With the disappointment of last week’s game still in the forefront of most people’s minds everyone at Hayes & Yeading needed a big performance to raise spirits and give reasons to be optimistic going into the new season.
Tristan and the players delivered in big style and it was two players from the successful Youth Team that turned this game on its head.
Trailing 2-1 with 24 minutes of the season left, the players could have been forgiven for feeling a little sorry for themselves and just let the season run out. The hosts, comfortably in the top half of the table were attempting to run the clock out to victory already. A double substitution however changed the game and possibly even the mood going into next season. Experienced James Harper and Ismael Ehui were withdrawn and teenagers Matt Sinclair and Dylan Kearney entered the fray.
The class of the youngsters was demonstrated immediately when Sinclair received the ball well in his own half facing his own goal and with vastly experienced Former England C international Ben Harding tightly marking him, Sinclair turned the defensive midfielder shrugged off his attentions and breezed away from him as if he had played 100 games at this level.
It was no surprise then when Sinclair set-up a United equaliser. The goal was a fantastic team goal, Luke Williams played the ball out of defence to Tom Collins who took the ball down the left before releasing Sinclair inside the penalty area and he showed his composure to roll the ball across the six yard box to give Elliot Benyon a tap in.
Benyon was a hat-trick hero in the game, and in any other game would have been the man of the match, but it says much of the impact of Sinclair when he can win the honour in a 24 minutes showing. Benyon had yet another great game and the player of the year showed why he is so beloved by the fans with his constant hard work, skill and class not to mention his goals. Benyon’s performance today was a summed up in injury time, leading 5-2 in the last game of a relegation campaign, Gosport looked to pull back a consolation goal and played out of defence to their right back who was midway inside the United half, Benyon chased him down, sprinting 35 yards and stopped a deep cross into the box.
At 2-2, Hayes & Yeading took the lead with quarter of an hour to play. Sinclair receiving the ball in midfield, beating his defender, before slipping the ball to 18 year-old Kearney, who from just inside the box smashed an unstoppable shot past George Legg.
3-2 up with 15 minutes to go and having not won a game since 19th March, you would have been forgiven for expecting Tristan and his players to shut up shop but no, there was a still more to come.
The United side were playing free flowing football released from the shackles that a relegation dogfight can bring with some intelligent passing and good moves that hopefully shows the sign of things to come, the players got the ball down and moved the it quickly and were bright and inventive in possession
Five minutes from time Kearney made scoring at this level look easy. Released down the inside channel inside the penalty area, he turned his marker before popping the ball past the keeper at his near post as the young striker notched his second of the game.
United finished the scoring two minutes later, it seemed appropriate that Benyon finished the scoring, this time it was the third substitute, 21 year-old Shepherd Murombedzi that created it. Murombedzi had a good game off the bench and his performance was overshadowed by Kearney and Sinclair and when he stole the ball from Adam Brice at the edge of the Gosport box the ball found Benyon between the two home centre backs and he calmly slotted the ball past Legg in the Gosport goal.
The game had started differently in an afternoon that seemed to contain every season, with fluctuating temperatures, swirling winds and a little rain. Gosport looked to take advantage of the wind early in proceedings with numerous long balls to test the visiting defence. The defence took a slightly different look from last week with Adam Everitt in the heart of the defence for Darren Purse and Luke Ifil getting the shirt at right back. James Hamon dealt well with the early long balls coming off his line to control the situation.
The early proceedings were breathless and after just five minutes Max Worsfold nearly gave United the lead when he ran unchecked through the Gosport defence, as he was closed down at the edge of the box he curled a short with the outside of his left foot just round the post.
The scoring was opened after 9 minutes. Benyon found himself in in the box and he chested a ball down and fired just wide for a goal kick, from the resultant goal-kick possession was regained by Ifil and his long ball across the field eluded defender Ryan Woodford and found Benyon on the left hand side of the box, he rounded the advancing keeper, cut back inside and kept his composure when surrounded by defenders to fired in off the inside of the near post.
Four minutes later the scores were level though. Following a corner, Woodford, trying to atone for his earlier misjudgement saw his header cleared off the line by Everitt, the ball was half cleared and returned back into the box by TJ Cuthberston, Woodford beat Hamon to the ball and headed goalwards which allowed Dan Wooden to put the ball into the empty net as two United defenders attempted to stop him reaching the ball first.
After the bright opening the game quietened down for the balance of the first half with the odd chances coming at either end but there was no real pattern to the play, what good play did come on the pitch normally came through Luke Williams, clever and imaginative in possession and hardworking out of possession, when he was later moved to a deeper lying midfield role he looked equally at home.
Benyon and Worsfold both had efforts at goal midway through the half while Justin Bennett had an effort well saved by Hamon for the hosts and Ehui had a free-kick that was just over for United.
Six minutes before the break United came close to restoring their lead. Ehui found himself with space in the box after good work and a good pass from Collins, the striker placed his shot past the keeper only to see recovering defender Cutherbertson block his goal bound shot. The visitors however quickly regained possession and a low cross from the right saw Benyon beat his defender to the ball and tap home, only to see the assistants flag rule the goal out for offside.
The second half started slowly, the conditions were not helped by the hosts bizarrely sprinkling water on an already very wet pitch which saw numerous players struggling to maintain their footing on occasions. The game had another strange incident just ive minutes after the restart when after awarding United a corner the referee briefly halted proceedings before the corner was taken so United keeper Hamon could get a drink and collect a water bottle.
It appeared approaching the hour mark that that incident might be the most exciting thing to happen in the second half until the 59th minute. Tom Dunford won the ball in midfield and in his attempt to push the ball past Everitt the ball hit the defender’s arm at the edge of the box. Everitt was booked for the incident and from the resultant free-kick Bennett drilled the ball under the wall and into the net to give the hosts the lead.
It now appeared as if the hosts were happy to settle at 2-1 and rely on their experience to see the game and season out but they didn’t count on the emerging young talent of Hayes & Yeading turning this deficit into an emphatic win.
Although this win cannot possibly cover what has been an utterly disappointing season it should give everyone with the club reasons to be optimistic going forward.
This report cannot however finish without mention the travelling support, noisy encouraging and humorous throughout, a credit to the club and let’s hope there is a lot more for them to be noisy about next season.
Report by Nick Griffith.
Photos by Brian Matthews.
United Man of the Match: Matt Sinclair
Luke Ifil 
