The reserves scored a dramatic late winner against Three Bridges at Church Road on Wednesday night when Michael Bartley netted four minutes into stoppage time, heading home an Adam Cornell centre.
It was a tired looking Missioners, playing their third game in five days, who took to the field for a game that really failed to get going until the second half.
Hayes were within a whisker of taking a twelfth minute lead however, a long Adam Logie throw was flicked on at the near post and fell to Dwain Williams between two defenders at the far post only for his effort to come back off the post before being hacked clear.
With chances at a premium, a Williams cross was fractionally out of the reach of an arriving Rhys Price before Adam Thomson's resolve to keep the ball out was severely tested ten minutes from the break. Lee Thompson found himself free to shoot only for Thomson to touch his shot around the post, the resultant corner was fired in low and met in the six yard box by Jack McNab only for Thomson to stick out a foot to block on the line. Still the danger was not cleared as Dan Attwater cut back into the area but thankfully chose to shoot from an angle and could only ripple the side netting.
Five minutes from the break Miles Jones went down under a heavy tackle, and after lengthy treatment from 'cheeky' physio Nicole Onyett he resumed but finally had to be replaced at the break. Just before the break the woodwork, not for the first or last time, kept the ball out of the net. Michael Bartley combined with Michael Gordon on the left side before the latter's angled drive came back off the face of the Bridges crossbar and again was cleared.
Both sides seemed a little more adventurous in the second half, top scorer Adam Cornell replaced Jones, with Stafforde Palmer moving to the right side of midfield so that Cornell could play "up top" with Bartley.
First chance of the half fell to the visitors
but Thomson was equal to Tom Familton's drive and on the hour Bartley played a neat ball through to Williams, keeper Eddie Olding beat the Hayes man to the ball but miskicked his clearance to Cornell but he could not find the target.
Minutes later the Missioners finally broke the deadlock, a punt forwards
was headed on by Bartley to Price who took a controlled touch before firing past Olding from the edge of the area. Price could have doubled the advantage shortly afterwards after Bartley and Cornell combined to set up the chance but his left foot effort was straight at Olding.
Thirteen
minutes from time the game was back at square one, a short corner found Familton on the corner of the box, he initially miscontrolled the ball but soon regained control and fired across Thomson into the far corner of the Hayes net.
At this stage it looked more than possible that the visitors could take all three points home with them, Thomson was well placed to catch a Familton header and minutes later an indecisive Sam Arhin header back fell to Eddie Thompson who was only denied by a sprawling Thomson in the Hayes goal.
As the game entered stoppage time Colin Davis' side started to excert pressure on the Sussex sides defence, Cornell chipped the ball neatly to Palmer who curled his effort around Olding only to be denied by the post. Olding was in the thick of the action again within a minute, Price put Bartley through but his loose control allowed Olding to block his effort to Palmer who blasted goalwards only for the keeper to push the drive over the bar.
Four minutes had been played over the ninety when the ball hit the back of the net for the final time, Cornell found himself wide on the right whereby he beat his marker to the byeline before pulling the ball perfectly into Bartley's path and he netted with a stooping header, giving Olding no chance.
This was not the last chance though, almost immediately the visitors stormed the Hayes area in the shape of winger Ryan Smith, his angled drive beating Thomson but thankfully for the Missioners it also hit the face of the crossbar and was cleared to safety as the referee brought proceedings to an end.
Report by Kevin Watts.
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