A pulsating end to end fascinating and truly intriguing game saw Thamesmead Town twice come from behind to salvage a deserved point after a moment of magic had seemingly won the game for Lowestoft and taken the points up the A12 to Suffolk.

Mead boss Keith McMahon was understandably happy after the game and admitted that he even thought that his side were unfortunate not to get all three points.

“After we lost to Leiston last weekend, I was looking for a response, and on the whole, I got one,” McMahon said. “We were disappointing last week, but we’ve fought every inch of the way today – heck we’ve even scored three of the four goals! But we deserved something today and in truth I think we deserved all three points. But to go behind in the 89th minute like that and still come back and get a point – its a credit to the boys.”

Two contrasting sides – one looking to challenge for the Play Offs whilst the other are battling to try and get a foothold in the division – but what a fabulous contest they provided. The visitors were quickly into their stride and on 12 minutes, Chris Henderson cut in from the the left and was desperately unlucky with a curling shot that beat Mead keeper Rob Budd only to cannon to safety off of the left post – that was to become the “theme”of the game.

Disaster struck for the home side on 16 minutes when a cross from Stuart Ainsley was allowed to bounce through the box and it hit the unfortunate Jay Porter on the shoulder and ricocheted beyond the prone figure of Budd and into the net. Both sides then struck the frame of the goal as the game swung one way and then the other.

Ross Jarvis thought he’d doubled the lead when his shot beat Budd but the bar came to the home sides rescue whilst at the other end Junior Baker sent the Lowestoft bar shaking as his header (from Chris Saunders’ corner) was denied by the woodwork. And so the game which was played at a terrific pace throughout swung again as Theo Fairweather-Johnson drilled the ball across the face of goal fractionally in front of the lunging Shamir Mullings.

The visitors went into the break in front and came out the other side firing and almost doubled the lead within seconds as Budd was forced into a fine tip over save.

Thamesmead though were not to be put off and deservedly levelled just past the hour as Baker powered home a head from another fine set piece delivery into the Lowestoft box. With the score level, the pendulum swung more and more – a chaotic exchange took place in the home box as bodies flew in all directions to block shots before the chance as eventually cleared, before Mullings and Fairweather-Johnson broke brilliantly only for the latter to drag his shot wide with only the keeper to beat.

It then seemed that a true moment of brilliance from Robert Eagle seemed to have won the game for the visitors. A terrific run left defenders in his wake and when he centred, Reed soared at the back post to power what appeared to be an 89th minute winner. But there was another twist in this pulsating game, as Thamesmead sub Mo Conteh (who had been on the pitch for less than 5 minutes) went down in the box and referee Goldsmith had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Up strode Tozer and blasted the spot kick beyond Jones and into the net to give the home side a deserved share of the spoils

Final word must go to McMahon who said, “we played them in our first away game at this level back in August and got well beaten. Today shows you how far we’ve come – we’re not there yet, but getting there!”

THAMESMEAD – Budd, Butler, Porter, Saunders, Tozer, Baker, Roberts, Phillips (Hibbert 66), Mullings (Conteh 86), Monger (Jewers 90, Fairweather-Johnson

Sub – Carter

LOWESTOFT – Jones, Williams, Ainsley, Fisk (Bailey 68), Haynes-Brown (Fitzgerald 79), Gaugham, Ainsley, Jarvis, Reed, Henderson, Eagle

Subs not used – Haizel and Jessup

Referee – Mr M Goldsmith
Assistants – Mr D Eaton & Mr M Milligan