Oswaldtwistle Immanuel battled through the wind, rain, snow and sunshine to win this top of the table thriller against Prince of Wales at Pleasington.
Despite having a strong squad to choose from, Immanuel made the worst possible start. Behind after 3 minutes as Matt Hodgkiss got caught out in the left back position despite him trying his best not to be. Matt Hodgkiss's blushes were saved a minute later though, as goalkeeper Matt Cook made a bigger error by unselfishly shepherding a scuffed Prince of Wales free kick into his net to make it 2-0 inside 4 minutes.
Immanuel did not let their heads drop though and once they settled down they caused Prince of Wales no end of trouble and they were back in the game after 12 minutes as John Spencer slid the ball past the interest headwear of the Prince of Wales.
The game was back on and Daniel Mooring came close to the equalizer before Spencer latched onto a deft Simon Hodgkiss backheel after good work from Ryan Walton and finishing well to take his season's tally to 13. Just 2 behind league top scorer James Leech!
The equalizer was no more than Immanuel's efforts deserved and everyone felt that the momentum was now with the boys in red and yellow.
Prince of Wales thought differently though and an excellent strike from the edge of the area meant they took an undeserved 3-2 lead into half time.
It was harsh on Immanuel and to add insult to injury, the curse of the Moorings struck again. Daniel Mooring having to be replaced at half time by Tom Dillon after feeling his hamstring go late in the half.
This gave the other Mooring, Stephen, the chance to have a run up front. Something he had been pestering his manager for since the day they met. Would he take his chance?
Yes he would! 65 minutes in and Mooring curled a low free kick from the edge of the box into the bottom corner. The ball squirming through the keeper's grip amid suggestions his burka had slipped over his eyes.
The scores were now level and the game was there to be won. Matt Cook made a super save to push a goalbound header onto the bar. If only he'd have shown half that agility in the fourth minute.
All the football was being played by Immanuel though and the only surprise when they finally took the lead was that it had taken so long to do so. In the 83rd minute, more good football led to Simon Hodgkiss feeding Stephen Mooring who calmly slotted past the keeper when others may have bottled it. It was also the third assist of the game for manager's favourite, Simon Hodgkiss, who could not have been happier about it.
All Immanuel had to do was hold on. But that's not the Immanuel way. They kept pushing forward, obviously believing that attack is the best form of defence, and with 3 minutes to go, the excellent Ryan Walton capitalized on a keeper error to make it 5-3 and seal the victory that put Immanuel 2 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.
The plaudits will naturally go to the goalscorers and Simon Hodgkiss with his 4 assists but manager Parky was eager to emphasise that once again this had been a squad effort and everybody involved deserved credit. All the substitutes that came on played their part and even the lads that didn't get on handled themselves in the right way and supported their teammates and showed the attitude and team spirit that has been a big part of Immanuel's success so far.
It was another great display from Immanuel and they once again showed why they are where they are in the league and why it would be a brave man that would bet against Immanuel being crowned champions at the end of the season.
P.S. Today's headline comes courtesy of Matt Hodgkiss's Jokes'R'Us'. Visit www.asfunnyaspiles.co.uk for more info.
