A strike from substitute Kieran Knight with virtually the last kick of the game gave Hayes & Yeading United a very hard earned three points at Church Road this afternoon.

The first half was very much a forgettable 45 minutes with neither side creating much of note. An early Esmond James shot was easily gather by Bishop's keeper Nicky Eyre and Neil Martin got his head to a Steven Gregory corner but was stretching and off target. On 19 minutes United had a good chance when a neat chip through by Will Hendry saw Josh Scott hold off two defenders before trying to round Eyre (below), the keeper doing very well to take the ball cleanly from the strikers feet.

A full 20 minutes later the next noteworthy chance came as a George Jermy shot from all of 30 yards was easily swallowed up by Delroy Preddie who almost instantly started the move that saw James break on the right flank and as his low centre picked out Scott at the far post he shot wide when well placed.

Just a couple of minutes from the break the visitors Kyri Kyprianou moved into the danger zone but Cadmore part blocked his shot enabling Preddie to scoop up the ball.

The second half started in livelier fashion as James raced to the byeline and cut the ball back to Scott Fitzgerald at the near post, his first time effort being well blocked by Matt Jones. Within a minute United should have been behind, Kyprianou found space on the left wing before crossing deep to an unmarked Danny Harris who failed to trouble Preddie by heading wide of the target.

Around the hour mark United saw an Scott effort saved by the diving Eyre and Cadmore head over a Gregory corner before Bishop's made a couple of openings of their own at the other end both resulting from Jermy corners. The first was met by Steve King and fell to Peter Dean in the six yard box, the striker only being denied by a timely James intervention. The next one saw skipper Paul Goodacre rise highest but he could not keep his effort down.

A mass scramble in the Stortford area on 72 minutes left home fans thinking it would never come as James Mulley, Hendry and Knight all had chances to shoot but could not get past the defenders bodies that kept throwing themselves in the way. The final ten minutes saw United still dominating possession without getting the ball in the net, Scott crossed from the left but Knight scooped over from 8 yards and four minutes later a deflected Hendry shot was well saved by Eyre having span off a defenders boot and headed for the bottom corner.

Just a couple of minutes remained when Preddie finally had to make a save, Craig Edwards getting a header towards the far corner that the United stopper helped around the post. Seconds later it was Eyre who kept the scoresheet blank as he used his feet to block a Scott surge that had seen him outpace two defenders.

And then came stoppage time. We had just moved into the third minute of time added on with a 0-0 draw a cast iron banker, take centre stage Mr Knight. Scott and newly arrived substitute Staforde Palmer held possession on the edge of the area before finding Mulley on the right, his pull back was controlled by Knight who turned and fired past Eyre into the top corner of the net.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.

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Website United Man of the Match: Matt Ruby.