Three goals in seven of the final twenty minutes gave Chatham Town what looked for much of the opening seventy minutes was an unlikely three points against a battling Punjab United side who more than held their own in a terrific advert for the SCEFL Premier Division.
Inspired by the constant probing of former Chats striker Paul Vines, the visitors took the game to their hosts who in the opening forty-five minutes looked like they were suffering a hangover from their four two home drubbing at the hands of Glebe at the weekend. It was Vines who opened the scoring with a scorching drive beyond Andy Walker in the home goal and the lead was doubled on the half hour courtesy of Joe Jarvis’ thumping header.
After the break, Chatham did up the tempo but for prolonged periods found Punjab keeper Max Ovenden in outstanding form. Things turned though on seventy minutes as Dan Bradshaw, Ryan Hayes and then Bradshaw again turned the game on its head.
After a cagey start, Walker was called into early action to deny William Johnson-Cole before Vines broke the deadlock on twenty-three minutes as he gloriously curled a stunner beyond Walker – the former Chats striker simply turned back to the centre and didn’t celebrate against his former employers. The Punjab lead was doubled just moments later when Warren Beattie crossed for Joe Jarvis to thump a header beyond a statuesque Walker and into the bottom corner.
Play was then held up for nearly ten minutes when home defender Dan Smith fell to the ground around the halfway line with no one near him. The defender received superb treatment from both benches and was placed on a stretcher with a foil blanket over him before being led away with the crowd’s sympathetic applause ringing round the Bauvill Stadium.
The delay seemed to knock Punjab out of their stride and the home side went onto miss good chances in stoppage time; Bradshaw raced onto a through ball only to be felled on the very edge of the box, but Evans free kick crashed straight into the wall. The Chats skipper then got on the end of a Hayes cross but could only steer his header wide.
After the break, Chatham upped the tempo and pushed the visitors further and further back. Evans was denied by a good Ovenden save – another header this time from Jack Palmby’s cross – before the Punjab keeper produced a magnificent save to keep out Jack Richards great shot before Ovenden excelled again to deny Jordi Robins close header.
The Chats chasing the game had switched from a back four to a three at the start of the half and the home side were enjoying the possession but couldn’t find a way passed an inspired Ovenden. Bradshaw shaved the outside of the post before combining brilliantly with Robins only for Robins to be denied again, this time by the keepers’ legs.
Bradshaw’s night was summed up moments later as Pilbeams fine centre found the unmarked striker but he completely missed his kick and the chance had gone, and just moments later, that miss could have proved crucial as the visitors missed a glaring opportunity to seal the points as Chandler Kasai managed to poke the ball past Walker but just didn’t have enough on the ball as it crept towards the unguarded net allowing George Sheminant to clear off the line.
What followed next was simply CRASH – Bradshaw netted from a yard after Evans and Robins brilliantly worked a short corner; BANG – Hayes with a pile-driver that flew past Ovenden after Palmby had been denied to level the scores; and WALLOP – Bradshaw on hand for his second of the game (and XX for the season) and he powered home a header as Hayes’ cross brilliantly picked him out – three goals in seven staggering minutes that turned the game on its head as the visitors visibly tired!
Yet there was still drama to come as Walker kept the Chats in front with his save of the night to magnificently deny Jarvis full length at the base of his right post.
While this heart-breaking defeat leaves them precariously placed just a point outside the divisions bottom two, Punjab must take great heart as they came so agonisingly close to the upset, That said the three points take Chatham – after Saturday’s heavy defeat – into second just a point behind leaders Sheppey – who have a game in hand.
CHATHAM TOWN – Walker, Pilbeam (Bodkin), D Smith (Sheminant), Robins, Butler, Ajayi, Hayes, Evans, Bradshaw, Palmby, Richards (Orji)
Subs – T Smith, Mills
PUNJAB UNITED – Ovenden, Beattie, Vincent, Ratcliff (Samuels), Dawson, Henry, Kasai (Ramsamy), Suman (Doherty), Vines, Jarvis, Johnson-Cole
Subs – Okundalaiye, Ferris
REFEREE – Mr Cutler