A single strike in the 87^th minute by Picton Rangers Captain Daniel Goodhew saved his side from finishing bottom against a brave Woonona Sharks side at Hume Oval on Sunday afternoon. All the midweek potential relegation hype came down to this match and the task for both teams seemed like a simple assignment. For the Rangers, they needed to gain maximum points if they were to avoid finishing bottom. For the Sharks, a draw or a win would see them maintain 11th spot.

It was the visitors who started the better of the two sides in the opening exchanges, when Sharks' Ryuji Takeuchi was on the receiving end of a Valentino Merxhushi inside pass. Takeuchi drove into the box and fired a right footed shot that was shunted to safety by Picton goalkeeper Brad Jones inside the 3^rd minute. From the resulting corner, an unmarked Merxhushi latched onto a header, forcing Jones into a fine save.

A tense opening exchange saw both sides trade a number of fouls in quick succession. This appeared to spark the Picton attack and the momentum started to swing in favour of the home side. A Jesse Kennedy free kick was curled into the box for Bradley Durrant to outleap Sharks Chris Gibson for the ball to just skip clear of the crossbar in the 15^th minute.

Shortly after, Picton’s best chance of the opening half fell when Daniel Goodhew skied the ball well clear of the target from the six yards, with only Sharks Jacob Madden to beat. With their tails up and the mounting pressure starting to take its toll on the Sharks, Madden was at his brilliant best to deny Durrant as he again climbed over the Woonona defence to head the ball on target. Madden saving the Sharks, as he tipped the ball over the crossbar in spectacular style in the 25^th minute.

The Sharks responded via Brendan Pattman, as he skipped clear in behind the Picton defensive line, only for his shot to be blocked by Joshua Maiola. Then just before the halftime break, Luke McCosker had two quality chances go begging to give the visitors the lead. An attacking header off a Joel Beattie corner was tipped over the bar by a retreating Jones, then a powerful shot from range skipped inches wide past the left hand upright.

The Sharks started the second half like they finished the first. A Sharks free kick to the right-hand edge of the box was swept in by Josh Hutton, again only to be denied by an advancing Jones who pounced well clear off his line. Then in the 57^th minute, a Sharks counter attack by Beattie saw the Sharks surge downfield, with Beattie in behind the Picton defence, his attempted shot was sprayed across the goal mouth with Trent Worthington sliding in at the back post. The ball bobbled just clear of Worthington when it was certain he would score.

The match simmered away in a real arm wrestle played in the centre of the pitch with both sides trading half chances. The next best opportunity came via the way of the home side when a Kennedy long range free kick struck the crossbar and the follow up propelled millimetres wide of the target on the hour mark.

Down the other end, Woonona’s Beattie cut a ball back across the face of goal, for Pattman to attempt to slot home from the penalty spot, however some desperate defending from Durrant kept the scores level as he threw himself in front of the ball.

As the sky above opened and the rain began to fall, it looked like the match was destined for a nil all stalemate just like the Round 11 encounter. Picton’s Ben Roberts sliced open the Woonona backline with an individual passage of play down the right-hand flank leaving Sharks Gibson on hand to deny this opportunity as he cleared the ball away to safety.

Then in the 87^th minute, an advancing Daniel Goodhew shattered the hearts of the Sharks when he was on hand to pick up a cut back pass from Roberts just inside the 18-yard box, to neatly tuck away a right footed shot into the top left corner past an outstretched Madden, catapulting his team into the lead setting up an intense final few minutes.

The final moments of the match saw a desperate Sharks outfit throw everything and everyone forward in an effort to regain parity. Sharks keeper Madden found himself on the end of a corner that swung deep into the box, but his header could only fall into the path of a Picton defender that was cleared away to safety. The match fired up deep into stoppage time with Picton’s Brendan Berkeley sent for an early shower after two altercations within a matter of moments that saw him see two yellow cards resulting in a red.

Despite Woonona’s final efforts, the Picton Rangers recorded an emphatic victory sealing the three points with a one goal to nil home win to leapfrog the Sharks into 11^th place on the ladder. Scenes of jubilation followed as the Sharks were scattered on the pitch left to ponder what could have been.

“I think we were slightly the better team out there today, but only just deserved the win. If we hadn’t had got the win, it probably would have summed our season up, just not being able to put sides away.” A delighted Picton Coach, Brett Morely said.

“They hung on and it was always going to be decided by the one goal.”

“We hung in long enough and that ounce of luck finally came our way, they were unlucky with a couple of good chances in that second half and had they had scored before us they definitely would have broken our hearts, but we were the heart breakers today.” Morely said speaking after the match.

Report and photo by Ryan Banks.