Harry is Hero as Yellamen beat Wembley 2-1
Harry Tucker’s 91st minute thunderbolt sealed a dramatic comeback win for Ascot United at Wembley FC on Saturday. With the scores level and Ascot almost out of ideas after battering their hosts in the 2nd half, Tucker unleashed a simply unstoppable 25-yard thunderbolt into the top corner to spark delirium amongst the travelling faithful.
On paper the game was tough to call as Ascot, with four wins from four, faced a side with four wins from five; consequently a win for either side would send them top if leaders London Lions slipped up.
As it was, Wembley were in the box seat at half time courtesy of striker Ben Lawson-Hatch, who stabbed through a crowd of players from the edge of the area and in off the inside of the post after Ascot had failed to clear their lines just shy of the half-hour mark.
Before all that both sides had their chances, although Ascot should have been on the scoresheet only for Marcus Mealing to drag wide in the opening minute, then miss a golden chance with a free header two minutes before the hosts’ opener.
Joshua Blaize-Carr almost wriggled clear of Tucker’s attentions after racing onto Calvin Osborne’s ball over the top in the fifteenth minute as Wembley threatened sporadically – Tucker doing enough to ensure Carr’s shot went wide – and Alfie Bates’s deflected shot later in the half squirmed wide for a corner in the 27th minute. Ascot’s Jordan Ajanlekoko also fired over on the turn between those chances after Harry Grant’s corner was headed down by Brendan Mathew, but the visitors were ruing their wastefulness after Lawson-Hatch subsequently gave them an interval lead.
But Ascot upped the tempo after the break and although they cut the deficit early-on, it looked like the spoils would be shared after twice striking the crossbar and seeing a plethora of other chances go begging.
That said, Jay Welch was alert to thwart Blaize-Carr with a fine tackle early on as Wembley threatened, but Ascot were soon on level terms when Sean McCormack’s fine overhead cross at full stretch from Harris’s delivery was converted by Mathew.
Mealing then smashed the crossbar from a tight angle, Grant’s corner looked like it might have been straight over the line albeit no goal was given and Bailey then planted a free-header wide as Ascot dominated.
Home ‘keeper Charlie Wealands then made a fine save to deny Grant when clean through after Tucker’s long clearance was superbly helped on by Harris, before substitute Keaton August incredibly hit the bar with a mis-hit shot amidst a glut of other changes in personnel.
Wembley’s only real chance was a late header from Lawson-Hatch when we escaped Ascot’s attentions at the far post to meet Yassine Fehmi-Gil’s deep free kick, but he was at full stretch and failed to keep his header down.
And, with the game approaching its dying embers, cue Tucker. Picking the ball up outside the area and right of goal, he took one look, put his head down, and laced a simply unstoppable effort up and over Wealands to maintain his side’s 100% start to their league campaign – and a table-topping end – after Harefield held London Lions to a 2-2 draw.
Ascot United: Ashdown, Welch (Lock 81’), Masters, Ajanlekoko, Bailey, Tucker, McCormack, Grant, Mealing (August 70’), Matthew (Price 85’), Harris (Lalustani 79’). Sub unused: Bouwers
