Rusthall 2 Forest Hill Park 2
With no professional football being played due to the coronavirus, Rusthall attracted their highest crowd of the season, 296, for this entertaining draw.
The home side went behind in disastrous fashion in just the fourth minute, when visiting goalkeeper Matthew Bailey launched a right-footed free-kick from around 15 yards from the halfway line.
It sailed towards Rusthall’s keeper Billy Johnson, who dropped the ball and watched it bounce off Steve Camacho’s right shin and trickle across him before nestling in the net.
Rusthall’s attacking play was rewarded when they deservedly equalising on 26 minutes, following an attractive sweeping move.
Luke Adams swept a pass over to Charlie Clover on the right and he flashed the ball across the face of goal for Reuel Powell-Downey to place a shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
Rusthall continued on the front foot and forced Bailey to make a flying save in the 33rd minute after Powell-Downey played in Adams, who drilled a shot towards the top corner.
The Rustics took a deserved lead a minute before half-time when Powell-Downey cut inside Garrick and put it on the plate for Clover, who hit a first-time, left-footed shot which was deflected into the net.
Rusthall’s long-ball tactic gave them an opportunity just 22 seconds into the second half but Powell-Downey lost his composure when he was one-on-one with the keeper.
Forest Hill Park grabbed their equaliser with two minutes left when the impressive Jefferson Aibangbee slipped Joji Phillips through on goal.
The striker skipped past the advancing goalkeeper and the ball fell kindly for Aibangbee, who smashed it into an empty goal.
All fixtures in the Southern Counties East League have been postponed due to the coronavirus until at least March 31.
