Sub Minors stuns Town with hat-trick
Wolves 4 Dandy Town 3Vince Minors Jr redefined the definition of a super sub at Devonshire Rec yesterday.The diminutive Wolves striker lept from the bench to score a hat-trick as the hosts erased a two-goal deficit to stun defending Premier champions Dandy Town 4-3.Midfielder Sergio Richardson scored Wolves other goal to give the home team a 1-0 lead at the half before Town came roaring back after the restart through tallies from Aquino Grant, Fabian Frankson and Angelo Simmons.Hornets dominated for long spells and created plenty of chances to come away with maximum points. But poor finishing, sloppy defending and Minors’ clinical touch around the box would prove the visitors’ downfall in the end.After clawing their way back from a 3-1 deficit to level the scores in the 87th minute, Minors was gifted the game winner that he slotted into the empty net in stoppage time after Hornets ‘keeper Daniel Johnson collided with defender Saki Tuzo and the ball bounced freely to the unmarked Wolves striker“We got a little lucky to get the win at the end when their goalkeeper and defender collided and the ball bounced and VJ was in the right spot,” commented Wolves player/coach John Barry Nusum who is currently nursing a hamstring injury. “We got a little lucky with that, but we’ll take it.”The former US indoor pro hailed his players’ performance, reserving special mention for hat-trick hero Minors who came on the for the injured Morriko Iris at the start of the second half.“VJ came off the bench and played well and I thought most of the guys played really well also,” Nusum said. “We let in three goals but I thought our defence put in a good shift.“We’ve been faced with a lot of games where we have been up and then let the teams come back in, so for me it was a good fightback as far as us getting back into the match.”The win snapped Wolves’ three-game losing skid that started back on November 16 with a 4-1 home defeat against Southampton Rangers.“Any team that loses a bunch of games, you need a game like this to build a bit of confidence,” added Nusum. “We actually have Dandy Town in the Friendship Trophy so this is a good boost for us going into that game.”Wolves took the lead right on the stroke of half-time when Richardson slammed home a rebound at the back post after Hornets’ ‘keeper Johnson failed to hold onto a shot.Whatever words Hornets coach Jomar Wilkinson spoke to his players in the dressing room during the break took effect as the visitors equalised in the 56th minute when sub Aquino Grant rifled in a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box.The visitors then took the lead five minutes later when striker Angelo Simmons beat the Wolves’ ‘keeper with a tame shot from inside the area.Frankson then extended Hornets’ lead when he outpaced the defence and unleashed an unstoppable shot in the 67th minute.At 3-1 up, Wolves appeared to be dead and buried.However, Minors had other ideas.The Wolves striker ignited his team’s dramatic late fightback when he turned in a cross at the back post in the 83rd minute and then drew the teams level from the penalty spot four minutes later after Town were punished for a handball in the box.Minors then killed the game off in stoppage time.