Bendix survived a late scare to overcome Lion 2-1 and strengthen their bid for promotion.
It was second vs. third at Lees Hill, with both teams on 42 points and equal goal difference before kick-off.
Bendix started the game well, pressing Lion FC high up the pitch and preventing Lion from developing their passing rhythm.
On a challenging surface, neither team enjoyed sustained periods of possession during a scrappy opening few minutes.
It was Bendix, though, who took the lead with the game’s first real moment of quality. When the ball was played in between the Lion right back and centre half, the Bendix forward was in the penalty area, being closed down by the Lion defender. From a tough angle, he finished powerfully with his left, hitting the ball across goal to the far corner.
Bendix remained on top, winning several free kicks in the Lion half. From one of these, a corner was forced resulting in Bendix adding to their lead somewhat fortuitously. After the corner was played in from the left, Lion looked to have cleared their lines from the back post. After the initial clearance, Al Moores sought to clear the ball more forcefully, only to see the ball career into his own net, doubling the Bendix lead.
This was the third game in succession that Lion had found themselves two goals down, the previous two both resulting in successful comebacks.
Towards the end of the first half, Lion settled into more of a rhythm, growing into the game and enjoying more possession in the Bendix half. The best chances came from set pieces, with central defender Moss forcing a save from the Bendix keeper with a header from a corner. Lion were also awarded an indirect free kick form a promising position. Beard struck the ball sweetly from the play, but failed to test the keeper.
Second Half
The second half started scrappily, with neither team settling on the ball nor creating clear chances. Perhaps naturally, when defending a two-goal lead, Bendix seemed to step back a little, allowing Lion more of the ball.
Despite this, Lion failed to carve out any clear chances with Bendix defending resolutely and the keeper, Yeeles, in fine form.
The introduction of Matee from the bench, who the Bendix support quite accurately described as a ‘unit’, helped Lion keep possession better in the Bendix half. Mo especially enjoyed more of the ball as the game progressed.
Lion’s best passage of play came later in the second half, with Harris, Mo and Matee combining well with a series of short passes which forced a corner. Minutes later, a smart one two between Matee and Mo created a shooting opportunity, which looked to have been blocked by the Bendix defender’s arm. By no means a clear-cut penalty, the appeals were waved away by the referee.
Though Lion were pushing for goals, Bendix were not without their moments, proving dangerous on the counterattack as Lion continued to chase the game.
With time running out, Lion FC continued to press, this time testing the Bendix left side. A combination of the substitutes Tom Ackroyd and Joe Galli and the ever-advancing defender Slade placed pressure on the Bendix defence. When Slade found himself beyond the Bendix full back, he played a neat cross along the floor to Matee, who struck the ball well first time.
The ball seemed to be heading goalward, only for an acrobatic stop from the keeper to deny Lion once again.
Lion did finally open their account, but all too late. After Matee was hauled down in the box from an attacking Lion free kick, Harris converted the spot-kick confidently.
This proved to be a mere consolation, with the full-time whistle arriving soon after. The game finished with Bendix winning 2-1, completing the league double over Lion FC and condemning them to a fifth league defeat.
Man of the Match: Shaun Williams.
Loser: Ross Jones for a bizarre moment when he attempted to control the ball with both feet simultaneously, in mid-air, despite being the only Lion player who was allowed to use his hands.
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