It was a miserable night for a couple of reasons at Pluim Park on Saturday night. Firstly the heavens opened just after the kick off and the rain got harder and harder, and secondly Central Coast Lightning seemed likely to get their first point of the season only to see another very late goal spoil their chances.

The game generally was of a pretty good standard considering the sometimes torrential rain that enveloped the ground. Both teams seemed intent on moving the ball quickly around the ground which remained surprisingly dry irrespective of the elements. Early chances came to Spirit when Leo Papanicolaou crossed the ball into the Lightning penalty area only for two of his team mates to both fail in their attempts to get to the ball.

A couple of minutes later Ben Gough shot from 20 metres and saw Lightning keeper Josh Barrett push the ball back into the penalty area but Gough’s attempt from the rebound hit the post and went out for a goal kick.

Grant Maundrell then made a good run down the right hand flank, crossed into the centre but again two Spirit attackers failed to take advantage of the situation.

Lightning slowly got into the game and chances to Darren Cooper and Jamie Lobb both went close. Lobb, playing wide out on the left hand side began to make many devastating runs down the flank but his crosses into the goal mouth were being easily cleared by the Spirit defence.

Half time came with still plenty of rain but no goals!

Lightning came out firing on all cylinders in the second half and earned a number of successive corners with no result. Nathan Byrn then received the ball around the edge of the penalty area and fired a wicked shot at Spirit’s Goalkeeper Murray Nelson who could only parry the ball away but a quick thinking Cooper was on to it in a flash and buried into the back of the net for the opening goal.

For the next fifteen minutes it was all Lightning but they could not add to their slim lead. Spirit then started to take the ascendancy and a quick counter attack saw the ball bobbing around the Lightning penalty area and Gough ended up getting a foot to it and shot past Barrett for the equaliser.

Both teams had further chances to score but the rain by now was very heavy and it seemed that a draw was on the cards.

But with four minutes to go, a long clearance from the Spirit penalty area found Gough, who beat the lone Lightning defender and then cooly lobbed the advancing Barrett to give Spirit the lead and ultimately the three points.

The referee blew for full time, the rain by now was torrential. Neither coach appeared to be interviewed, and who could really blame them! They, like me, would have got saturated just walking to the dressing rooms!

Under 20: Central Coast FC 0 - Spirit FC 0