What a difference two late minutes could make to the survival hopes of St George’s Colts this season.

The Premier Division strugglers were a few minutes away from three precious points against high-flying Hamilton Parish when an 88th minute foul by defender Jordan Darrell gifted Parish a penalty which Ijahmon Mallory scored to earn his team a 1-1 draw last weekend.

A win would have lifted St George’s into mid-table, but they returned to the relegation zone after Southampton Rangers beat North Village 2-1 at Southampton Oval.

To rub salt into their wounds they also had goalkeeper Charles Marshall sent off for two late cards over the incident as he protested the penalty call and then kicked the ball away in frustration after the spot-kick was converted.

Now, with the team’s other goalkeeper, Zeko Burgess, away in school, St George’s have a dilemma ahead of Sunday’s crucial match with North Village at Bernard Park as Marshall sits out a one-game suspension.

“We’re just going to have to wing it,” said Kameron Fox, the St George’s coach, when asked about a possible replacement. “I can’t say at this present time but somebody’s going to have to go in goal. Do we have a sufficient back-up goalkeeper? No we don’t.”

Teenager Marshall has been an influential player for St George’s in his first season in the top flight, with Burgess playing over the Christmas period when Marshall was out injured.

“It was just lack of experience on his behalf, a rush of blood and the next you know he is sent off,” Fox said.

“It was a harsh call, the wind was blowing 100 miles per hour and he kicked the ball up in the air and the ball goes behind the goal and he gets the [second] yellow card. We will just deal with what we have to deal with, with or without him.”

St George’s beat Village at Wellington Oval in their first league encounter, but have been slipping down the table since. Just four points separates the bottom six teams with four games remaining, after Devonshire Cougars lost to Dandy Town on Tuesday night and Robin Hood and Flanagan’s Onions drew 1-1 the night before.

“They were favourable results for us, Cougars losing and Robin Hood and Onions drawing,” Fox said. “I would rather both teams get one point because they’re still in the relegation fight, from fourth all the way down to tenth.

“It’s definitely going to be a dogfight right down to the wire. You can end one week in last place and the next week be up in fifth.”

n Premier and First Division matches scheduled for this weekend at Goose Gosling Field have been rescheduled for next week.

The Saturday night match between Robin Hood and Dandy Town will be played next Thursday, while the First Division game between BAA Wanderers and Ireland Rangers has been switched to Thursday at 7pm. Robin Hood have also had their match with North Village on Saturday, February 28 put back to Monday, March 2.

Meanwhile, the PDL Knockout Cup quarter-final, first leg between Town and Devonshire Cougars, originally scheduled for February 26, has been brought forward to Saturday at BFA Field, starting at 3pm.