Greg Halford scores twice as Hashtag United beat nine-man AFC Sudbury in five-goal thriller to extend lead at top
Despite a performance to be proud of under the circumstances that befell them, AFC Sudbury are facing up to surrendering control of the title race following a 3-2 defeat away to Hashtag United.
The Yellows had headed into this afternoon's top-wo Pitching In Isthmian League North Division clash at Bowers & Pitsea's Len Salmon Stadium four points adrift of the YouTube sensation side with a game in hand.
They had a mountain to climb after conceding twice in the opening 14 minutes with Max Cornhill's ninth minute effort followed by a Greg Halford penalty after Joshua Pollard blocked off Percy Kiangebeni.
But things got even worse in the 19th minute when teenager Josh Stokes was shown a straight red card for kicking the ball into a prone Jermaine Francis from close quarters, after play had been halted.
However, the 10 men took The Tags thereafter and had them on the ropes after Nnmadi Nwachuku's 50th minute header was followed by Joshua Pollard's close-range equaliser 15 minutes later.
But they were then hit by a sucker punch in the 73rd minute when Halford levered himself up at the far post to head Hashtag back into the lead, with the protestations of how he found his height dismissed.
The Suffolk side far from wilted though even after Joe Grimwood was shown a second yellow card deep into stoppage time, leaving the hosts relieved to hear the final whistle after one last header sailed over their crossbar.
Incredibly it was Hashtag's 18th straight league victory since Sudbury had come from 2-0 down to win 4-2 in the reverse fixture in early November.
Rick Andrews named an unchanged Sudbury line-up from last Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Heybridge Swifts with captain Reece Harris having recovered from a tight leg muscle which had forced him off in the first half.
Hashtag's skipper Cornhill was also passed fit to start despite incurring a black eye in Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Coggeshall Town with former Colchester United, Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest defender Halford's return the only change for Jay Devereux. The 38-year-old took the place of Eli Benoit to line up in the centre of defence.
Sudbury's players entered the field in black armbands following the death of assistant manager Dale Brookes' father yesterday with the 800-plus crowd impeccably observing the minute's silence.
It was the visitors, backed by around 100 travelling fans, who threatened to break the deadlock in the second minute when Stokes burst down the right but his low cross went just behind Nwachuku's back foot.
Joshua Pollard made an important block up the other end but his side found themselves behind in the ninth minute.
Cornhill's chip put Toby Aromolaran away and after his initial shot was blocked he laid it back to find the run of Cornhill who fired in an angled shot into the left-hand corner.
The lead was doubled five minutes later from the penalty spot with Halford firing in down the centre after Kiangebeni broke free from Hunter too easily down the left and was blocked off cutting into the area by Pollard.
Five minutes later Sudbury were reduced to 10 men when Stokes petulantly kicked the ball into the midrift of Francis from point-blank range, who was lying on the floor after the whistle had gone. It was not the stamp the opposition players were insinuating to the referee as a melee broke out in the aftermath, but it was still an act of needless aggression.
Hashtag had a chance to make it 3-0 in the 25th minute but full-back Matthew Wooldridge sliced his volley from Kirangebeni's ball in well wide.
Sudbury threatened to get one back on the half-hour mark when former Haverhill Rovers goalkeeper James Philp fumbled a high ball into the box and Reggie Lambe pounced on it, though ended up eventually sending a shot into his arms.
The Yellows were enjoying a good spell of pressure and went mighty close five minutes later when Sak Hassan burst on to a defensive header in the box but went on to lift his shot over the bar.
Halford headed wide from a corner up the other end but they were indebted to Philp for maintaining their two-goal lead heading into the interval.
First he rushed out to save with his legs after Hassan played Nwachuku in before the former bamboozled the defence with a mazy run into the area before seeing his shot blocked by another key save before Thomas Anderson slid the loose ball away from Nwachuku.
Sudbury picked up where they left off at the start of the second half with a Harris free kick from just outside the corner of the area clipping the top of the bar on its way over.
David Hughes rushed off his line to sweep up well as Hashtag broke through but the visitors got the goal they deserved in the 50th minute.
Hunter stood up a ball to the far post, leaving Philp stranded, and Nwachuku nodded it in from point-blank range despite the attentions of his marker for his 35 goal of the season in all competitions.
Nwachuku burst down the left soon after but saw Philp smother his cross-cum-shot with Lambe racing in.
Just before the hour mark Toby Aromolaran fired over with the outside of his boot after a nice one-two with substitute Benoit took him into the box.
Hashtag had a couple of penalty appeals turned down as Sudbury defended some crosses into their box with some strong challenges, though the appeals were more from the crowd than the players.
The equaliser arrived for Sudbury in the 65th minute when a deep corner from Hassan was turned in at the far post by the head of Pollard.
A couple of minutes later Hughes got down well to push out an Aromolaran volley after a corner was half cleared.
Hashtage reclaimed the lead in the 73rd minute when Sudbury failed to properly clear a deep free kick from substitute Pedro Carvalho and Francis chipped to the back post where Halford clambered above Pollard and Brown to head home.
Looking to wrap things up, The Tags were thwarted by Hughes rushing off his line to block at the feet of Aromolaran at his near post, following Benoit's throughball, five minutes later.
Sudbury were still looking dangerous up the other end though and Nwachuku fired over from the edge of the box.
An acrobatic effort from Aromolaran from Carvalho's chip into the box went comfortably wide with five minutes to play.
Knowing what was at stake in their season, the Yellows were pressing hard but with Harris firing over from the edge of the box after a free kick came back out.
Five minutes into stoppage time Sudbury were reduced to nine men when a three on three breakaway move saw Grimwood nudge Kiangebeni over just outside the area to receive a second yellow card.
It was squared across to Carvalho but his shot was saved by Hughes.
There was still time for Sudbury to launch one last attack which earned a corner and after it was played short to Hassan he found the head of Pollard with a chip but the visitors watched it sail agonizingly over the bar with the final whistle then sounding.
It had been a breathless encounter between the division's two top sides and despite the plaudits Sudbury will rightly earn for the way they played in trying circumstances, it is now very much Hashtag's title and automatic promotion reward to lose in their final nine games.
Hashtag United: Philp, Wooldridge, Reid, Anderson (Benoit 46'), Cornhill (c), Francis, Aromolaran, Okunja (Carvalho 52'), Teniola (Miles 79'), Halford, Kiangebeni. Unused substitutes: Watson, Carvalho, Apenteng.
Booked: Cornhill (23'), Andwerson (45+2'), Reid (90+2')
AFC Sudbury: Hughes, Brown, Harris (c), Hunter (Turner 78'), Grimwood, Pollard, Stokes, Chatting (Mayhew 82'), Nwachuku, Lambe, Hassan. Unused substitutes: Turner, Andrews, Ainsworth, Cocklin, Mayhew.
Booked: Stokes (red 19'), Hassan (72'), Hunter (76'), Grimwood (90+1')
Attendance: 850
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Sak Hassan. The Somalian international showed his ability with the ball at his feet and provided Sudbury's most dangerous moments. It was just a shame he could not find the finish to match his approach play.
