Joe Tumelty went through every possible emotion during Wednesday evening’s Pitching In Southern League Division One South play-off semi-final.
In what was a tense and nervy affair, his corner kick found its way into the net with just under 20 minutes to go and that looked like being enough to take Malvern Town through.
But visitors, Bishops Cleeve, hit back in the closing stages with a late leveller and then found themselves up against ten men when the home side had Dion Molyneux sent off in stoppage time at the end of normal time.
Extra-time ebbed and flowed until the experienced Ryan Brunt fired home the winner to set up Monday’s final against Shaftesbury.
“It was a tough, competitive game on Wednesday, exactly as you’d expect from a semi-final,” he told us. “I thought we showed a lot of character, especially when it mattered most.
“The performance probably wasn’t our best, if we’re being honest, but thankfully we were able to dig in and got the job done.
“Obviously I was happy to score, or at least claim, the opening goal, but the overall work rate and togetherness of the group was what got us over the line!
“The focus shifts immediately now. We will recover as best we can, have a good training session on Saturday and make sure we are best prepared for the game.
“It is one we will look forward to and should be a great occasion!
“To see the amount of tickets we have sold is amazing. The fans are massive for us; their energy and support give the lads an extra push, especially in key moments.
“You could feel it in the semi-final and I’m sure Monday will be no different. When they’re behind us, it really does make a difference, so hopefully we can give them something to shout about again in the Final.”
We ended by asking him for his assessment on the season as a whole.
“It’s been a really positive campaign,” he responded. “We’ve shown massive progression again both on and off the pitch.
“As a team, we’ve grown a lot - there’s a real togetherness and belief that’s developed over the course of the year.
“Personally, I’ve absolutely loved it, I’ve tried to lead by example and felt I have impacted games with goals and assists throughout, but we all know there’s still one more big step to take, and that’s where all our focus is now.”
IMAGE: Hillside Throttle Photography
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