Badshot Lea 1, Spelthorne Sports 1

GOALKEEPERS are primarily employed to prevent goals, but stopper turned scorer as Badshot Lea fought out an eventful 1-1 draw with Spelthorne Sports at Krooner Park on Saturday.

Trailing by a first-half goal from Jake Flatman, Lea goalkeeper and captain Jordan Clement led by example as he equalised in the 68th minute from inside his own penalty area with a spectacular long punt.

“It’s been a long time since I have seen something like that,” said Lea boss Keith Hills.

“He kicked the ball from his hands looking for our centre forward but it caught the wind, and one end of the Krooner Park pitch has got a hard bit on the edge of the penalty area, the keeper has misjudged it and the ball simply bounced over him and into the net.”

Clement’s stunner midway through the second half not only earned Lea a point but considerably eased the tension after a 20-player melee at the end of the first half saw two players dismissed by the referee.

The flare up occurred after a rash tackle by Lea’s Liam Roberts on Spelthorne goalkeeper Brendan Hazlett, which resulted in plenty of pushing and shoving in the Spelthorne penalty area and Roberts receiving his marching orders.

“He (Roberts) was trying to go for the ball, but was it a sending off? Yes, it was a sending off,” said Hills, who added that he will be giving evidence at a disciplinary hearing after the referee sent off the wrong Spelthorne player for his apparent part in the scuffle.

“It really was handbags stuff in the area,” said Hills.

The point, which was a fair reflection on the game, leaves Lea fourth from bottom of the Premier Division but with games in hand on many of the sides around them.

On Saturday, Lea face a trip to south-west London to face Colliers Wood at the Wibbandune ground in the Combined Counties League (kick-off 3pm).

“It will be a tough game and they have got a few quick boys, but they have lost a few games recently. But you never want it to be against you when they start to pick up and play well again,” said Hills.

“We will set up right for this game because we all need points at this time of the year.

“We will have a plan in place but I am quietly confident of winning the game.”

Badshot Lea: Clement, Hutchings (Campbell), Brainch, Roberts, Goodfellow, Allen, Pound (J Francis), Norman, Sweeney, Thripp, Blanchard. Subs (not used): K Francis, Buckley, Ford.