The Great Escape

With last week's 7-0 win in mind the Copt Heath men were confident they could put away a team who were 2 points behind them. The visitors had their own survival plan and having only lost twice in 8 games were not going roll over easily.

It was this strengthened Kings Heath side that took the early initiative taking the first half 3-1 thanks to 3 clinical finishes outshining Adam Kent's trademark bottom corner bullet for the home side.

At the restart the Sils seemed fired up and possession swung their way. Then, disaster, a break away led to a Kings Heath penalty corner that was then upgraded to a penalty stroke and converted to take the score to 1-4. At this point the game appeared lost but Sils had been rotating players effectively all game and as the minutes wore on the fresh legs turned positive possession into utter domination of the ball.

With 20 minutes a life line emerged; the ball forced into the D from the right wing found Sam Stephen who squared to Andre Tchakhotine who pounced on the ball to flick it home; 2-4. 5 minutes later the Kings Heath defence parted like the red sea inviting Tchakhotine to fire home on the reverse; 3-4. Ten minutes to go and the south Birmingham side were on the ropes. 65 minutes on the clock, the umpire's whistle stops play, penalty corner to the Sils! Max Levenger's straight strike is well saved by the keeper but it falls to Mark Dovey who fires the ball home as only a captain can; 4-4.

Without the benefit of Sky Sports Super Saturday for the crowd to tell the players if they need another goal they chose to shoot and ask questions later. A frantic five minutes ensue.

Turnover ball! Kings Heath mount their first meaningful attack for some time. Enter Elliott Goulding to take centre stage with a surgically clean tackle to dispossess the opposition libero on the Sils 23 metre line. A mere glance needed to spot Max Levenger's leading run and slap the ball to his waiting open stick. Levenger swivels effortlessly and picks out Nick Oppenheimer on the opposite wing. "Nobby" drives towards the D and two waiting Kings Heath defenders. Take them on, force a shot and gamble between hero and zero? Not a chance! Calmness personified the skater boy draws the defenders then dinks the ball to the far post where Tchakhotine has ghosted in for the simplest of tap ins with the keeper stranded at the near post; 5-4!

By the time the visitors had picked themselves up there was barely time for them to take the restart before the umpire blew fo full-time. The Sils great escape was complete. A mere stone's throw away Shrewsbury had climbed their own mountain by humbling 3rd placed Bournville 1-4 meaning the last minute winner for the Sils did prove to be the season decider for a side that had now won 6 of it's last 8 games to escape from a potentially gut wrenching relegation.