A week after securing a last-minute win, Altona’s State League One side were on the wrong side of the equation on Saturday, conceding a goal in the last minute against Toorak-East Malvern (TEM) to see a victory evaporate into a draw.
The match started at a frenetic pace, with both sides chock full of quick, young forwards and midfielders. It took 10 minutes of near misses from both sides to break the deadlock. A perfectly executed penalty corner saw young defender Chris Coleman send a searing drag flick into the top corner of the net.
TEM kept the pressure on the As for the next five minutes and were awarded a penalty corner. The initial shot was saved by goal keeper Aaron Anstis, but in the ensuing goal mouth scramble, an errant clearance from the Altona defence, deflected into the net for an own goal, seeing the sides locked at 1-1 at half-time.
Altona came out in the second half full of run. Coleman and Jake Macvean were strong down back, linking well with veterans Mathew Higgins and TJ Priddle in the middle. Another blistering flick from Coleman, ten minutes into the second half, saw Altona take a 2-1 lead.
As TEM fought to get back into the game, and Altona strived to retain their lead, the clash got willing.
Two yellow cards (10 minutes off the ground for offending player) to TEM and one to Altona saw the game open up. Altona had many chances but couldn’t put the game away.
With the ball deep in its attack, Altona seemed to have the game under control, icing the clock in the final minutes of the game. But an errant pass saw TEM intercept the ball and launch a counter-attack.
A firm push low towards the net narrowly passed a desperate Anstis’ attempted save to level the scores 2-2 with only seconds on the clock.