Zion FC sensationally clawed back some of the goal difference they needed to give themselves a shout of winning the title even if Deer Park don't slip up. An awe inspiring 15-2 victory was enough to heap pressure on their rivals, as six goals from Tommy Powell, five from David Jones, and a brace each for Dan Shotton and Tony Dain fired the Lions to glory.
The game started with some intense fast-paced football. The finishing touch was lacking in the opening stages for Zion despite their dominance. David Jones did open the scoring when he fired home from outside the area after a Tony Dain pass. Tommy Powell doubled the lead when Jones played him through. Big Mac were tough in the tackle and proving difficult to penetrate. The deficit was then reduced when a rare counter attack saw a shot go through the legs of Zion's stand in keeper, Andy. This spurred Zion to go forward and they restored their two goal cushion when Jones played in Powell and Zion's all time top scorer grabbed his second with consumate ease. 3-1 at half time was a decent platform from which Zion could build.
The second half was a parade of fine football and some mesmeric goals. David Jones bamboozled his defender and curled the ball into the far corner to make it four. Soon after Powell grabbed his hat-trick after a confident finish. Shotton then made it six with a deflected effort from outside the area. Jones got his hat-trick with a tap in, before Powell took his tally to four with an equally comfortable finish. The passing was fantastic with the Lions cutting Big Mac and Fries open almost at will, and the one-two's proving far too difficult to cope with for the Premier League newboys. Shotton grabbed his second when he dispossessed a Big Mac defender and curled an effort into the top corner. Jones then made it ten after another fantastic team move. Perhaps the biggest cheer from the Zion fans came when Tony Dain scored on his return from injury. It was a great tackle from the breaking defender that allowed him to finish at the keepers near post. Powell took his tally to five when he gave the keeper no chance as he dnaced through the defence and tucked the ball home. Andy had been largely redundant in the Zion goal but pulled off some great saves when called upon. He had little chance with Big Mac's consolation, a cheeky back heel that nestled in the corner of the net. The goal did little to aide them as Zion continued their onslaught. Jones made it five as he teased the defenders before finding the bottom corner. Powell secured his double hat-trick with a decent finish to the keepers right. Powell's strike made it an unbelievable 400 goals in Zion colours for Pitch Invasion's top marksman. It was rather fitting that Tony Dain ended the scoring on his return to action. A long range effort that defeated the keeper low to his left. 15-2 hardly time to draw breath for players and fans alike.
The pundits and reporters alivated long into the night as they carried out their analysis of Zion's display. Tommy Powell was keen to talk up his sides chances of catching the goal difference of Deer Park Rangers, "We have made some inroads on the goal difference front today and need to keep that intensity up now if we are to beat Deer Park's. We were terrific tonight, back to our best for sure and that sends a message to our rivals. We need to be in a position where we can put the title back into our hands. Until they slip up, we must focus on clawing back some of the goal difference while obviously making sure we keep winning matches." Man of the match David Jones greeted the media and was keen to praise his player-manager, "It was a great team performance tonight. All of us were on form and we played some great football. Tommy grabbing his 400th goal was a special moment and also the return of Tony both to the team and the scoresheet gave the boys and fans a lift too. We need to push on now and make sure we fight to the end." The media were keen to speak with Tony Dain after the match and the defender was delighted to be back in the fold, "It was frustrating watching from the stands with the knee, but I feel strong and fit and it was amazing to get back out there and play. What a game to return to. We were at our best tonight, vintage Zion." The Lions face a tough test against Real Portslade next week and with just three games to go the title race is still wide open.
