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Rovers fight back after trailing 2-1 at the break
Albury and Crookham Rovers U23s played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in the opening league fixture of the season at Albury FC's home ground in the Surrey Hills.
Albury went 2-0 ahead, the first coming from the penalty spot after an unfortunate handball and the second from open play.
Crookham pulled one back before the break when debutant Khalid Dabiri marked his first appearance with a goal, latching on to an inch-perfect pass from Luke Gorton. That strike meant Albury led 2-1 at half-time.
Rovers levelled soon after the restart through Jamie Lavender, who rose highest to head home a Kyle Duffin corner. However, Albury restored their lead from a direct free kick after the Rovers' goalkeeper, Calum Walsh, was penalised for handling outside his area.
Then, deep into added time, Rovers struck again. A move that began with Walsh in goal worked its way through the midfield via Lavender and Duffin, who’s pinpoint through ball split the defence for Harry Barber to slot home the equaliser.
Gaffer Andrew Barber was proud of his side’s resilience: “The boys showed great character to come back twice. It’s always tough when you go two down early, but the response was fantastic. Scoring late on showed the spirit in this group, and we can take a lot of positives into the season.”