ODD DOWN SC WIN THRILLING CUP FINAL 5 - 3 TO GIVE THEIR RETIRING MANAGER BERN CROSS HIS IDEAL BIRTHDAY PRESENT

ODD DOWN S C 5 v 3 PAULTON ROVERS SUNDAY after extra time

ODD DOWN SC won a remarkable cup final packed full of incident having trailed 3 – 0 at one point and then overcame the loss of their captain.
Paulton Rovers Sunday took early control of the match and it only took them 8 minutes to open the scoring when Justin Dowling set up Tom Plummer who finished with a confident side foot finish into the net, seven minutes later Nick Johnson set up Rhys Cook whose volley just cleared the bar. Cook was not too be denied and after 20 minutes he fired home from the six yard box after good work by Dowling again and two minutes was only prevented from increasing the Paulton lead by a finger tip save by Josh Farnham in the Downers goal. Cook was again on the score sheet when after 27 minutes he held off two defenders to rifle home his second and Rovers third to give his side what appeared to be an unassailable lead.
Odd Down SC got themselves back in the game though when Kyle Norris’s shot from the edge of the box beat an unsighted Simon Callaghan in the Paulton goal to make it 3-1 after 32 minutes and a minute later Norris just failed to connect with a tempting cross by Allen Williams.
Paulton almost had a fourth when Cook saw his shot deflected just over the bar and then Norris struck again as a long ball from Lee O’Brien saw him dummy keeper Callaghan on the edge of the box and hit the ball home to send his team in only one goal behind at the half time interval.

The second half saw early chances at both ends, Williams skewed a shot wide after Norris set him up, then Dowling was through on goal only to be crowded out by Farnham and left back Wayne Sullivan and minutes later saw his shot hit the post and Cook was also denied by the woodwork as he looked to make the game safe for Rovers.
Odd Down thought they had an equaliser when Williams shot brought a great diving save from Callaghan.
As the game entered the last 10 minutes Dowling was denied by Farnham when one on one with the keeper.

The turning point of the match arrived in the 83rd minutes, Dan Baber was presented with an open goal but blazed his shot high over the bar and Odd Down equalised from their next attack when Dan Scott hit a cross shot into the Paulton net.
The match went into extra time and Odd Down’s chances seem to have gone when Billett was shown a second yellow card, far from it though as Norris completed his hat trick to put the Downers ahead from the penalty spot after being brought down in the box and three minutes later, in the 113th minute the same player sealed the win when he curled home his team’s fifth goal from the edge of the penalty area.