Daryl Nicol’s 93rd-minute equaliser completed a dramatic late comeback as NPLWA - Men’s leaders Perth RedStar scored twice in the final few minutes to earn a 3-3 draw with Inglewood United.
Despite being held at RedStar Arena, the draw moved Callum Salmon’s side one point clear at the top after Stirling Macedonia’s loss away at Cockburn City.
And Inglewood’s failure to see out the game, coupled with Floreat Athena’s come-from-behind win over Sorrento FC, saw United return to the foot of the table.
With five rounds of the season remaining, the top four are separated by four points and the same gap splits sixth-placed Armadale to the automatic relegation spot.
Inglewood looked set for another vital win when they raced into a 2-0 lead. Michael Domfeh shrugged off his marker and slotted past Liam Reddy to net for a third successive game, before Shubham Mokala’s long-range belter went in via the underside of the bar.
It got even better for the visitors when Nick Walsh’s long back pass went under Reddy’s boot on 58 minutes for 3-0, although RedStar found a near-instant response when Nicol’s shot broke for Chok Dau to hammer in.
With two minutes remaining and Inglewood still well set, Nicol nodded in from close range after Sonny O’Shea’s overhead kick came back off the post. The Scot then volleyed home goal number 23 of another excellent campaign when he capitalised on some miscommunication in Inglewood’s defence to earn a potentially big point in the title picture.
RedStar’s advantage at the summit is courtesy of Cockburn who boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 home win over Stirling.
The only goal was scored 38 minutes in as Cherno Bah teed up Friday Zico to drive low into the bottom corner and make it five goals for the season.
Ian Ferguson’s side almost levelled twice deep in second-half stoppage time, as Hristijan Jankuloski headed against the crossbar and Samim Fattahi whistled an effort over.
The Cockerels’ win sees them end the weekend eighth and three points clear of second-bottom and the relegation play-off position, with Stirling remaining second a point behind RedStar but with a game in hand.
That catch-up match is against Olympic Kingsway, who are now stalking the top two after they went third thanks to Liam Murray’s goal in a 1-0 win over Perth Glory.
David Tough’s team are unbeaten in five with four clean sheets in that run to move four points off top spot having played one game fewer.
The visitors started well at Lark Hill and struck the key goal on 35 minutes. Liam Coyne had saved well to deny Mitch Oxborrow and Calum O’Connell, but he was unable to keep out Murray who rifled across the goalkeeper for the winner.
After the break, Laat Mathiang fired straight at David Keenan, while Coyne used his boot to thwart Tyler Garner’s shot at a second. Glory were without a number of their regular NPL starters because of their involvement in the A-League team’s friendly with West Ham later on Saturday. On they finished scoreless at home for the first time this year to sit three points above the drop zone in ninth.
At Grindleford Reserve, Balcatta Etna picked up a 1-1 draw with Perth SC which saw them remain in the final top-four spot.
Glen Grostate’s team have drawn their past three games and for the second week in a row they came from behind when the Azzurri’s Abdul Osman lashed in a low strike from 18 yards.
Perth remain three points behind Etna in the race for finals, while also finding themselves the same distance above the relegation play-off spot. Carmelo Giuffre got the equaliser on the stroke of half-time when his low, controlled volley found the net for a first goal in 2023.
Balcatta are now one point clear of fifth-placed Bayswater who won 6-1 at Armadale to make it three games unbeaten under Gary Williams.
Joshua Anasmo scored his first Bayswater goal after 10 minutes from Samuel Dweh’s pass for 1-0, but Armadale tied it up soon after when Chris Jackson followed in Pieter Jacobsz’s shot to poke in.
Anasmo returned the favour for Dweh when setting up the winger to bundle in before Sam Mitchinson’s inch-perfect cross was headed home by Gordon Smith for 3-1 at half-time.
It became four on 58 minutes when Matt Worton turned Dweh’s cross into his own net, and Bayswater had a fifth when Jon Stynes scored from the penalty spot to make it nine goals this season.
An excellent Dweh assist put through Anasmo who scored the sixth of the afternoon to leave Bayswater five points off top spot and six clear of the bottom. Armadale drop out of the top four to sixth.
Finally, two Bayley Brown-Montgomery goals sucked Sorrento back into the relegation scrap after Floreat won 2-1 at E&D Litis Stadium. Both sides sit one point above bottom side Inglewood with Steve McGarry’s visitors currently safe on goal difference alone.
Floreat had the best chance early on when Noah Shamaki steered Sean McManus’ cross over, but it was the visitors who led on 13 minutes after Alex Christodoulakis missed his clearance and Shay Natalotto ran through to side-foot a third goal in his past two matches.
The league’s lowest scorers needed a little fortune to go their way, given results elsewhere had them three points adrift of safety closing in on half-time. And four minutes before the interval they got it when Brown-Montgomery’s strike took a wicked deflection and looped over Paddy Hughes in the Gulls goal.
Gustavo Marulanda’s free-kick was palmed away by Athena keeper Jason Saldaris, while at the other end Robert Petkov hoisted over from inside the box. Ultimately, the game’s decisive moment saw Brown-Montgomery capitalise on a mistake as Sorrento played out from the back, with the forward lifting a shot over Hughes for a 2-1 win.
Round 17 results
Armadale 1-6 Bayswater City
Balcatta Etna 1-1 Perth SC
Cockburn City 1-0 Stirling Macedonia
Floreat Athena 2-1 Sorrento FC
Perth Glory 0-1 Olympic Kingsway
Perth RedStar 3-3 Inglewood United