Stags 3 – 4 Wingate & Finchley

An astonishing match between two open and attacking teams saw seven goals, the woodwork hit twice and a late comeback with two goals deep into injury time.

Wingate & Finchley dominated the game for the opening half an hour with some clinical passing in the final third of the pitch. Marc Henry sprayed a beautiful Scholes-like long ball to Mitch Hahn on the right side of the area whose shot from a tight angle went across the face of goal.

Hahn then became provider for the first goal in the 12th minute. From inside his own half he drilled a through-ball along the ground to Leon Smith who ran onto it perfectly and slotted past the helpless keeper.

The Blues were playing some slick football, and the same two were at the end of the next chance created. Hahn on the right wing fed the ball inside to Smith on the nearside of the area and he shot ferociously towards goal but saw the ball rebound off the crossbar.

Following a goalmouth scramble in the Wingate & Finchley box that ended with the ball safely over the bar, the second goal arrived after a flowing move from the resulting goal kick. A short ball was played to Marc Weatherstone, and his pass upfield was flicked on by Chris Chase into the path of Smith who outpaced and outmuscled the centre-back, easily finishing off his one-on-one from close range.

Waltham Forest had a bit of pressure for the closing stages of the half, and five minutes before the break Luka Frankis scored from 18 yards with a superb curling sidefooted shot over Gavin King to set up the extraordinary second half.

Shortly after the restart Frankis sent a free header wide of the post after the linesman had adjudged him to have beaten the offside trap of the furious Wingate defence.

As the home side continued their good pressure and the Blues sat back, the equalising goal was inevitable and it duly arrived in the 57th minute as Carter scored with a sweet strike from the edge of the area.

Within a minute at the other end, the Blues were denied by the woodwork for a second time in the match when a low cross from Smith on the right found Chase in the six yard box but with a simple tap-in he hit the far post. The follow-up was volleyed goalwards by James Edgerley but a defender blocked the ball on line.

Continuing a frantic period of the game, Waltham Forest attacked immediately and Frankis was sent racing clear but as his slide-rule shot beat King the ball trickled beyond the far post by a matter of inches. A few minutes after the hour mark Waltham Forest shellshocked the visitors when they completed their turnaround and took the lead. As the Blues stood off Gabriel was put clear and shot past King into the bottom left corner of the net.

Waltham Forest’s period of domination ended here and it was now their turn to sit back, slow the game down and soak up pressure. As Wingate & Finchley attacked, the soaking wet conditions and terrible pitch made life difficult, though an equalising goal always seemed likely. This did come – three minutes into injury time. A partially cleared attack saw the ball fall to Chris Chase on the left of the area, and he clipped the ball in to a group of players where Smith was able to head home for his hat-trick goal.

Sensing a slim chance of stealing a victory, the Blues poured men forward again, and amazingly got their reward two minutes later. Leon Smith controlled a high ball inside the box, turned away from his marker and shot powerfully home to give his side a momentous winning goal. It is the first time in 13 years that a Wingate & Finchley player has scored four goals, since Marc Morris last achieved the feat.

An astonishing match between two open and attacking teams saw seven goals, the woodwork hit twice and a late comeback with two goals deep into injury time.