Irywah Gooden's late winner sees Emley move up table with victory at Albion Sports

Just as in their previous game the Pewits let a 2-0 lead slip, but they showed great character under pressure to get the victory, writes Martin Eastwood.

It all started so well for Emley, backed yet again by a good traveling support who probably made up half the crowd, as the impressive Joe Clegg saw a close-range header saved by the Albion keeper.

The hosts had a chance themselves, but a cross shot was saved comfortably by Declan Lambton.

Emley were soon dominating proceedings, Joe Jagger enjoying a great battle with Lions defender Kameron Basi, while Donae Lawrence was also impressive in his midfield role and had the next chance, but his effort was saved by McMahon in the Albion nets.

The Pewits were finding joy down the flanks, especially the right where Clegg, Jake Kelly and Jagger were causing problems, and it was from another right sided attack that Emley opened the scoring and a cracking goal it was too. A last ditch clearance gave them a corner, Clegg played it in low towards Knowles and he left it for Jagger to rifle into the bottom corner.

Lambton had to be alert to deal with a couple of efforts but he was equal to them.

Emley then doubled their lead with another well worked goal on 36 minutes, a Lawrence surge down the left saw him play a lovely ball into the path of Joe Kenny who blasted home for his first goal of the season.

The visitors finished the half strong and were disappointed not to add a third. Rikki Paylor fired a shot just wide and then great work by Jagger who sent a lovely ball into the danger zone, but Irywah Gooden just could not stretch enough to make any decent connection, but it was a good half’s work from the Pewits.

Emley stayed on the front foot early in the second half as Gooden saw a shot saved, Knowles had a header from a corner go over and Jagger cracked a shot that whistled past the angle of post and bar.

The Lions clawed a goal back, however, when a fine strike from Jahro Parchment beat a diving Lambton as he drove a low shot into the corner.

The game steadily declined in a bit of quality as the players seemed intent on refereeing the game themselves, the referee giving free kicks for very little and letting other things go, both sets of players and fans were getting frustrated, although a lot of the acting up from the players was not clever.

But the football did resume and Emley almost made it 3-1 as a rash clearance from the Albion keeper saw Jagger try a shot that sailed just over. Sandhu then had a half chance but he could not find the finish.

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Emley piled on the pressure, urged on by their band of supporters, a crude challenge 25 yards out saw Jagger lining up one his free-kick specials, but as the crowd held its breath, he fired wide.

Albion managed to pin Emley back in their own half and the Pewits were struggling to get any respite and it was perhaps no surprise that a last-ditch tackle in the box led to an Albion penalty which Hass Gorji tucked away nicely, no repeat of Lambton’s penalty heroics from last weekend.

And so for the second match in succession, Emley had had a 2-0 lead wiped out late on in the game, but the disappointment of their fans soon turned to joy as with just two minutes left Sandhu’s low corner was steered home by Irywah Gooden his first Pewits goal. To say he and the Emley fans enjoyed it is an understatement.

Relief all round for the Pewits then as they claimed their second successive away win and made it four games unbeaten, three in the league and the FA Vase success last week.

They have no game this weekend, but we are back in action on Tuesday at home to Hallam.