We picked up a vital point at the weekend after a double from Malachi Linton helped secure a 3-3 draw at home to Hornchurch last weekend.
This marks a magic period for our no.9, who, after not scoring since the opening day of the season, has now bagged four goals in three games.
His second, and our third, of the afternoon, was the pick of the bunch, as he thumped the ball from the edge of the box and into the top-left corner.
Before that, we had found ourselves 3-2 down at the end of the first half, after Will Greenidge and Angelo Balanta cancelled out after Linton and Jake McCarthy had initially put us 2-1 ahead by the game’s 25th minute.
But the contest ended in a six-goal thriller, which secured us a crucial point as we fight to stay in the National League South.
Following 20th-place Welling United’s 2-2 draw at home to Slough Town, our gap from safety has now shortened to seven points with 10 games to go.
A long way from 13 points just a week previously.
END-TO-END FIRST HALF
There was good news before the match started, skipper Tom Bearwish returning to the starting line-up in place of the injured Andy Robinson.
But our excitement was eroded after just seven minutes when Balanta’s low cross from the right met Darren McQueen, whose flick rolled past Will Buse and into the bottom-left corner.
Though we were 1-0 behind early in the game, it wouldn’t take long for us to draw level after a piece of one-touch play ended up in Bearwish having the ball at his feet on the edge of the box.
The skipper’s delivery deflected into the path of fellow-midfielder McCarthy, who blasted the ball past Mason Terry and into the bottom-right corner.
With the match now 1-1 after just 16 minutes, we had an entertaining contest on our hands.
Momentum was now in our favour, and less than 10 minutes later we took the lead.
Brandon Goodship, the assist-provider away to Truro City the previous Tuesday, whipped in a dangerous corner towards Calvin Brooks, whose header was kept out by Terry.
However, the Hornchurch shot-stopper could not keep the ball away from goal as Linton thumped the ball past him from barely a yard out.
Linton’s close-range strike put us 2-1 ahead, but, as we’ve seen already this season, our fortunes would quickly turn.
Goodship was forced off with injury just two minutes after the hour-mark, before the visitors equalised just under 10 minutes later.
Goalscorer McQueen was at the centre of his team’s attacking play once again, this time being the provider as he evaded pressure from our defence and hooked the ball to Greenidge, whose powerful low strike beat Buse and drew his side level.
Then, if that didn’t set us back enough, we conceded another just before half-time.
In acres of space, Charlee Adams was able to strike low towards the right of Buse’s goal, our goalkeeper only able to parry into the path of Balanta, who gave The Urchins a 3-2 lead right before the break.
MAGIC MAL TO THE RESCUE AGAIN
But despite being behind once again, we started the second half brightly, particularly when McCarthy fired just over the bar and Linton’s half volley flew left of goal within just the first six minutes.
This was a half with less moments than the first, although we would have to defend resolutely at the back when substitute Tommy Wood’s effort was valiantly deflected behind near the left post with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Then, as the first half promised, our in-form forward produced a piece of magic for us once again.
It was the 78th minute when were trying to break down a Hornchurch defence that was set up in a deep block, at which point Hamblin laid the ball off to Linton.
Afterwards, our star striker thumped the ball past Terry, who could only stand still from the edge of the box.
Linton’s second of the game, importantly, gave us our third and got us back in the game.
But our hard work nearly came undone just four minutes later, Thomas Wraight firing over the bar from approx. six yards out.
Wraight’s miss was a let-off for us, but we were less fortunate right before stoppage time when Charlie Rowan was handed a second yellow card for fouling Wood near the halfway-line.
Luckily, though, his sending off did little to impact the rest of the game, the full-time whistle declaring us a vital point as our quest to stay in England’s sixth tier continues…
