Ballarat Red Devils come from behind to defeat Altona East

BY GAVIN MCGRATH
27 Jul, 2010 01:48 AM

BALLARAT Red Devils came from a goal down to beat fourth-placed Altona East Phoenix 3-2 in Football Federation Victoria state league two at Trekardo Park on Saturday.

In a match that Reds midfielder Leigh Sissons will long remember for his starring role, scoring the opening goal of the match and then setting up the other two in a man of the match performance.

It was an unchanged line-up for the third game in a row but for much of the first 20 minutes of the match the Reds supporters had very little to cheer about.

That changed when a Sissons header was saved by ex-Red Devils keeper Kieran McDowell at full stretch pushed the ball around the post.

Two minutes later, the Reds could have been in front when Sam Winch laid the ball back to Simon Murphy just outside the box, but his rasping drive crashed into the post with the keeper well beaten.

The match then heated up with firstly a heavy tackle on East skipper Paul Donnelly in front of the shed, before Donnelly returned the favour on Murphy with a high, bone crunching tackle that needed sideline treatment.

The home fans up were silenced on 32 minutes when Sam Muscat was stripped of the ball in the middle of the park and in a blink of an eye the ball was in the net for a well worked Altona goal.

Within 30 seconds the Reds were back on level terms when Sissons rose above his defender to power the ball into the corner of the net.

"We spoke about the fact that if East score we have to be straight back in their face and I am very pleased that we did that and came up with an excellent goal. It was a great cross from Paul (McClounan) and a top draw header

from Leigh", Reds boss Michael Leslie said post-match.

After the break Ballarat stepped up the pace and with Josh Romein and Muscat controlling much of the middle of the park the Reds were now getting plenty of opportunities up front.

And the Reds took the lead on 59 minutes when from a wonderful free-kick from Sissons which perfectly picked out Josh Romein at the far post and his header back across goal found McClounan who then headed the ball into

the net for the lead.

Then completely against the run of play a mistake by Leslie on 81 minutes allowed an East forward to cross the ball to Ben Straface and from the top of the box he fired home.

As the 85th minute ticked over, Sissons again delivered an inch perfect cross and this time it was Leslie's turn to head in a bullet to win the match for the Reds.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/general/ballarat-red-devils-come-from-behind-to-defeat-altona-east/1895994.aspx