Eagles young side had plenty of chances to score and eventually managed to win an end to end game, the winner coming in the dying minutes of added time.
Eagles first strike on goal came after only 5 minutes but the shot was high and wide of goal, and it was Codicote who took the lead after 14 minutes when a free kick from mid way inside the visitors’ half found a forward inside the penalty area. He turned inside an Eagles defender and scored with a low shot inside the corner of the net. A few minutes later Eagles keeper Zach Vernon had to turn a shot from the edge of the penalty area over the crossbar as Codicote pressed home their advantage.
After 19 minutes Eagles had a good chance o equalise when a direct free kick on the right side into the penalty area was parried by the keeper at his near post, but the loose ball was pushed wide of goal from a few yards out. Eagles pushed forward and a couple of shots passed wide of goal before on 25 minutes a break down the right side once more produced a low cross into the penalty area but was turned inches wide of goal as the keeper challenged for the ball.
An even better chance came to Eagles after 31 minutes. With only the keeper to beat the shot from inside the penalty area was blocked by his body, and a follow up shot went high and wide.. Another similar chance came within a minute and was missed, with the keeper making another decent save with his body, and who then saved a direct free kick from the right side.
Play swung to the other end and Eagles keeper had to make a decent save with his legs to block a low shot from the left side of the penalty area, soon followed by another blocking save a couple of minutes later.
Eagles got a deserved equaliser after 38 minutes with a great goal by debutant Luca Davies who found the top corner of the net with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area. Vernon then had to make a good save at full stretch before Eagles got their noses in front just before halftime when debutant George Evans found the far corner of the net with a low shot following a break down the right side of the pitch.
Eagles kept their advantage until the 58 th minute when they conceded a poor goal from a defensive shocker. Codicote played a long ball down the centre and Adam Seymour, the replacement Eagles keeper at half time, rushed out of the penalty area to clear the ball and failed, leaving a Codicote forward the easy task to place the ball into an empty net.
On the hour Eagles should have scored with a break down the centre but after outpacing defenders the ball was placed inches wide of goal. After 65 minutes it was Codicote’s chance to miss an excellent chance to score when a low cross from the right side was lifted over the crossbar from a distance of a few yards and clear on goal, and after 71 minutes a Codicote forward outpaced defenders down the centre of the field but lifted his shot wide of the advancing Seymour and wide of goal. Those misses proved costly when a minute later Mark Summers collected a ball played down the centre, advanced to the edge of the penalty area and side stepped the advancing keeper to pass the ball into the far corner of the net.
The lead lasted until 93 minutes when a low shot from the right side of the Eagles penalty area found the far corner of the net. The late drama continued when Eagles scored the winning goal after 95 minutes, when Codicote failed to clear a corner to the far post. The ball fell to Max Smith who chested the ball into the empty net from a few yards out.
