Two missed penalties in the second half saw The Mod's title challenge take a massive blow as their opponents made no such mistake in converting their late penalty to take all three points. The Mod started poorly but had an early chance to take the lead when Sam Carlisle broke through on goal. He couldn't beat the Eldon Keeper with his shot though and Eldon went on to capitalise five minutes later, The Mod defence failing to cope with a ball over the top which was converted by the Eldon striker to make it 1-0. The Mod continued to get outplayed in all areas of the pitch, but again went close when a header from Sweet beat the Eldon Keeper, but not the crossbar. A slick move from Eldon then made it 2-0 and the score remained the same until half time.
The Mod looked like a different team in the second half and pulled one back almost immediately via a good finish from Anderson after an excellent through ball by Haines. Moments later, a long throw by Sweet caused problems for the Eldon defence and led to Anderson being fouled off the ball in the Eldon area. Anderson converted the penalty, making it 2-2 barely five minutes into the second half. Eldon were clearly shaken and it didn't take long for The Mod to complete the comeback. Anderson hassling the Eldon defence, winning a throw deep inside the Eldon half. Quick-thinking saw him find Sweet on the edge of the box who teed it up for Sam Carlisle to volley into the corner of the Eldon net. 3-2. The Mod continued to press forward and won another penalty after Anderson was fouled off the ball again in the Eldon box. However, this time Anderson couldn't hit the target, and this gave Eldon the lifeline they needed.
They pressed forward looking for an equaliser, going close on a couple of occasions, but when the ball broke to Sweet near the half way line, The Mod looked sure to capitalise with just one Eldon defender between three Mod players and the Eldon goal. Sweet wasted the opportunity though, his poor through ball intercepted by the sole defender, and to make matters worse, the ball then broke to an Eldon playmaker who scored the goal of his life from 25 yards, leaving Carstairs with no chance. 3-3. Both teams continued to press forward, but it was The Mod who were given the first big chance to retake the lead, Anderson yet again being fouled in the area leading to another penalty for The Mod. Haines confidently asked for the ball from regular penalty-taker Anderson, but he couldn't better Anderson's previous attempt, and Mod players were left with their heads in their hands. Minutes later, Eldon then had their chance to win it, their winger thought to have been brought down by Carstairs in the area. Fatty McFatshit then showed The Mod players how it was done and calmly slotted the ball into the corner of The Mod goal to complete an unlikely comeback for Eldon. It was a definitely a case of three points lost for The Mod and leaves their promotion hopes in the balance. Big result needed on Sunday. COTM
