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Sharks ended a 7 match winless streak to post a gutsy 4-3 win over table toppers Hibernians FC. In a game of 2 halves, Hibs could have put the game to bed in the 1st half if not for the glut of misses that allowed Sharks to go into half time only 2-1 down. The boys in yellow then put in a spirited 2nd half performance to go 3-2 up before 2 late goals from each team ended a thrilling contest on a sauna like Sunday afternoon.
The game started at a high tempo with Hibs having the better of exchanges with crisp passing as the boys in yellow struggled to close down the opponents on the large PSA field. The high defensive line allowed the Hibs forwards to get behind with relative ease and they duly scored on one of those occasions. Sharks were finding chances few and far between and only had a shot from Harold and a chip from Heng Li to show for. When all looked doom and gloom, a short backpass from the Hibs defender allowed Isaac to sneak in and he bundled the ball home. Within minutes of the restart, Hibs quickly found their rhythm and went ahead after their striker rounded Mike in goal. The boys in green went on to miss several gilt edged chances, hitting the post in the process and keeping the score to 2-1 at half time.
A change in tactics in the second half saw Sharks sit back in their own half and attack the spaces on the counter attack. Persistent pressure from Brendan and the speedy Jeremiah forced Hibs into errors and Sharks were awarded a corner for their efforts. A floated ball from a corner by Graeme was attacked by Isaac and deemed to have gone over the line by the referee. Sharks had amazingly stolen an unlikely equalizer and were back in the game. By this time, the speedy wingbacks of Harold and Zhuoneng were restricting the opponents to play through the centre. Kelvin was commanding in defence while the trusted midfield pairing of Steven and Graeme were breaking up attack after attack.
It was an incredible team effort by the Sharks who could have been dead and buried in the first half but lady luck was finally smiling for them after an unlucky run of results. The boys now look forward to a strong finish to the season by cementing their right to play in division 2.
The manager who was out of town was pleased with his charges and commented, 'It's heartening to hear the boys playing their hearts out in my absence and hopefully we can build on this for the remainder of the season.
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