AN Aydon Sneddon penalty with 10 minutes remaining was enough to secure Leichhardt a 2-2 draw at home with Redlynch in FNQ Football under-16/17 division one action on Saturday.

Having battled hard to stay in the game, particularly after Redlynch dominated the first half, Leichhardt snared the draw after Sneddon was brought down in the penalty area by Cyclones defender Jacob Bell.

Although Redlynch players and supporters protested Bell had made contact with the ball first, the kick from the spot was awarded and Sneddon made the most of the opportunity.

It was an unfortunate result for Bell, who played strongly throughout the contest, and Cyclones goalkeeper Jayson Morris, who also was impressive.

Redlynch opened the scoring after 25 minutes when Mitchell Robson provided a beautiful pass for Patrick Abwoch out wide on the left, Abwoch then crossed for Rhys Hole to leap high and head the ball into the net.

Leichhardt responded in the opening seconds of the second half, Anthony James weaving his way through several defenders from the kick-off and producing a sweetly-timed shot to level the scores.

Redlynch regained the lead on the hour when Lions defenders mis-read the bounce off a Ben Filip throw-in, allowing Abwoch to swoop on to the ball and post his side’s second goal.

Leichhardt came close to securing a win with shots late in the game by Sneddon and Alec Warner narrowly missing the mark.

Meanwhile, Stratford and Leichhardt finished locked at 0-0 in their
top-of-the-table ladies premiership clash at Leichhardt.

Delighted Lions coach Ken Bosence said his team had gained ground on the premiership favourites.

"I couldn’t have asked for more," he said. "In the last two games (against Stratford), we’ve been thumped by them.

Defender Helen Cross, in her first game back from knee injury, was outstanding in defence for the Lions while Stacey Jones produced a trademark non-stop performance.

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