A red-hot streak early in the second-half saw us overturn a half-time deficit as five different players got on the scoresheet.
Team news: Manager Rob Scantlebury had Tony Sinclair, Rhys Coleman and Ricardo Panton all missing so Paris Hamilton-Downes was deployed at centre back and midfielder Robert Tanner slotted in at left back. Mickel Miller did return from missing out last week however, while Kingsley Aikhionbare was back in the fold and on the bench.
Neither goalkeeper was threatened during the opening exchanges but Jordan Clarke was at the heart of our best moves and it was he that opened the day’s scoring. His quick feet and burst forward eventually drew a foul right on th edge of the Park box and he picked himself up to place a low effort past the wall and beyond the dive of Keiron Campbell.
That joy was short-lived however as South Park levelled sixty seconds later. Chris Smith took a pass inside our area and slotted it past the unsighted Jack Eden.
The game was well and truly off now and Eden claimed a curling effort by Kieran Lavery, while Campbell got behind a long-range effort by Bobby Price which threatened to enter the top near corner.
We created a great chance to re-take the lead on 20 minutes as Tommy Bradford put Sean O’Toole in behind the visiting defence. The winger bore down on goal and seemed certain to score but he unselfishly tried to square for the oncoming Austin Gacheru, however the pass sadly went behind the striker by the six yard box.
We kept up some decent pressure in and around the Park box but couldn’t carve out another good chance; Gacheru came closest with a near post drive that was deflected away.
A couple of late Park tackles rose the game’s temperature and four yellow cards were dished out after a melee of players, before Jack Stafford was given a straight red for scything down and then pushing O’Toole on 36 minutes.
But, far from unsettling the visitors, they took the lead two minutes later as Smith rifled home from 10 yards after our offside play failed to catch him out.
Again our forwards went back on the offensive but we failed to convert some serious possession into tangible threats before the break.
HALF-TIME: 1 – 2