Hanwood has let two points slip away on a cold winter's day at Hanwood Oval, having surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-all with Lake Albert in their top of the table clash.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The home side took an early lead after winning a free kick on the edge of the area, and Daniel Johnson stepped up to take the free-kick and buried it into the back of the net.
Johnson had a chance to double his side's advantage right before the break however after being picked out on the far post by a ball from Joey Schirripa; Johnson was unable to direct his header on target.
It was long after the break that Hanwood did manage to extend their lead with Brad Clark steering a corner straight into the back of the net.
Lake Albert came close to getting one back when Blake Smith took a shot from the free-kick that looked like it was heading towards the bottom corner before the intervention from Stephen Bullen in the Hanwood goal.
With just over 20 minutes left in the match, the visiting side was awarded the opportunity to pull one back from the spot after the referee awarded a penalty for a push in the back and Kane Baumer stepping up and converting the penalty.
Nick Kennedy had a chance to restore the advantage for Hanwood however his header from a Schirripa cross his the post and stayed out while Lake Albert was able to get up the other end of the field and win a free-kick.
The ball was played into a dangerous area which caught Bullen in two minds, and after not getting to the ball first, Cameron Mavor was able to knock the ball into the net to make it 2-2.
Hanwood continued to invite pressure upon themselves however they were able to survive the final few minutes without any further damage to pick up their first points in two games.
Hanwood coach Anthony Agresta knows it was a game that got away from them.
"It was definitely a couple of points dropped there," he said.
"Once we went 2-0 up, we seemed to fall back into the old habits of the last couple of weeks."
The Hanwood side will now have a week off to prepare for their next match, and Agresta feels it has come at the right time.
"The first 60 minutes was a lot better than what we have been showing for the last couple of weeks," he said.
"We changed somethings, and there were some good things to come out of it but the last 20 minutes to half-hour was a bit disappointing. It (the bye) is probably another good thing; it is a bit of a freshen up for everyone. It's been a rough couple of weeks so we can reset and hit the last part of the season."
RELATED
***
While you're with us, did you know that The Area News is now offering sports as part of its growing email newsletter service? Our sports email will keep the sports-mad up-to-date with a round-up of all the weekend's sports action - sign up here.