeper Nick Brown after a man of the match display against the leaders.
The Parrots took the lead after 20 minutes when Paul Barry finished off a smart move inside the area.
Assyria should have levelled soon after when they were awarded a penalty, but Brown made an excellent save down to his right.
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Hackney made the most of their let-off to double their advantage soon after when Jon Green fired in from 10-yards.
It remained 2-0 until the break and both teams could sense the next goal was crucial, which contributed towards a tense opening period following the restart.
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With 70 minutes played, the third goal of the match occurred and it went to Parrots, as Joe Alonso headed in from a corner.
Assyria looked well beaten, but were handed a lifeline 10 minutes from time when Hackney switched off.
The nerves began to get the better of the Parrots after and the leaders grabbed another back to set up a tense finale.
With the seconds running out, Assyria created one last chance, but Brown pulled off a stunning save to give Hackney all three points and a tense 3-2 victory.
Harrington said: “For 70 minutes we were fantastic, but we must learn how to kill games off.
“We thought it was won at 3-0 and nearly let two points slip. We let Assyria back into it due to a lack of concentration and we must improve this part of our game”
Sporting Hackney remain unbeaten and joint-top of the table with their rivals after triumphing in this five-goal thriller last weekend.