Photos (Top to Bottom): Eagles' Jacob Malakoff looks lonely at a corner, but help was about to arrive; Eagles' Chris Wass heads home a corner; Eagles' Chris Wass takes on Clarence's David Hoppitt; The Clarence brains trust; Eagles' Jacob Malakoff beats Clarence's Julian McMahon to the ball; Clarence's matt Lewis foils Eagles' Adam McKeown; Eagles' Alex Leszczynski gets a sniff of the ball; Eagles' Alex Leszczynski blocks Joseph Stevens while Nick Ferrall looks on; Eagles' Jacob Malakoff (left) battles for possession with Clarence's Luke Huigsloot;
New Town Eagles 2-2 Clarence United
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This was an important game for both sides, especially since both University and Kingborough Lions United won the previous day.
It meant that University were only four points behind Eagles, and that Kingborough had taken fourth spot from Clarence, who dropped to fifth.
Eagles made the perfect start when they scored in only the 3rd minute.
They won a corner on the left and captain and central-defender Chris Wass came up and beat goalkeeper Michael Moschogianis in the air to head home
.
Both sides squandered chances after that, but Clarence drew level on the half-hour when Luke Cripps, the league’s leading marksman, netted from Sam McIntyre’s cross.
On the stroke of half-time, Eagles regained the lead. Moschogianis managed to turn a shot by Wass against the far post, where Jacob Malakoff was lurking.
His first effort was blocked by Moschogianis, who had recovered his ground, but Malakoff managed to prod the ball under the keeper’s arm and over the line at the second attempt to give Eagles a 2-1 lead going into the break.
Three minutes after the resumption, a cross from the left by Adam McKeown was headed against his own post by Clarence captain Ben Parker.
The ball fell to Malakoff, who was thwarted this time from close range by Moschogianis, who conceded a corner.
In the 52nd minute, it was 2-2 as Cripps scored with a free-kick from 22 metres which beat Soszynski, who may have been unsighted but was still slow to react.
Both sides were happy with a point, but three would have been much better.
Eagles are now 5 points in front of University and each has two games remaining, while Clarence stayed fifth.
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· New Town Eagles coach, George Krambousanos, said:
“From the start, I knew the game would be a hard game.
“Two good teams, young players.
“I think that second goal, there was a bit of luck there, but then I think we had a penalty there, so that evens itself up.
“Look, there’s always respect from both sides and the coaching staff, so I hope they actually reach the fourth spot.
“They deserve it.”
· Clarence United coach, Andrew Brown, said:
“It’s always difficult to play at Clare Street in the mud.
“A very scrappy game. We never got into our stride from the second minute onwards, but, we played on Thursday and it took a lot out of our boys
.
“To grind out a 2-2 result, although it doesn’t help us as we strive for the top four, what it does do is keep us on our roll.
“We’ve got a pretty good roll on at the moment, so to come from behind twice and pinch a point at Clare Street, we’ll be happy with that.
“We’ll move on and we’ll take on Kingborough on Thursday and see who can make the top four.”
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New Town Eagles: Soszynski - Page, Wass, Anderson, Ferrall - Malakoff, Clark, Leszczynski, (Fennell 86) Whitehall - Gordon, McKeown (Substitutes not used: Clamp, Wilson, Minty)
Goals: Wass 3, Malakoff 44
Clarence United: Moschogianis - Toghill, Lewis, Parker, McMahon - S McIntyre, Stevens, L Huigsloot, Hoppitt (Hunt 57) - Cripps, Hamlett (Barron 68) (Substitutes not used: Knapek, Sweetten)
Goals: Cripps 30, 52
Att: 70
Ref: C Phillips
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