Zion FC came out on top in an entertaining encounter with The Dragons. 4 goals from Nathan Wriglesworth, and a hatrick from Tommy Powell helped the Lions gain three points after the high scoring affair.
The first half started at a frantic pace. Tommy Powell scored the opener after good work by Nathan Wriglesworth. Zion doubled the lead soon after when Wriglesworth again supplied the pass for David Jones to tap home. It seemed Zion would go on to knock up a cricket score, but they were pegged back when the free flowing Dragons broke forward and grabbed a goal. Both teams were slugging it out, blow for blow. Both full of creativity and flair. It was Zion then managed to find the net before half time. Debutant Alex Ternouth broke forward and slipped in Powell, who made no mistake with the finish. The 3-1 half time score reflected the first half performance. More goals were inevitable with both sides playing in such an entertaining fashion.
Fans weren't dissappointed. The Dragons came out intent on getting back in the game, and managed to breach Steve Winter's goal with a long range effort. It seemed that whenever The Dragons scored, Zion would reply and that was the case again this time. It was Wriglesworth who had five minutes of magic, scoring four times. A fantastic solo run, a long range strike, and 2 fantastic team moves put the Dragons 7-2 behind. Jones had been breaking from defence well throughout that period, providing all 4 of the assists for Wriglesworth's goals. Then defensive lapses and deflected shots allowed The Dragons back into the game. They scored 3 goals in less than five minutes to worry the Lions fans. The fans needn't have worried as Zion rounded off the result with sublimity. A long raked pass by Jones over the top found Powell through on goal, and after Ternouth had drawn the keeper out of position with an intelligent run, Powell supplied the finishing touch with a neat placed shot. 8-5 was definately a scoreline for the neutrals, as was the attractive football.
Debutant Alex Ternouth enjoyed his first appearance in a Zion shirt, he told BBC Sport after the match, "It was great to be included in the first team squad. We played some good stuff and won the game which is always a bonus. Hopefully I'll play a few more games, it's tough for new players as there is so much competition for places at this club." Manager Tommy Powell believes that ending the two game losing streak will be a massive confidence boost ahead of the season run-in, "The title still looks a long shot, but at the moment we need to focus on our own performance. Today we played really well and that'll lift the players and hiopefully give them confidence going into the last few games of the season. Who knows, there may be some slip ups by the teams ahead of us and as long as we keep our end of the bargain, we may sneak up on them." Zion will be hoping to build on this recent good form when they face Embassy FC next week.
