LATE EQUALIZER BY YOUTH

The Gordon MacDonald Electrical, Kiama Sports & Leisure Wear Youth Grade team scrambled their way to 2 - 2 draw against Shellharbour Barbarians this weekend.

Kiama started the game as if they only had to turn up to take the points. Scott Schofield made some strong runs down the left flank and caused his opposite number problems.  Although they made many chances and again could have been a few goals up in the first fifteen minutes, they couldn't convert the opportunities. Whilst this is frustrating for the spectators and players alike, the chances are being made and they will soon start to find the back of the net.
The boys whilst making chances definitely weren't committed to the game in the first half. The Barbarians began to pass the ball around and were sharper than the Quarriers but their shots on goal were limited. Even so it wasn't long before a through ball caught the Kiama defence flat footed and the Shellharbour striker pounced on the pass and put the shot past James Terry for the first goal of the match.
 
Not long after, the Kiama defence was again in pieces and a clumsy late tackle gave Barbarians a penalty which they converted and went to the half time break ahead 2 - 0.
The second half saw Craig Lord revert to sweeper and young substitute James Spence came off the bench and started wide left in the midfield. Kiama slowly clawed their way back into the game with the central midfield trio of Dave Kay, Danny Pridham & Scott Schofield stamping their authority on the game. Strikers Craig Costello and Wade Mathews tried hard but poor running options again let them.
With seventeen minutes to go Kiama pushed Jai Cartwright forward to try and salvage something from the game. Young Spence created plenty of space wide on the left which gave the free running Schofield room to terrorise the opposition. His continued runs down the left created plenty of excitement but no goals. With time running out the youngsters finally found the net to give them a chance of at least a point.
 
The clock was quickly running down when Costello checked off his marker and a good ball was put through for Chris Hughes who had finally stretched the defence wide enough for the ball to be played to him. A typical bustling run by Hughes was finished with a good strike and Kiama were back on level terms to snatch a point from the game.