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Hayes young reserve side were beaten by a freak goal from 45 yards on Wednesday evening which was disappointing in that the Missioners back-line had dealt superbly well with the experienced home attack of Neville Roach and Mark Peters only to be beaten by a punt from the middle of the park.

We had a good early chance when Rhys Price fed the ball into the run of Adam Cornell, his path to goal was blocked by keeper Ashlee Jones and Damon Ming headed the loose ball wide of the target. Ming then had another effort that was well off target before our own Adam Thomson did well to hold a Roach shot after he was set up by Andy Ottley.

Midway though the half Peters fed the ball to Ottley, he cut inside the area, avoided the dive of Thomson but the keeper had forced him wide and he could only fire against the side netting. Right on the stroke of half time we almost took the lead after Earle Johnson won possession on the right, his ball to Price saw the midfielder fire across the six yard box and wide.

The Missioners started the second period well but were finding it hard getting past a man mountain in former Gravesend centre-back Dan Brown. Price and Cornell combined to set up Miles Jones only for Adam Aimable to intercept at the foot of the post, seconds later Jones was chasing a through ball only to be chopped down by 'Stoke keeper Jones just outside the area, the keeper being cautioned for the offence. Sadly the free-kick from a good position was wasted.

Both sides had good chances after good flicks from corners, sadly the impressive Jarrel Henry was just off target for Hayes as was Aimable for the hosts. With just over an hour played Henry was the saviour in our own area, Roach bore down on goal only for Henry to time a superb tackle that denied the striker a shot, the ball soon returned to Roach and although he lofted it over Thomson it also went over the crossbar.

Roach was again inches from netting on 73 minutes when a Ben Wright cross was just too far ahead of his lunge, the killer blow did indeed come just two minutes later, Ottley appearing to clear the ball forwards from the middle of the park only to stare in disbelief as it sailed over Thomson and into the top corner of our net.

Chances still continued to come for the Missioners to pull it back level, substitute Sam Arhin did well to take the ball to the byeline, his cross found Jones but the young striker fired over from 10 yards out. Two minutes from time Jones again had a chance but having beaten Aimable found Brown in the way and the defender denied him a shot inside the six yard box. Minutes before this Thomson had kept Hayes in the hunt by pushing a Wright shot around the post but it was not enough and we fell to our second defeat of the campaign.

Report by Kevin Watts.