STEETON showed why they are the third-highest scorers in the NWCFL First Division North on Saturday, despite squandering a 3-0 lead at Daisy Hill.
The Chevrons were fired up from the start and were cruising inside the opening half hour, but a Connor Hughes stunner set the tone for the hosts, as they pulled two goals back before the interval.
When Daisy Hill equalised from the spot with an hour played, it looked to be a familiar tale for Steeton, but two quickfire strikes from Kayle Price and Josh McKiernon secured a 5-3 victory and a vital three points for Roy Mason’s side.
Steeton showed their attacking intent from the outset and opened the scoring after just two minutes.
A forward ball from Alistair Morgan found Toby Jeffrey, who beat the defender for pace before crossing for Luke Baldwin to power in his second in as many league games at the near post.
Tensions threatened to boil over as the Chevrons began to control the play, with players and managers from both sides involved in a coming-together after a foul.
But the Steeton faithful, making up nearly half of the crowd at a wet and windy New Sirs, were cheering again 15 minutes later.
Stuart Cross saved superbly from Hughes before starting a swift counter-attack down the right wing, with Baldwin squaring for the red-hot Price, who saw his strike deflect off goalkeeper Sajjad Sulaiman and trickle into the back of the net.
The aftermath of the goal saw the Daisy Hill stopper require lengthy treatment, but that did not disrupt the visitors’ momentum, and they soon extended their lead.
A Baldwin corner was flicked on by Ben Kendall to the back post, where an unmarked Tom Robinson was given time and space to volley his first Chevrons goal through a sea of bodies and into the top corner.
However, with a comfortable three-goal advantage, the Chevrons began to sit back and allowed the hosts back into the match in the 39th minute.
A lofted pass found Hughes down the right wing, who breezed past two Steeton defenders before cutting inside and curling a stunning strike into the bottom left corner.
Things worsened for the visitors when Daisy Hill scored a second in the fifth minute of injury time.
Skipper Jordan Cover driving down the left wing before slotting past Cross, however, Steeton maintained their advantage at the interval.
The hosts started the better of the sides after the break and equalised 15 minutes into the half after a foul in the box, as Jake O’Brien sent Cross the wrong way with a powerful penalty into the bottom left corner.
But the scores were level for just four minutes, as Robinson played in Price, who beat the offside trap before thundering the ball past Sulaiman to restore Steeton’s advantage.
Both sides made changes as players began to tire, with Chevrons debutant Jacob Holgate making a near-instant impact following his signing from Barnoldswick Town earlier in the week.
The young midfielder won the ball back on the halfway line before passing to McKiernon, who unleashed a sensational 35-yard strike that dipped over the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.
Daisy Hill's Jordan Lomax and Matt Davison saw efforts flash narrowly wide of the post in a tense last 10 minutes, but Steeton stood firm to make it back-to-back wins in all competitions ahead of a tough trip to Pilkington on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
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